Caterina Loredan of the noble
Loredan family was the
Dogaressa
Dogaressa ( , , ) was the official title of the wife of the Doge of Venice. The title was unique for Venice: while the heads of the Republic of Genoa were also called Doge, the wives of the Doges of Genoa were not called ''Dogaressa'', nor did ...
of
Venice
Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
from 1521 to 1523 by marriage to
Doge Antonio Grimani.
Caterina was the sister of the previous
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 ...
,
Leonardo Loredan
Leonardo Loredan (; ; 16 November 1436 – 22 June 1521) was a Republic of Venice, Venetian nobleman and statesman who reigned as the 75th Doge of Venice from 1501 until his death in 1521. As a wartime ruler, he was one of the most important do ...
(r. 1501-1521), whose
dogeship
Doge, DoGE or DOGE may refer to:
Internet culture
* Doge (meme), an Internet meme primarily associated with the Shiba Inu dog breed
** Dogecoin, a cryptocurrency named after the meme
** Kabosu (dog), the dog portrayed in the original Doge image ...
is considered one of the most important in the
history of the Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice (; ) was a sovereign state and maritime republic in Northeast Italy, which existed for a millennium between the 8th century and 1797.
It was based in the lagoon communities of the historically prosperous city of Venice, a ...
. She was described in the book The Dogaressas of Venice: The Wives of the Doges by Edgcumbe Staley: ''“The Loredanian tradition for patriotism and nobility was handed on in the gracious personage of Dogaressa Caterina Loredan, sister of Doge Leonardo Loredan – the Consort of his successor Doge Antonio Grimani.”''
Caterina Loredan and Doge Antonio Grimani had five sons: Cardinal
Domenico Grimani (1461-1523), Girolamo Grimani (1466-1515), Piero Grimani (1466-1517), Marino Grimani and Vincenzo Grimani (d. 1535).
She is mentioned as the sister of
Doge Leonardo Loredan (and hence daughter of
Gerolamo Loredan) in some sources, although she may have been a daughter of Domenico Loredan.
Ancestry
Note: The branch of
Santo Stefano is also known as the branch of
San Vidal (''San Vitale'').
Note: There are some generations missing between Girolamo Loredan (1468-1532) and Francesco Loredan (17th century).
Note:
Giustina Giustiniani (d. 1500), the wife of
Doge Leonardo Loredan (1436-1521), is also known as Morosina Giustiniani.
Note: Caterina Loredan,
Dogaressa of Venice, is featured in the family tree as the daughter of Gerolamo Loredan (d. 1474) and
Donata Donà because, in some sources, she is mentioned as the sister of
Doge Leonardo Loredan (1436-1521), although she may have been a daughter of Domenico Loredan.
Interestingly, near the
Palazzo Contarini-Sceriman and the nearby bridge, Leonardo Loredan (d. 1675) was found dead in a boat. The unexplained death was the source of many rumors, claiming accidental death, murder by relatives, or murder by the
Inquisitors of the Republic.
Andrea Loredan (d. 1750) died young, thus ending the male (agnatic) line of the branch of Santo Stefano.
References
{{end
C
16th-century Venetian people
16th-century Venetian women