Ludovico Manin

Ludovico Manin ( born May 14, 1725 † October 24, 1802 ) was the 120th and last Doge of the Republic of Venice. He ruled from 1789 until his abdication in 1797, when he surrendered the city to Napoleon Bonaparte. This ended the independent history of Venice.

Family

The Manin family was originally located in Friuli. 1651 they had bought the membership in aristocratic Venetian for 100,000 ducats.

Life

Ludovico was the son of Ludovico and Maria Basadonna. His marriage with Elisabetta Grimani had no descendants. Prior to his election Manin had undergone a political and military career, with stops in Venice, Verona and Brescia. At 39, he was elected Procurator of San Marco. Manin was notorious for his avarice. Already at the beginning of his Dogats, when he lacked the usual generosity of the Doge, he made himself unpopular with the entire population of Venice. His family owned the Villa Manin in Friuli.

The Dogenamt

Manin was elected on March 9, 1789 on the first ballot to the Doge, a month before the Paris rebelled against the rule of the Bourbons and the French Revolution began with the also the end of the once glorious Serenissima was rung.

After Napoleon's invasion of Italy and its military successes came in 1795 to a first coalition against France, who joined the Italian states with the exception of Genoa and Venice, who took a neutral stance. Without worrying about the threatening foreign policy situation, the carnival and the marriage of the Doge with the sea were celebrated with his usual pomp in Venice.

On June 1, 1796, French troops invaded in Verona. Only now they took in Venice the seriousness of the situation to the attention, and Venice's diplomacy came - too late - in motion. Northern Italy had become the battleground for the French and Austrian troops. On April 15, 1797, the French general Junot Andoche presented the Doge an ultimatum in which he accused the Republic of treason, which did not accept the Republic. On April 18, it was agreed in a secret addendum to the Treaty of Leoben between France and Austria, that Giulia, Istria, and Dalmatia should fall to Austria. A week later, on April 25, a French fleet lay in front of the Lido. Although Venice cannons sunk a ship, including Captain, the entry of the French, however, was unstoppable. On May 12, the Doge lay without any resistance from his office in favor of a provisional administration, municipalità provvisoria, down. Two days later, he left the Doge's Palace forever.

On May 16, stood for the first time in Venice's history, foreign troops on St. Mark's Square. On the same day of the surrender treaty was signed, Venice surrendered to the French domination. June 4, the day of the establishment of a provisional government was declared as a day of freedom for a national holiday. The Treaty of Campo Formio on October 17, 1797 then Venetia, Dalmatia and Istria fell to Austria. On January 18, 1798 began with the arrival of his troops, the occupation of the city by Austria. Manin retired after his abdication and his two nephews in the Palazzo Pesaro a San Stae back. He died on 24 October 1802 and was Maria di Nazareth ( Scalzi Church) buried in the church of Santa.