Alvise Gritti
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Alvise Gritti (also Ludovico or Lodovico Gritti, born 29 September 1480, died 1534, ) was a Venetian politician. He was influential in the
Hungarian Kingdom The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...
under the reign of King
John I of Hungary John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Ep ...
. He was also a minister of the
Ottoman sultan The sultans of the Ottoman Empire (), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to Dissolution of the Ottoman Em ...
, and
regent of Hungary The regent of Hungary was a position established in 1446 and renewed in 1920. It was held by Admiral Miklós Horthy until 1944. Under Hungary's constitution there were two regents, one a regent of the ruling house, called the Nádor, and another ...
from 1530 to 1534. He was the natural son of
Andrea Gritti Andrea Gritti (17 April 1455 – 28 December 1538) was the Doge of the Venetian Republic from 1523 to 1538, following a distinguished diplomatic and military career. He started out as a successful merchant in Constantinople and transitioned into ...
, the Venetian
Bailo of Constantinople A bailo, also spelled baylo (pl. / ) was a diplomat who oversaw the affairs of the Republic of Venice in Istanbul, Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, and was a permanent fixture in the city around 1454. The traumatic outcomes of ...
during the reign of Sultan
Bayezid II Bayezid II (; ; 3 December 1447 – 26 May 1512) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1481 to 1512. During his reign, Bayezid consolidated the Ottoman Empire, thwarted a pro-Safavid dynasty, Safavid rebellion and finally abdicated his throne ...
, who later became the
Doge of Venice The Doge of Venice ( ) – in Italian, was the doge or highest role of authority within the Republic of Venice (697–1797). The word derives from the Latin , meaning 'leader', and Venetian Italian dialect for 'duke', highest official of the ...
in 1523.


Youth

Gritti’s father,
Andrea Andrea is a given name which is common worldwide for both males and females, cognate to Andreas, Andrej and Andrew. Origin of the name The name derives from the Greek word ἀνήρ (''anēr''), genitive ἀνδρός (''andrós''), that re ...
, lived in Constantinople as a grain merchant for about twenty years before returning as a diplomat on behalf of Venice. Alvise was one of multiple sons Andrea had with a
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
mistress during this time. The commonly cited number of sons is four, Pietro, Alvise, Lorenzo, and Zorzi; however, Eric Dursteler mentions only three, citing one of Gritti's father's political opponents who argued that "one who has three bastard sons in Turkey .e. Ottoman Empireshould not be made Doge." Given that names exist for four sons, it seems more likely that this piece of political invective left out a son than that historians have added a fourth. Regardless, Gritti spent his childhood in Istanbul. He studied at the
University of Padua The University of Padua (, UNIPD) is an Italian public research university in Padua, Italy. It was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from the University of Bologna, who previously settled in Vicenza; thus, it is the second-oldest ...
, likely after traveling from Istanbul with his father in 1502. As an illegitimate child, Gritti was unable to hold high-ranking positions in Venice, but this barrier did not exist in Constantinople, to which he returned in 1506.


Early career

Stationing himself in
Galata Galata is the former name of the Karaköy neighbourhood in Istanbul, which is located at the northern shore of the Golden Horn. The district is connected to the historic Fatih district by several bridges that cross the Golden Horn, most nota ...
, across the
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from Constantinople, Gritti became involved in banking and trade, particularly with Venice. Though trading in a variety of goods, such as saltpeter, salt milk, clothes, saffron, tin, and wine, grain and gems were some of Gritti’s most prominent ventures. The former was imported to Venice, while the latter found a patron in the sultan. Gritti was thus involved in the creation and presentation of Süleyman the Magnificent's Venetian Helmet. His success was evidenced by his luxurious palazzo, with expansive gardens, stables, and numerous servants, stables, as well as by extravagant garments and jewelry. His court was host to feasts and entertainments, as well as Italian merchants and humanists. The origins of Gritti’s relationship with
Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha ( 149515 March 1536), was the first Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire appointed by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. Ibrahim, born as Orthodox Christian, was enslaved during his youth. He and Suleiman became close frie ...
, who was appointed Grand Vizier to Suleiman in 1523, are unclear, but Gritti won favor with Ibrahim, who entrusted him with great responsibilities, making him a business partner. It is possible that Ibrahim Pasha was influenced by his childhood ties to Venice, as he was born on the Venetian island of Parga. Regardless, Ibrahim Pasha seems to have sought Gritti’s opinion on matters pertaining to foreign policy and he and the sultan are known to have visited Gritti’s house in Galata. Also in 1523 Gritti’s father ascended to the position of doge of Venice, a move that furthered Gritti’s political power. Gritti was known as the “Prince’s Son” and was likely partially responsible for Ibrahim Pasha’s favorable policies towards Venice. Gritti never converted to Islam, and kept his faith to Christianity along with his Christian name, despite the usual necessity of doing so to gain high-ranking positions within the Ottoman government. Instead, he used his wealth to greatly bolster his political power, including by giving frequent loans to many government officials. Since he was born into a power family with his father as the Doge of Venice, he was also already well-acquainted with this level of society, and had many strong political connections throughout Europe. These made him particularly useful as an expert on European affairs to the Ottomans, and subsequently in working in diplomacy for them. In 1527 Gritti supported King John I of Hungary against Ferdinand I of Habsburg, who wanted the crown for himself. He soon became one of the most important allies of King John and served as ambassador between the monarch and the Turkish sultan. In 1528 the grand vizier, according to reports, planned to take him on the projected campaign into Hungary where Gritti was to get "an important archbishopric plus a piece of the archduchy of Austria once the Turks had taken them." Lodovico stayed in the city of
Buda Buda (, ) is the part of Budapest, the capital city of Hungary, that lies on the western bank of the Danube. Historically, “Buda” referred only to the royal walled city on Castle Hill (), which was constructed by Béla IV between 1247 and ...
first as King John's advisor, and then between 1530 and 1534 as regent of Hungary.


Governor of Hungary

In 1529, Gritti began receiving promotions for his role in Hungary under the Sultan. At first, he became the great treasurer and a Bishop of Erlau. Afterwards, in 1530, Gritti defended
John Zápolya John Zápolya or Szapolyai (; ; ; ; 1487 – 22 July 1540), was King of Hungary (as John I) from 1526 to 1540. His rule was disputed by Archduke Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, Ferdinand I, who also claimed the title King of Hungary. He wa ...
's rule over Hungary from an unexpected siege on Buda by Ferdinand I's forces while Gritti was supposed to be attending a peace conference regarding the status of Hungary in this imperial conflict. In exchange for the support of Gritti and the Ottomans, Zápolya gave Gritti the title of Governor of Hungary and Gritti handed down the role of bishop of Erlau to his son, Antonio. However, anonymous letters to Ferdinand I in 1528 and 1529 indicated that this decision had already been made at the time of their writing. In this instance, it was indicated that Ottoman Grand Vizier Ibrahim Pasha, who owed a significant debt to Gritti, made an agreement with Gritti and the Sultan to have Gritti become Governor. Therefore, Ibrahim Pasha had this deal confirmed in negotiations with Zápolya, and in return, the Hungarians would not have to pay
kharaj Kharāj () is a type of individual Islamic tax on agricultural land and its produce, regardless of the religion of the owners, developed under Islamic law. With the first Muslim conquests in the 7th century, the ''kharaj'' initially was synonym ...
to the Sultan for their alliance. Upon his official appointment to the role, however, the lesser nobility saw this unfavorably, as they feared it gave Gritti too much power and that he may have aspirations for the throne. This was also furthered by their sentiments that it was abnormal for Hungarian customs, as there had historically only been a governor before when the king was a child, and therefore only when the king was not yet fit to rule. During the time of his reign, he still carried on his role in the jewel trade and utilized it as an important tool within his political work. Due to continued tensions with Ferdinand I, Gritti and Ibrahim Pasha commissioned the creation of Süleyman the Magnificent's Venetian Helmet in 1532 in order to display the Sultan's power over the Pope and the Christian empires that challenged him and his right to universal rule The helmet was designed by Gritti himself, along with a scepter and a crystal mirror that accompanied the piece for the Sultan. He had it modelled after the crown created for
Pope Julius II Pope Julius II (; ; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death, in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope, the Battle Pope or the Fearsome ...
in 1510 by
Cristoforo Foppa Cristoforo (known as Caradosso) Foppa (1445 – c. 1527) was an Italian goldsmith, sculptor, and die sinker. Biography According to some sources he was born at Olgiate Molgora (in the ''frazione'' of Mondonico) in the Province of Lecco, and ...
, but with an added fourth tier, instead of the three tiers featured on the Pope's. It was then showcased in an extravagant parade and at a viewing at the
Doge's Palace The Doge's Palace (''Doge'' pronounced ; ; ) is a palace built in Venetian Gothic architecture, Venetian Gothic style, and one of the main landmarks of the city of Venice in northern Italy. The palace included government offices, a jail, and th ...
, which was attended by most of the
Venetian Senate The Senate (), formally the ''Consiglio dei Pregadi'' or ''Rogati'' (, ), was the main deliberative and legislative body of the Republic of Venice. Establishment The Venetian Senate was founded in 1229, or less likely shortly before that date. ...
.


Attempted coup

On 9 November 1533, the governor of Marano wrote to
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (as Charles I) from 1516 to 1556, and Lord of the Netherlands as titular Duke of Burgundy (as Charles II) ...
, "I heard a few days ago that the Captain-General of Croatia apprehended and sent to ( your brother's city of)
Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...
two of Gritti's spies. They have confessed that Gritti, in the name of the Turkish Emperor, has made an alliance with the kings of England and France and also with several other princes against His Imperial and Royal Majesties (Charles and his brother Ferdinand, then King of Bohemia) and the rest of Christendom. In consequence of this the armies of the Turk, consisting of about 1,500 light horse and 22,000 hackbutiers—the whole force to be paid by the king of France—are about to invade Christendom. And it is the opinion of one of the spies that Gritti himself with his confederates will invade Croatia,
Slavonia Slavonia (; ) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria County, Istria, one of the four Regions of Croatia, historical regions of Croatia. Located in the Pannonian Plain and taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with f ...
, and Hungary, and try if he can conquer those countries. Meanwhile the dukes of Bavaria and Wurtemberg and the count (landgrave) of Hesse will create disturbances in Germany, and so distress Christendom that His Imperial Majesty will find himself in trouble." Gritti's attempt to take over Transylvania caused a general uprising but in the end he was killed along with his two sons at the siege of Medgyes. His remains were buried in the church of St. Francis in Mediaș in modern-day Romania.


References


Further reading

*Peter G. Bietenholz, Thomas B. Deutscher (2003). Contemporaries of Erasmus: a biographical register. *
Heinrich Kretschmayr Heinrich Kretschmayr (1870 – 1939) was an Austrian archivist and historian who specialized in the history of Venice. His principal work is ''The History of Venice'' (German: ''Geschichte von Venedig'') in three volumes - a monumental survey ...
: Ludovico Gritti: Eine Monographie. BiblioBazaar. July 2009
923 __NOTOC__ Year 923 ( CMXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * June 15 – Battle of Soissons: King Robert I is killed; the Frankish army, led by Charles the Simple, is d ...
. *Albert Lybyer (1913). Government of the Ottoman Empire in the Time of Suleiman the Magnificent. *Ferenc Szakaly (1995). Lodovico Gritti in Hungary: 1529-1534: a historical insight. {{DEFAULTSORT:Gritti, Alvise 1480 births 1534 deaths Politicians from Istanbul Alvise University of Padua alumni Republic of Venice nobility Republic of Venice diplomats Political people from the Ottoman Empire 16th-century Venetian people 16th-century people from the Ottoman Empire Italian people of Greek descent Businesspeople from Istanbul 16th-century governors