Alvise Contarini (diplomat)

Alvise Contarini (* April 23, 1597, † March 11 1651 in Venice) was a Venetian nobleman and diplomat. He was descended from the second marriage of Tommaso Contarini Gasparo di Maria Pisani and was therefore a great-grandnephew of Cardinal Gasparo Contarini.

From 1618 he held several positions in the administration of the Republic of Venice, and five years later, in 1623, he took his seat in the Great Council of the Republic. Then he took over the position of the Venetian ambassador in the Netherlands. From 1626 he was ambassador in England until he was appointed Ambassador to France in 1629. During this time he persuaded the then French King Louis XIII. to an alliance with Venice, so as to prevent Austria in the occupation of the Valtellina, and Cardinal Richelieu to support Sweden.

In 1632 he was appointed envoy to the Roman Curia, 1636, he was Venetian Bailo in Constantinople Opel. After his return in 1641, Contarini was determined in 1643 as an agent for the negotiation of the Peace of Westphalia in Muenster, which should end the Thirty Years' War. He had great confidence of all conference participants and was also important middleman by Fabio Chigi, who was not allowed to negotiate directly with the representatives of the Protestant parties.