Benedetto Pesaro ( 1430 – August 1503) was a Venetian nobleman who served as commander-in-chief of the Venetian navy from 1500 to 1503. He is notable for his military successes during the Second Ottoman–Venetian War.

Biography

He was elected to the post on 28 July 1500, shortly after the death of his predecessor Melchior Trevisan. A

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of the noble Pesaro family, he was about 70 at the time of his election, returning an approximate birthdate of 1430. Supposedly possessed of a voracious sexual appetite, the diarist Girolamo Priuli took unkindly to the fact that he still enjoyed the company of mistresses in old age. His first victory came in late 1500 when, aided by a Spanish fleet under Gonzalo de Cordoba, he retook Cephalonia from the Ottomans. Later, in 1502, he met his cousin Jacopo Pesaro (who had thirteen

papal The pope is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the pope was the sovereign or head of sta ...

galleys under his command) on the Greek island of

Cerigo Kythira ( ; ), also transliterated as Cythera, Kythera and Kithira, is an island in Greece lying opposite the south-eastern tip of the Peloponnese peninsula. It is traditionally listed as one of the seven main Ionian Islands, although it is dist ...

, and from there launched an assault on Turkish-controlled

Santa Maura Lefkada (, ''Lefkáda'', ), also known as Lefkas or Leukas (Ancient Greek and Katharevousa: Λευκάς, ''Leukás'', modern pronunciation ''Lefkás'') and Leucadia, is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea on the west coast of Greece, connected to ...

; the island fell on 30 August. However, when peace was agreed the next year, concessions were made; while Cephalonia was kept under Venetian control, Santa Maura was returned to the Turks.Setton, p. 523 Also worthy of note is Pesaro's ruthlessness in the field. In 1501, after capturing the notorious Turkish pirate Erichi, whose ship had run aground on

Milos Milos or Melos (; , ; ) is a volcanic Greek island in the Aegean Sea, just north of the Sea of Crete. It is the southwestern-most island of the Cyclades group. The ''Venus de Milo'' (now in the Louvre), the ''Poseidon of Melos'' (now in the ...

, he had him roasted to death. On another occasion, Pesaro ordered the beheading of Marco Loredan, a relative of Doge Leonardo Loredan, for his unseemly readiness to surrender his fort to the Turks.Thubron, p. 115 He died in August 1503 at

Corfu Corfu ( , ) or Kerkyra (, ) is a Greece, Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands; including its Greek islands, small satellite islands, it forms the margin of Greece's northwestern frontier. The island is part of the Corfu (regio ...

, having fallen ill as he was making preparations to return home.Bembo/Ulery, p. 153 In his will he requested that he be interred in the

Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari The Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, commonly abbreviated to ''the Frari'', is a church located in the Campo dei Frari at the heart of the San Polo district of Venice, Italy. It is the largest church in the city and it has the status ...

. His funerary monument, which stands there today, was constructed by the brothers Lorenzo and Giambattista Bregno.

Notes

Sources

* Thubron, Colin (1981). ''The Venetians''.

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

: Time Life UK. * * Crowley, Roger (2012). ''City of Fortune: How Venice Won and Lost a Naval Empire.''

Faber & Faber Faber and Faber Limited, commonly known as Faber & Faber or simply Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, C. S. Lewis, Margaret S ...

. * Bembo, Pietro. ''History of Venice, Books 5–8''. Translated by Robert W. Ulery Jr. Cambridge, Mass.:

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is an academic publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University. It is a member of the Association of University Presses. Its director since 2017 is George Andreou. The pres ...

, 2008.

External links

Monument to Benedetto Pesaro, by the Bregno brothers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pesaro, Benedetto 15th-century Venetian people 16th-century Venetian people Republic of Venice admirals Republic of Venice people of the Ottoman–Venetian Wars Italian Renaissance people 1503 deaths

Benedetto Benedetto is a common Italian name, the equivalent of the English language, English name Benedict (given name), Benedict. Notable people named Benedetto include: People with the given name * Benedetto Accolti (disambiguation), several people * B ...

Year of birth uncertain