Andrea Gritti
| Andrea Gritti | |
|---|---|
Portrait of the Doge Andrea Gritti, by Titian (1540)
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| 77th Doge of Venice | |
| Dogado | 20 May 1523 – 28 December 1538 |
| Predecessor | Antonio Grimani |
| Successor | Pietro Lando |
| Born |
17 April 1455 Bardolino, Republic of Venice |
| Died | 28 December 1538 (aged 83) Venice, namesake Republic |
| Burial | San Francesco della Vigna, Castello, Venice |
| Spouse | Benedetta Vendramin |
| Children | Francesco,Alvise |
| Dynasty | |
| Father | Francesco Gritti |
| Mother | Vienna Zane |
| Occupation | Merchant, military officer, politician |
Andrea Gritti (1455 – December 1538) was the Doge of Venice from 1523 to 1538, following a distinguished diplomatic and military career.
Gritti was born in Bardolino, near Verona. He spent much of his early life in Constantinople (Istanbul) as a grain merchant, looking after Venetian interests. In the late 1490s he was using his commercial correspondence for sending encoded information to Venice regarding the movements of the Turkish navy. In 1499, he was imprisoned on charges of espionage, but escaped execution due to his friendship with the vizier, and was released several years later.
In the early sixteenth century, Venice lost nearly all its territory on the Italian mainland, and Gritti played an important part in the events connected with this loss and the eventual return to the status quo ante. In 1509, after the Venetian defeat at the Battle of Agnadello, Gritti was appointed as proveditor to the Venetian army in Treviso; ordered by the Council of Ten to support revolts against the invaders, he successfully engineered the return of Padua to Venetian hands, and its subsequent defence against the Emperor. In 1510, following the death of Nicolo di Pitigliano, Gritti took command of Venice's army, but was forced to withdraw to Venice by French advances. He continued as proveditor through end of the League of Cambrai and the subsequent war of the Holy League. In 1512, he led the negotiations with Francis I that resulted in Venice leaving the League and allying with France.
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Wikipedia