Sebastiano Venier (or Veniero) (c. 1496 – 3 March 1578) was

Doge of Venice The Doge of Venice ( ; vec, Doxe de Venexia ; it, Doge di Venezia ; all derived from Latin ', "military leader"), sometimes translated as Duke (compare the Italian '), was the chief magistrate and leader of the Republic of Venice between 726 ...

from 11 June 1577 to 3 March 1578. He is best remembered in his role as the

Venetian Venetian often means from or related to: * Venice, a city in Italy * Veneto, a region of Italy * Republic of Venice (697–1797), a historical nation in that area Venetian and the like may also refer to: * Venetian language, a Romance language s ...

admiral at the

Battle of Lepanto The Battle of Lepanto was a naval engagement that took place on 7 October 1571 when a fleet of the Holy League, a coalition of Catholic states (comprising Spain and its Italian territories, several independent Italian states, and the Soverei ...

Biography

Venier was born in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

around 1496. He was a son of Moisè (Mosè) Venier and Elena Donà, and a nephew of Zuan Francesco Venier, Co-Lord of Cerigo.Ancestry of Sultana Nur-Banu (Cecilia Venier-Baffo)
/ref> He was a paternal grandson of Moisé Venier (ca. 1412 - ca. 1476). He was the great-great-great-grandson of Pietro Venier, Governor of Cerigo. He worked as a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solicit ...

from a very early age, though without holding formal qualifications, and subsequently was an administrator for the government of the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia ...

. In 1570 he was

procurator of St Mark's The office of Procurator of Saint Mark ( Venetian: Procurador de San Marco) was one of the few lifetime appointments in the government of the Venetian Republic and was considered second only to that of the doge in prestige. Da Mosto, ''L'Archivio d ...

and, in the December of the same year, '' capitano generale da Mar'' of the Venetian fleet in the new war against the

Ottoman Turks The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...

, substituting Girolamo Zane. He was the commander of the Venetian contingent at

(7 October 1571), in which the Christian League decisively defeated the Turks. After the peace he returned to Venice as a very popular figure, and in 1577, at the age of 81, he was unanimously elected Doge. He was married to Cecilia Contarini, who bore him a daughter, Elena Venier. He also had two illegitimate sons, Filippo and Marco. Venier later provided Filippo with a

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

and Marco, who became a functionary of the chancellery, with a post in

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see names in other languages) is one of the four historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of the Adriatic Sea, str ...

. Sebastiano Venier died on 3 March 1578. He was interred in the Santa Maria degli Angeli of

Murano Murano is a series of islands linked by bridges in the Venetian Lagoon, northern Italy. It lies about north of Venice and measures about across with a population of just over 5,000 (2004 figures). It is famous for its glass making. It was on ...

, instead of the family's tomb, as he had expressed in 1568 in his will. However, in 1907 his remains were moved in the Basilica di San Giovanni e Paolo, a traditional burial place of the doges.

Relations

There is a possibility that he was a first cousin once removed of Cecilia Venier-Baffo, known as Nurbanu Sultan after her conversion to Islam, daughter of his first cousin

Nicolò Venier, Lord of Paros Nicolò () is an Italian male given name. Another variation is Niccolò, most common in Tuscany. It may refer to: * Nicolò Albertini, statesman * Nicolò Amati, luthier * Nicolò Barella, Italian footballer * Nicolò Barattieri, Italian engineer ...

. She was abducted during the

Ottoman–Venetian War (1537–1540) The Third Ottoman Venetian War (1537–1540) was one of the Ottoman–Venetian wars which took place during the 16th century. The war arose out of the Franco-Ottoman alliance between Francis I of France and Süleyman I of the Ottoman Empire ...

and sent to the Ottoman Sultan

Suleiman the Magnificent Suleiman I ( ota, سليمان اول, Süleyman-ı Evvel; tr, I. Süleyman; 6 November 14946 September 1566), commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent in the West and Suleiman the Lawgiver ( ota, قانونى سلطان سليمان, Ḳ ...

in order to counter the ascension of

Roxelana Hurrem Sultan (, ota, خُرّم سلطان, translit=Ḫurrem Sulṭān, tr, Hürrem Sultan, label=Modern Turkish; 1500 – 15 April 1558), also known as Roxelana ( uk, Роксолана}; ), was the chief consort and legal wife of the List o ...

. She became eventually the wife of his son

Selim II Selim II (Ottoman Turkish: سليم ثانى ''Selīm-i sānī'', tr, II. Selim; 28 May 1524 – 15 December 1574), also known as Selim the Blond ( tr, Sarı Selim) or Selim the Drunk ( tr, Sarhoş Selim), was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire f ...

and the mother of

Murad III Murad III ( ota, مراد ثالث, Murād-i sālis; tr, III. Murad; 4 July 1546 – 16 January 1595) was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1574 until his death in 1595. His rule saw battles with the Habsburgs and exhausting wars with the Sa ...

, from whom descend all succeeding Sultans.A. D. Alderson, ''The structure of the Ottoman dynasty'', Oxford: Clarendon, 1956, Table XXXI et seq., for details. Doge Sebastiano Venier.png, Coat of arms of Sebastiano Venier Victors of Lepanto.jpg, The Victors of Lepanto (from left:

John of Austria John of Austria ( es, Juan, link=no, german: Johann; 24 February 1547 – 1 October 1578) was the natural son born to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V late in life when he was a widower. Charles V met his son only once, recognizing him in a secret ...

, Marcantonio Colonna, Sebastiano Venier) (Venice) Ritratto votivo del doge Sebastiano Venier - Paolo Veronese.jpg, Votive Portrait of Doge Sebastiano Venier by Veronese Left transept of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - Funeral monument of the Doge Sebastiano Venier by Antonio dal Zotto.jpg, Funeral effigy in the Basilica di San Giovanni e Paolo

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Venier, Sebastiano Sebastian 1490s births 1578 deaths 16th-century Doges of Venice Republic of Venice admirals Republic of Venice people of the Ottoman–Venetian Wars Procurators of Saint Mark Burials at Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice