Francesco Morosini (26 February 1619 – 16 January 1694) was the Doge of Venice from 1688 to 1694, at the height of the Great Turkish War. He was one of the many Doges and generals produced by the Venetian noble

Morosini family The House of Morosini was a powerful Venetian noble family that gave many doges, statesmen, generals, and admirals to the Republic of Venice, as well as cardinals to the Church. History One legend says the family reached the Venetian lagoon ...

.Encyclopædia Britannica, ''Morosini Family'', 2008, O.Ed. He is said to have "dressed always in red from top to toe and never went into action without his cat beside him."

Early career

Morosini first rose to prominence as Captain-General of the Venetian forces on

Crete 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 ...

during the siege of Candia by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. He was eventually forced to surrender the city, and was accused of cowardice and treason on his return to Venice; however, he was acquitted after a brief trial. In 1685, at the outbreak of the Morean War, Morosini took command of a fleet against the Ottomans. Over the next several years, he captured the Morea with the help of Otto Wilhelm Königsmarck, as well as

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

and parts of western Greece. He also briefly captured Athens but was unable to hold it, and attempted a failed

siege A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...

of the former Venetian fortress of Negroponte. His fame reached such heights that he was given the victory title ''Peloponnesiacus'', and was the first Venetian citizen to have a bronze bust placed during his own lifetime in the Great Hall, with the inscription ''Francisco Morosini Peloponnesiaco, adhuc viventi, Senatus''.

Destruction of the Parthenon and loot of sculptures from Athens

During the Morean War, the

Parthenon The Parthenon (; ; ) is a former Ancient Greek temple, temple on the Acropolis of Athens, Athenian Acropolis, Greece, that was dedicated to the Greek gods, goddess Athena. Its decorative sculptures are considered some of the high points of c ...

was used as a gunpowder magazine by the

Ottoman Army The Military of the Ottoman Empire () was the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire. It was founded in 1299 and dissolved in 1922. Army The Military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the years ...

. On September 26, 1687, a mortar during the Venetian bombardment of

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

scored a direct hit on the edifice, igniting the stored powder—the subsequent explosion of which caused the greatest destruction in the Parthenon's history. An attaché of the Swedish field commander General Otto Wilhelm Königsmarck wrote later: "How it dismayed His Excellency to destroy the beautiful temple which had existed three thousand years!" By contrast Morosini, who was the commander in chief of the operation, described it in his report to the Venetian government as a "fortunate shot". When he conquered the Acropolis in early 1688, Morosini attempted to loot Athena's and Poseidon's horses and chariots from the western

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

of the Parthenon, but the sculptures fell on the ground and smashed. This was the first documented attempt to remove sculptures from the pediments. The

regained possession of the monument in the following year. Morosini also took the Piraeus Lion as a war trophy to the Venetian Arsenal.

Doge

In the summer of 1688, Morosini, now having been proclaimed Doge of Venice, attacked Negropont but was unable to capture it and was forced to return to Venice when plague broke out among his troops. He embarked on a final campaign in 1693, but was again unsuccessful in taking Negropont, and returned to Venice after sacking some minor coastal towns. After his death in 1694, a large marble arch was placed in his honor at the Doge's Palace. ''Nini'', the cat of which Morosini was notably fond, was embalmed along with a mouse between her paws. ''Nini'' and the mouse are current exhibits at the Museo Correr in Venice.Image
allafinedeiconti.it October 2019

Commemoration

* The '' Scuola Navale Militare Francesco Morosini'' is named for him. * The , launched on 30 July 1885, completed in 1889, and stricken in 1909, was named for him. * The ''Francesco Morosini'', laid down in 1915 but scrapped in 1921 prior to launching, was named for him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morosini, Francesco Republic of Venice generals 1619 births 1694 deaths

Francesco Francesco, the Italian language, Italian (and original) version of the personal name "Francis (given name), Francis", is one of the List of most popular given names, most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name inclu ...

Republic of Venice people of the Morean War People acquitted of treason Ottoman Athens Republic of Venice people of the Cretan War 17th-century Italian nobility 17th-century Doges of Venice Dukes of Crete Captains General of the Sea

Early career

Destruction of the Parthenon and loot of sculptures from Athens

Doge

Commemoration

See also

References