Carlo Ruzzini (11 November 1653 – 5 January 1735) was a Venetian

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, and

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Biography

Ruzzini was born in

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

, the eldest child of wealthy parents, Marco Ruzzini and Caterina Zeno. By the end of the 17th century 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 ...

was losing ground in its constant diplomatic and military struggle with the

Turkish Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...

, so there was great need for diplomats such as Carlo Ruzzini who had both the education and the requisite personal fortune to qualify for the diplomatic service. Starting his career of public service at 26 running the

Venetian Arsenal The Venetian Arsenal ( it, Arsenale di Venezia) is a complex of former shipyards and armories clustered together in the city of Venice in northern Italy. Owned by the state, the Arsenal was responsible for the bulk of the Venetian republic's n ...

and dockyard, Carlo Ruzzini became a diplomat and was sent as

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in 1691. As the ambassador to

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, in July 1698 he was organizing the visit of the Russian

Tsar Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East and South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" in the European medieval sense of the te ...

Peter the Great Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...

to Venice, but that tour was failed because of the Streltsy revolt in Moscow. Later Ruzzini represented Venice during the negotiations at Carlowitz (1698-1699), managing to obtain some advantages for his country. His indecision and fear of making the wrong decision - partly due to his brief and the need to constantly consult the Venetian Council - caused much irritation with the other participants who, therefore, contrived to exclude Venice and him from the more important decisions. This episode however did not stunt his career, as is demonstrated later by his appointment first as Venetian Ambassador in

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(1706), to the Turkish Court (1707) and in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. He was Venice's Ambassador Extraordinary at other important international negotiations such as at

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in 1712. However, Venice's decline and the fact that its power was now largely restricted to within the Italian border meant that his part was a minor one. At the conclusion of the last of the wars between Venice and Turkey (1714–1718), Ruzzini represented the Republic during the peace negotiations at Passarowitz in July 1718. The inherent weakness in Venice's strategic position meant that little was gained and much lost in the negotiations. After the Treaty of Passarowitz Ruzzini continued his diplomatic career with a second posting to Constantinople before ill health forced him home. However, his wide experience meant he continued to play an important part in the political life of the Republic. He was a candidate for Doge in 1722 but was beaten by Alvise III Sebastiano Mocenigo. Ten years later, on 6 June 1732,From “A New Chronology of Venetian Opera and Related Genres, 1660-1760,” pg. 431, by Eleanor Selfridge-Field, published by Stanford University Press, 2007. on Mocenigo's death, Ruzzini was easily elected with 40 votes out of 41. During his brief reign he achieved little of note but kept Venice neutral and out of further conflicts.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ruzzini, Carlo 1653 births 1735 deaths Ambassadors of the Republic of Venice to Spain Ambassadors of the Republic of Venice to Austria Baili of Constantinople 17th-century Venetian people 18th-century diplomats 18th-century Doges of Venice Republic of Venice people of the Ottoman–Venetian Wars