Giovanni Mocenigo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Giovanni Mocenigo
Portrait of Giovanni Mocenigo, by Gentile Bellini
Doge of Venice
In office 1478–1485
Preceded by	Andrea Vendramin
Succeeded by	Marco Barbarigo
Personal details
Born	1408 Venice, Republic of Venice
Died	4 November 1485 Venice, Republic of Venice

Giovanni Mocenigo (born in 1408, died November 4, 1485) was a powerful leader of Venice. He held the title of Doge from 1478 to 1485. During his time as Doge, he led Venice in battles against the Ottoman Empire at sea. He also fought on land against the Duke of Ferrara, Ercole I d'Este. He managed to win back important areas like Rovigo and the Polesine.

Giovanni Mocenigo was buried in the Basilica di Santi Giovanni e Paolo. This church was a traditional burial place for many Venetian Doges. His wife, Taddea Michiel, passed away in 1479. She was the last "dogaressa" (the Doge's wife) to be crowned in Venice for a long time. Giovanni's brother, Pietro Mocenigo, was also a Doge before him, from 1474 to 1476.

Giovanni's Early Life

Giovanni Mocenigo was born in Venice in 1408. He came from a very important family. Both his father, Leonardo, and his grandfather, Pietro, held high positions in Venice. They were called Procurator of Saint Mark. We don't know much about Giovanni's early years. We do know he married Taddea Michiel in 1432. Her family was also very well-known in Venice. Giovanni and Taddea had two children, Leonardo and Luchina.

Giovanni might have worked in trade when he was younger. His first step into public service was in July 1441. He was chosen for the Council of Forty. However, he turned down this role. He was chosen again in November of the same year. It's not clear if he accepted that time. Not much else is known about him until 1451. That's when his mother's will mentioned him.

Giovanni's Political Career

From 1452, Giovanni Mocenigo began a career in politics. He was elected to the Venetian Senate. This was an important governing body. Later, he became an ambassador. He traveled to meet Ibrahim II of Karaman. His job was to make a trade agreement. He also hoped to form an alliance against the Ottoman Empire. This happened between 1453 and 1454. In June 1454, he led a yearly trade ship convoy to Alexandria.

In 1463, Giovanni became the governor of Ravenna. This role was called a podestà. He was also a captain there. In 1466, he became a savio di Terraferma. This meant he advised on mainland affairs. From this role, he was sent to negotiate with Borso d'Este. Borso was the Lord of Ferrara. The goal was to form an alliance against Florence.

Giovanni was re-elected as savio di Terraferma in 1467. After that, he became the governor of Treviso. In 1469, he was elected an avogador di Comùn. This was a legal position. He held it for only a few weeks. Then, he became the governor of Patria del Friuli. He served there until August 1471. In late 1471, he was again a savio di Terraferma. In 1472, he was an avogador di Comùn once more. In 1474, he was a savio del consiglio. This was a very high advisory role. He was then sent to negotiate a peace treaty. This treaty was called the Peace of Lodi. He worked with Florence and the Duchy of Milan.

Giovanni Mocenigo took part in choosing new Doges. He helped elect Nicolò Tron in 1471. He also helped elect Nicolò Marcello in 1473. In 1473, he tried to get his brother, Pietro, elected. Pietro wasn't chosen that time. But Pietro became Doge in December 1474. This helped Giovanni's standing even more. From 1475 until he became Doge in 1478, Giovanni was always a savio del consiglio. It's interesting that he never held the title of Procurator of Saint Mark before becoming Doge.

In November 1477, Giovanni was part of a group of senators. They checked the defenses of Friuli. They were worried about a possible Ottoman attack. After Doge Andrea Vendramin passed away in May 1478, Giovanni was elected Doge on May 18. He was chosen because people liked his honest character. His political skills were not the main reason. Marco Corner, his brother-in-law, helped him a lot to win the election.

Giovanni's Time as Doge

Monument to Giovanni Mocenigo at the church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice

Giovanni Mocenigo's time as Doge was difficult from the start. Just days after he was elected, a serious illness began. It lasted until the end of the year. This illness sadly took the life of Giovanni's wife. Also, in September 1479, the Doge's Palace was badly damaged by fire. Giovanni had to move out of the palace.

Venice had been fighting a long war with the Ottomans since 1463. This war ended in January 1479. It ended with a peace agreement called the Treaty of Constantinople. Venice lost some important areas in this treaty. They lost Negroponte, Scutari, and other forts.

In 1482, another war started. This time, it was with the Duchy of Ferrara. The fighting was over the Polesine region. The war was expensive and harder than Venice expected. But it ended with a Venetian victory. This was with the Treaty of Bagnolo on August 7, 1484.

Giovanni Mocenigo passed away from the plague on November 4, 1485. He was buried in the Church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo. His funeral monument was created by the sculptor Tullio Lombardo.

See also

• Mocenigo family

Sources

• Gullino, Giuseppe (2011). "MOCENIGO, Giovanni" (in Italian). Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, Volume 75: Miranda–Montano. Rome: Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana. https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/giovanni-mocenigo_%28Dizionario-Biografico%29/.