John III Crispo () was the eighteenth

Duke of the Archipelago The Duchy of the Archipelago (, , ), also known as Duchy of Naxos or Duchy of the Aegean, was a maritime state created by Venetian interests in the Cyclades archipelago in the Aegean Sea, in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade, centered on the i ...

, ruling from 1480 when he succeeded his brother, Giacomo III Crispo (r. 1463–1480). Shortly after this, he reincorporated

Santorini Santorini (, ), officially Thira (, ) or Thera, is a Greek island in the southern Aegean Sea, about southeast from the mainland. It is the largest island of a small, circular archipelago formed by the Santorini caldera. It is the southern ...

, which had been ruled by Domenico Pisani, husband of his niece Fiorenza Crispo, into the Duchy. His raising of taxes made him very unpopular among the Greek population of

Naxos Naxos (; , ) is a Greek island belonging to the Cyclades island group. It is the largest island in the group. It was an important centre during the Bronze Age Cycladic Culture and in the Ancient Greek Archaic Period. The island is famous as ...

, however. They rebelled under their own magnates (''archontes''), and the Crispi and the other Catholic families loyal to them were shut in the island's citadel (Kastro) and were besieged by the rebels. Only the timely arrival of

galley A galley is a type of ship optimised for propulsion by oars. Galleys were historically used for naval warfare, warfare, Maritime transport, trade, and piracy mostly in the seas surrounding Europe. It developed in the Mediterranean world during ...

s from the

Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there ...

Rhodes Rhodes (; ) is the largest of the Dodecanese islands of Greece and is their historical capital; it is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, ninth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Administratively, the island forms a separ ...

rescued Crispo and put an end to the revolt. The discontent did not subside, however, and in 1494 John was killed, apparently by poison, by the locals, who sent an embassy to

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 ...

requesting for the

Republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

to assume control of the island, as John's sole heir, his son

Francesco III Crispo Francesco III Crispo (died 1511) was the Duke of the Archipelago, ruling from 1500, when he succeeded John III Crispo John III Crispo () was the eighteenth Duke of the Archipelago, ruling from 1480 when he succeeded his brother, Giacomo III Cris ...

, was underage. In the end, Francesco assumed his father's position in 1500.

Family

He was married to a Morosini and had issue: #

Giovanni (John) also had a Mistress, his cousin, Maria Crispo, daughter of Anthony Crispo Lord of Syros (Sira). They had issue: # A daughter, name currently unknown. # A son, Nicholas Antonio Crispo de Syra (Sira). married to Taddea Sommaripa fled to Rhodes Island circa 1520. 1.6 Giorgio Crispo de Syra (de Sira), de Jure Signore di Syra, (1540 -), Official of the Order of St John in Malta 1550, married (1) (c. 1550) to Norella de Fantino, married Malta (2) (c. 1585) to Leonora N, with issue.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Crispo, John 03 15th-century Venetian people John 03 John 03 Year of birth unknown 1494 deaths Deaths by poisoning