The House of Cornaro or Corner were a

Venetian patrician The Venetian patriciate (, ) was one of the three social bodies into which the society of the Republic of Venice was divided, together with citizens and foreigners. was the Imperial, royal and noble ranks, noble title of the members of the Aris ...

family in the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

and included many Doges and other high officials. The name ''Corner'', originally from the

Venetian dialect Venetian, also known as wider Venetian or Venetan ( or ), is a Romance language spoken natively in the northeast of Italy,Ethnologue mostly in Veneto, where most of the five million inhabitants can understand it. It is sometimes spoken and o ...

, was adopted in the eighteenth century. The older standard Italian ''Cornaro'' is no longer common in Italian sources referring to earlier members of the family, but remains so in English.

History

The family and name Cornaro are said to descend from the gens Cornelia, a patrician family of

Ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of Rome, founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, collapse of the Western Roman Em ...

. The Cornari were among the twelve

tribunal A tribunal, generally, is any person or institution with authority to judge, adjudicate on, or determine claims or disputes—whether or not it is called a tribunal in its title. For example, an advocate who appears before a court with a singl ...

families of the

and provided founding members of the Great Council in 1172. In the 14th century, the family separated into two distinct branches, Cornaro of the Great House and Cornaro Piscopia. The latter name derived from the 1363 grant of the

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

of Piscopia in the

Kingdom of Cyprus The Kingdom of Cyprus (; ) was a medieval kingdom of the Crusader states that existed between 1192 and 1489. Initially ruled as an independent Christian kingdom, it was established by the French House of Lusignan after the Third Crusade. I ...

to Federico Cornaro. When

Caterina Cornaro Catherine Cornaro (; or ; ; 25 November 1454 – 10 July 1510) was the last monarch of the Kingdom of Cyprus, also holding the titles of Queen of Jerusalem and Queen of Armenia. She became queen consort of Cyprus by marriage to James II of ...

married king

James II of Cyprus James II (; /1439 or 1440 – 10 July 1473) was the penultimate King of Cyprus (usurper), reigning from 1460/1464 until his death. Archbishop of Nicosia James was born in Nicosia as the illegitimate son of John II of Cyprus and Marietta d ...

in 1468, the Lusignan royal arms were added to the family arms

party per pale In heraldry, the field (background) of a shield can be divided into more than one area, or subdivision, of different tinctures, usually following the lines of one of the ordinaries and carrying its name (e.g. a shield divided in the shape of a c ...

. They had eight palaces on the

Grand Canal, Venice The Grand Canal ( , locally and informally ; , locally usually ) is the largest Channel (geography), channel in Venice, Italy, forming one of the major water-traffic corridors in the city. One end of the canal leads into the Venetian Lagoon, ...

at different times, including Ca' Corner and what is now the

Palazzo Loredan dell'Ambasciatore A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

. They commissioned many famous monuments and works of art, including

Bernini Gian Lorenzo (or Gianlorenzo) Bernini (, ; ; Italian Giovanni Lorenzo; 7 December 1598 – 28 November 1680) was an Italian sculptor and architect. While a major figure in the world of architecture, he was more prominently the leading sculptor ...

's ''

Ecstasy of St Theresa The ''Ecstasy of Saint Teresa'' (also known as ''Saint Teresa in Ecstasy''; or ) is a sculptural altarpiece group in white marble set in an elevated aedicule in the Cornaro Chapel of the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome. It was des ...

'' in the Cornaro Chapel of

Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome Santa Maria della Vittoria (, ) is a Catholic titular minor basilica and Discalced Carmelite conventual church dedicated to Our Lady of Victories in Rome, Italy, famously the home of Gian Lorenzo Bernini‘s masterpiece the ''Ecstasy of Saint Te ...

(1652). In Greece the islands of

Scarpanto Karpathos (, ), also Carpathos, is the second largest of the Greek Dodecanese islands, in the southeastern Aegean Sea. Together with the neighboring smaller Saria Island it forms the municipality of Karpathos, which is part of the regional unit ...

and

Kasos Kasos (; , ), also Casos, is a Greek island municipality in the Dodecanese. It is the southernmost island in the Aegean Sea, and is part of the regional unit Karpathos-Kasos. The capital of the island is Fri. , its population was 1,223. ...

were their fiefs from the early 14th century until the Ottoman conquest.

Sugar trade

The Cornaro Piscopias ran a large

sugar plantation Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tobacc ...

in their fief near

Episcopi ''Episkopoi'' (, sing. , ''episkopos'', literally "overseer"), Latinized ''episcopus''/''episcopi'', were inspectors who were sometimes sent by the Athenians to subject states. Harpocration compares them to the Lacedaemonian harmosts, and says that ...

Venetian Cyprus The island of Cyprus was a overseas possession of the Venetian from 1489, when the independent Kingdom of Cyprus ended, until 1571, when the island was conquered by the Ottoman. History Acquisition Venice had sought control of Cyprus for cen ...

, in which they exploited

slaves Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

of Syrian or Arab origin or local

serfs Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery. It developed dur ...

. Sugar was transformed in-house with a large copper boiler made in Venice that the family paid hefty sums to maintain and operate. They exported

sugarloaves A sugarloaf was the usual form in which refined sugar was produced and sold until the late 19th century, when granulated and cube sugars were introduced. A tall cone with a rounded top was the end product of a process in which dark molasses, a ...

and

powdered sugar Powdered sugar, also called confectioners' sugar and icing sugar, is a finely ground sugar produced by milling granulated sugar into a powdered state. It usually contains between 2% and 5% of an anti-caking agent—such as corn starch, potato ...

to Europe. The Cornaros were often in conflict with their neighbors over the use and handling of water.

Members

Felicia Cornaro Felicia Cornaro (died 1111) was the Dogaressa of Venice by marriage to the Doge Vitale I Michiel (). She was politically active and exerted an acknowledged influence over the affairs of state. She was a strong supporter of the First Crusade ...

(died 1111), dogaressa of Venice * Giovanni Cornaro (), diplomat * Andrea Cornaro (died 1323), Margrave of Bodonitsa *

Marco Cornaro Marco Cornaro (c. 1286 – 13 January 1368), also known as Marco Corner, was the 59th doge of Venice, ruling from late July/early August 1365 until his death on 13 January1368. His brief reign saw the loss of Venetian territory to Republic of Ge ...

(c.1286–1368), doge 1365–68 * Federico Cornaro (died 1382), merchant and politician, founder of the Piscopia plantation *

Pietro Cornaro Pietro Cornaro, also known as Peter Cornaro or Corner (died in 1387 or 1388), was Lord of Argos and Nauplia in Frankish Greece from 1377. Early life Pietro was the son of Federico Cornaro of the Santa Lucia branch. He was born before 1363. Bein ...

(died in 1387 or 1388),

Lord of Argos and Nauplia During the late Middle Ages, the two cities of Argos, Peloponnese, Argos (, ) and Nauplia (modern Nafplio, Ναύπλιο; in the Middle Ages Ἀνάπλι, in French ''Naples de Romanie'') formed a lordship within the Frankokratia, Frankish-rule ...

from 1377 *

Marco Cornaro (1406–1479) Marco Cornaro or Marco Corner (1406–1479) was a merchant, politician and diplomat of the Cornaro family of the Republic of Venice. He had already earned great wealth and made a prestigious marriage before entering politics in middle age. He was ...

, trader, patrician, diplomat * Luigi Cornaro (c.1464–1566), who wrote treatises on dieting *

Giorgio Cornaro ''Nobil Huomo'' Giorgio Cornaro, called "Padre della Patria" (1452 – 31 July 1527) was a Venetian nobleman and politician. Life Giorgio Cornaro was born in Venice in 1452. He was the son of ''Nobil Huomo'' Marco Cornaro (December 1406 – 1 ...

(1452–1527), brother of Caterina Cornaro *

(1454–1510), Queen of Cyprus from 1474 to 1489 * Francesco Cornaro (1476–1543),

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

from 1527 *

(1482–1524), cardinal from 1522 *

Andrea Cornaro (cardinal) Andrea Cornaro (1511–1551) was an Italian Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal. Biography Andrea Cornaro (born in 1511 in Venice) was an Italian clergyman and bishop for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Split-Makarska, and later for Brescia. He ...

(1511–1551), Italian Roman Catholic bishop of Brescia, and later cardinal *

(1524–1578), Italian Roman Catholic Bishop of Treviso *

Federico Cornaro (1531–1590) Federico Cornaro (9 June 1531 – 4 October 1590) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Cardinal-Priest of Santo Stefano al Monte Celio (1586–1590), Bishop of Padua (1577–1590), Bishop of Bergamo (1561–1577), and Bishop of Trogir ( ...

, Italian Roman Catholic Cardinal-Priest of Santo Stefano al Monte Celio *

Luigi Cornaro (cardinal) Luigi Cornaro (12 February 1517 – 10 May 1584) was an Italian Roman Catholic cardinal and bishop. Biography A member of the House of Cornaro, Luigi Cornaro was born on 12 February 1517, the eldest of the ten children of Giovanni Cornaro, Ven ...

, Italian Roman Catholic cardinal and Archbishop of Zadar *

Andrea Cornaro (historian) Andrea Cornaro (1547 – c. 1616) or Andreas Kornaros () was a Republic of Venice, Venetian aristocrat, historian and author. Personal life Cornaro was a Venetian aristocrat born in Trapezonta Sitia on the island of Crete. He was the son of Gi ...

(1547–c.1616), Venetian aristocrat, historian and author *

Vitsentzos Kornaros Vitsentzos or Vikentios Kornaros ( or ) or Vincenzo Cornaro (March 29, 1553 – 1613/1614) was a Cretan poet of Venetian origin, who wrote the romantic epic poem '' Erotokritos''. He wrote in vernacular Cretan dialect (Cretan Greek), and was a le ...

(1553–1614),

Cretan Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

poet *

Marco Cornaro (1557–1625) Marco Cornaro also Marco Corner (1557 – 11 June 1625) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Padua (1594–1625).

, Italian Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Padua * Cardinal

Federico Baldissera Bartolomeo Cornaro Federico Baldissera Bartolomeo Cornaro (16 November 1579 – 5 June 1653) was a Venetian Catholic Cardinal and Patriarch of Venice. Early life Cornaro was born in Venice on 16 November 1579, the son of Doge Giovanni Cornaro and Chiara Delfino ...

(1579–1653),

Patriarch of Venice The Patriarch of Venice (; ) is the ordinary of the Patriarchate of Venice. The bishop is one of only four patriarchs in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church. The other three are the Patriarch of Lisbon, the Patriarch of the East Indies an ...

1631–44 *

Giovanni I Cornaro Giovanni I Corner or Cornaro (Venice, 11 November 1551 – Venice, 22 December 1629) was the 96th Doge of Venice from 4 January 1625 until his death in 1629. Early years, 1551–1625 He was the son of Marcantonio Cornaro and Cecilia Giustini ...

(1551–1629), doge from 1624 *

Marco Antonio Cornaro Marco Antonio Cornaro or Marcantonio Corner (1583–1639) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Padua (1632–1639). Biography Marco Antonio Cornaro was born in Venice, Italy in 1583. On 15 November 1632, he was appointed durin ...

(1583–1639), Italian Roman Catholic Bishop of Padua * Francesco Corner (1585–1656), doge in 1656 *

Elena Cornaro Piscopia Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia (, ; 5 June 1646 – 26 July 1684) or Elena Lucrezia Corner (, ), also known in English as Helen Cornaro, was a Venetian philosopher of noble descent who in 1678 became one of the first women to receive an academ ...

(1646–1684), first woman to get a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

degree (from 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 ...

in 1678) *

Giovanni II Cornaro Giovanni II Cornaro, sometimes Corner (4 August 1647 – 12 August 1722), was a Venetian nobleman and statesman who served as the 111th Doge of Venice from 22 May 1709 until his death. Cornaro was born and died in Venice. He was a career states ...

(1647–1722), doge from 1709 *

Giorgio Cornaro (cardinal) Giorgio Cornaro or Giorgio Corner (1658–1722) was a Roman Catholic cardinal and member of the Cornaro family. Biography On 11 May 1692, he was consecrated bishop by Giambattista Rubini, Bishop of Vicenza, with Lorenzo Trotti, Bishop of Pa ...

(1658–1722), cardinal from 1697 *

Laura Cornaro Laura Cornaro (died 1739) was the Dogaressa of Venice by marriage to the Doge Giovanni II Cornaro (r. 1709-1722). Laura Cornaro was born to Nicolo Cornaro and married her cousin Giovanni II Cornaro in 1667. In 1709, her husband was elected doge, ...

(d.1739), dogaressa of Venice, by marriage to the Doge Giovanni II Cornaro * Giovanni Cornaro (1720–1789), cardinal from 1778

References

{{Reflist

External links

Cornaro family
Republic of Venice families Italian noble families