Sebastiano Venier (or Veniero) (c. 1496 – 3 March 1578) was

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 ...

from 11 June 1577 to 3 March 1578. He is best remembered in his role as the Venetian admiral at the

Battle of Lepanto The Battle of Lepanto was a naval warfare, naval engagement that took place on 7 October 1571 when a fleet of the Holy League (1571), Holy League, a coalition of Catholic states arranged by Pope Pius V, inflicted a major defeat on the fleet of t ...

Biography

Venier was born in

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 ...

around 1496. He was a son of Moisè (Mosè) Venier and Elena Donà, and a nephew of Zuan Francesco Venier, Co-Lord of Cerigo.Ancestry of Sultana Nur-Banu (Cecilia Venier-Baffo)
/ref> He was a paternal grandson of Moisé Venier (ca. 1412 - ca. 1476). He was the great-great-great-grandson of Pietro Venier, Governor of Cerigo. He worked as a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

from a very early age, though without holding formal qualifications, and subsequently was an administrator for the government of 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 ...

. In 1570 he was procurator of St Mark's and, in the December of the same year, ''

capitano generale da Mar The Captain General of the Sea () was the wartime commander-in-chief of the Venetian navy. History The post of Captain General of the Sea was filled only during wartime, by election by the Great Council of Venice, usually from one of the members ...

'' of the Venetian fleet in the new war against the

Ottoman Turks The Ottoman Turks () were a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group in Anatolia. Originally from Central Asia, they migrated to Anatolia in the 13th century and founded the Ottoman Empire, in which they remained socio-politically dominant for the e ...

, substituting Girolamo Zane. He was the commander of the Venetian contingent at

(7 October 1571), in which the Christian League decisively defeated the Turks. After the peace he returned to Venice as a very popular figure, and in 1577, at the age of 81, he was unanimously elected Doge. He was married to Cecilia Contarini, who bore him a daughter, Elena Venier. He also had two illegitimate sons, Filippo and Marco. Venier later provided Filippo with a

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

and Marco, who became a functionary of the chancellery, with a post in

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...

. Sebastiano Venier died on 3 March 1578. He was interred in the Santa Maria degli Angeli of Murano, instead of the family's tomb, as he had expressed in 1568 in his will. However, in 1907 his remains were moved in the Basilica di San Giovanni e Paolo, a traditional burial place of the doges.

Relations

There is a possibility that he was a first cousin once removed of Cecilia Venier-Baffo, known as Nurbanu Sultan after her conversion to Islam, daughter of his first cousin Nicolò Venier, Lord of Paros. She was abducted during the Ottoman–Venetian War (1537–1540) and sent to the Ottoman Sultan

Suleiman the Magnificent Suleiman I (; , ; 6 November 14946 September 1566), commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent in the Western world and as Suleiman the Lawgiver () in his own realm, was the List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman sultan between 1520 a ...

in order to counter the ascension of Roxelana. She became eventually the wife of his son Selim II and the mother of

Murad III Murad III (; ; 4 July 1546 – 16 January 1595) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1574 until his death in 1595. His rule saw battles with the Habsburg monarchy, Habsburgs and exhausting wars with the Safavid Iran, Safavids. The long-inde ...

, from whom descend all succeeding Sultans.A. D. Alderson, ''The structure of the Ottoman dynasty'', Oxford: Clarendon, 1956, Table XXXI et seq., for details. Doge Sebastiano Venier.png, Coat of arms of Sebastiano Venier Victors of Lepanto.jpg, The Victors of Lepanto (from left:

John of Austria John of Austria (, ; 24 February 1547 – 1 October 1578) was the illegitimate son of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Charles V recognized him in a codicil to his will. John became a military leader in the service of his half-brother, King Phi ...

Marcantonio Colonna Marcantonio II Colonna (sometimes spelled Marc'Antonio; 1535 – August 1, 1584), Duke of Tagliacozzo and Duke and Prince of Paliano, was an Italian aristocrat who served as Viceroy of Sicily in the service of the Spanish Crown, general of ...

, Sebastiano Venier) (Venice) Ritratto votivo del doge Sebastiano Venier - Paolo Veronese.jpg, Votive Portrait of Doge Sebastiano Venier by Veronese Left transept of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - Funeral monument of the Doge Sebastiano Venier by Antonio dal Zotto.jpg, Funeral effigy in the Basilica di San Giovanni e Paolo

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Venier, Sebastiano Sebastian 1490s births 1578 deaths 16th-century Doges of Venice Republic of Venice admirals Republic of Venice people of the Ottoman–Venetian Wars Procurators of Saint Mark Burials at Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice