Antonio Priuli

Antonio Priuli (* May 10, 1548; † August 12, 1623 ) was the 94th Doge of Venice. He reigned from 1618 to 1623. His reign was marked by tensions with the Spanish crown.

Family

The Priuli were among the new families, they have been certified since 1297 in Venice and had acquired as a grain merchant, landowner and horse breeders a large fortune. Although they counted once one of the richest families of the Republic, had but now have to borrow from the banks to maintain their social status. The three Doge Priuli presented, in addition to the Lorenzo Antonio and Gerolamo brothers in the middle of the 16th century.

Life

Antonio was the son of Giovanni and Elisabetta Cappello and married to Elena Barbarigo, daughter of Admiral Agostino Barbarigo, who was killed at the Battle of Lepanto. Also from the family of Elena two doges had emerged. Antonio's older brother Michele was bishop of Vicenza. The couple had twelve or fourteen children, including seven daughters who were nuns. Prior to his election Antonio Ambassador was with Henry IV of France and from 1603 procurator.

The Dogenamt

Antonio Priuli was by Giovanni Bembo and the third Doge Nicolò Donā of the year 1618th He was elected on May 17 in the first round of voting. After his election, he showed himself to the Venetian people against very generous, giving him indeed brought great sympathy, his financial situation but even more loaded. Since he was able to marry his son Girolamo with a rich heiress of the house of Dolfin, the financial circumstances of the family strengthened again, but died his descendants in the third generation of. Two other sons were priests, but of which one ( Matteo ) had to give up his position as Cardinal, which he had apparently obtained only with the father's financial tuition. The other - Agostino - was bishop of Bergamo. Domestically, it was during his reign to a series of cases against various members of the Nobili, who had to answer to the powerful Council of Ten for conspiracy. These procedures are indicative of the tensions and rivalries that existed between individual families. One blackened mutually anonymous to the authorities, and not a few were unable to prove their innocence and were convicted. Also, Antonio had to stand trial before the Council of Ten because of the affair to the cardinal choice of his son. The Venetian ambassador in Rome, Renier Zen, had accused the Dogensohn to be involved in a conspiracy directed against Venice with the Pope.

Antonio Priuli died on August 12, 1623. It is not known where he was buried.

Pictures

• Leandro dal Ponte: Double Portrait of Doge Antonio Priuli with an unknown procurator. Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice. Exhibited at the Palazzo Correr in Venice