Silvestro Valier
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Silvestro Valier or Valiero (
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 ...
, 28 March 1630 – Venice, 7 July 1700) was the 109th
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 ...
, reigning from his election on 25 February 1694 until his death six years later. The
Morean War The Morean war (), also known as the Sixth Ottoman–Venetian War, was fought between 1684–1699 as part of the wider conflict known as the "Great Turkish War", between the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Empire. Military operations ranged ...
between 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 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 ...
, which had been ongoing since 1684, came to an end during Valier's reign as Doge, in January 1699.


Background, 1630–1694

Silvestro Valier was the son of Bertuccio Valier, who had served as
Doge 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 ...
from 1656 to 1658. On 8 August 1649, in the church of
Santa Maria Formosa Santa Maria Formosa, formally The Church of the Purification of Mary, is a church in Venice, northern Italy. It was erected in 1492 under the design by Renaissance architect Mauro Codussi. It lies on the site of a previous church dating from the ...
, Silvestro Valier was married to
Elisabetta Querini Elisabetta Querini (November 12, 1628 in Venice – January 19, 1709 in Venice) was the Dogaressa of Venice by marriage to the Doge Silvestro Valier (r. 1694–1700). Early life Elisabetta was born as the daughter of the procurator Paolo Qu ...
; Valier was only 19 years old. Valier then became
procurator Procurator (with procuracy or procuratorate referring to the office itself) may refer to: * Procurator, one engaged in procuration, the action of taking care of, hence management, stewardship, agency * Procurator (Ancient Rome), the title of var ...
by purchasing the office. According to his chroniclers, Valier did not possess any special talents, but he was handsome, and a good speaker. Throughout his career, he was most interested in the diplomatic affairs of the Most Serene Republic, and where his good looks and way with words proved useful. Valier was a lover of the good life, but he was also generous to the poor and thereby gained their affections.


Reign as Doge, 1694–1700

Doge
Francesco Morosini 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.Encyclopæd ...
died on 16 January 1694. Morosini, a military hero before becoming Doge, had been the rare seventeenth-century Doge of Venice who was active on the battlefield. However, on his death, with the Republic still embroiled in war and facing massive economic difficulties, Venetians decided to elect someone who was not very ambitious. They therefore elected Silvestro Valier on 25 February 1694, and he celebrated by paying for lavish celebrations and banquets. Although the Grand Council had, in 1645, abolished the elaborate ceremony for installing a new ''
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 ...
'', because of its large expense to the state and to the Doge, Valier convinced the Council to grant an exception. As such, on 4 March 1694, Elisabetta Querini appeared clad in a
cloth of gold Cloth of gold or gold cloth (Latin: ''Tela aurea'') is a textile, fabric woven with a gold-wrapped or spinning (textiles), spun weft—referred to as "a spirally spun gold strip". In most cases, the core yarn is silk, wrapped (''filé'') with a ...
robe adorned with
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, with a white
veil A veil is an article of clothing or hanging cloth that is intended to cover some part of the human head, head or face, or an object of some significance. Veiling has a long history in European, Asian, and African societies. The practice has be ...
and ''corno ducale'', (the version of ducal crown worn by the Doge and his wife) adorned with
jewels A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, semiprecious stone, or simply gem) is a piece of mineral crystal which, when cut or polished, is used to make jewellery, jewelry or other adornments. Certain Rock (geology), rocks (such ...
, and a large
diamond Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of e ...
cross A cross is a religious symbol consisting of two Intersection (set theory), intersecting Line (geometry), lines, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of t ...
on her chest.Pompeo Molmenti, ''La storia di Venezia nella vita privata dalle origigini alla caduta della Repubblica'', 1927-1929. Together Valier and his wife sat on the throne of Venice and received counselors, ministers, judges, and the ''capis'' of
the Ten The TEN is a track and field meeting held at the JSerra Catholic High School track in San Juan Capistrano, California, United States. Since 2023 it is a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver level meetingthe third-highest level of international ...
. Venice's war with the Ottoman Empire - the
Morean War The Morean war (), also known as the Sixth Ottoman–Venetian War, was fought between 1684–1699 as part of the wider conflict known as the "Great Turkish War", between the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Empire. Military operations ranged ...
- was only one part of the Ottoman Empire's struggle against the Holy League of 1684. On 11 September 1697, Ottoman forces were defeated by troops of the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
and the
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at the
Battle of Zenta The Battle of Zenta, also known as the Battle of Senta, took place on 11 September 1697 near Zenta, in the Kingdom of Hungary, then under Ottoman occupation (present-day Serbia). It was a decisive engagement of the Great Turkish War, fought ...
. This decisive battle led to the Ottoman Empire's determination to end the
Great Turkish War The Great Turkish War () or The Last Crusade, also called in Ottoman sources The Disaster Years (), was a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy League (1684), Holy League consisting of the Holy Roman Empire, Polish–Lith ...
, and peace negotiations began at
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. These negotiations eventually produced the
Treaty of Karlowitz The Treaty of Karlowitz, concluding the Great Turkish War of 1683–1699, in which the Ottoman Empire was defeated by the Holy League at the Battle of Zenta, was signed in Karlowitz, in the Military Frontier of the Habsburg Monarchy (present-day ...
, signed on 26 January 1699 and ending the Great Turkish War, including the Morean War. Under the Treaty, Venice received the
Morea Morea ( or ) was the name of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The name was used by the Principality of Achaea, the Byzantine province known as the Despotate of the Morea, by the O ...
,
Aegina Aegina (; ; ) is one of the Saronic Islands of Greece in the Saronic Gulf, from Athens. Tradition derives the name from Aegina (mythology), Aegina, the mother of the mythological hero Aeacus, who was born on the island and became its king. ...
,
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
Zakynthos Zakynthos (also spelled Zakinthos; ; ) or Zante (, , ; ; from the Venetian language, Venetian form, traditionally Latinized as Zacynthus) is a Greece, Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands, with an are ...
. Most Venetians felt they gained far too little territory to compensate for the huge loss of life and expense of the wars with the Ottoman Empire. The Republic was exhausted by the long war and facing economic distress, but little changed for Valier, and he continued hosting banquets, receptions, and parties at which he entertained persons of rank. Already sick, Valier's last days were made worse by a series of family disputes. He died on 7 July 1700. He was buried in the Basilica di San Giovanni e Paolo, where twenty-four other doges also found their resting place. Between 1705 and 1708, a huge tomb was built in the Basilica for Valier, his wife, and his father. The tomb consists on either side of two large
Corinthian columns The Corinthian order (, ''Korinthiakós rythmós''; ) is the last developed and most ornate of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order, which was the earliest, ...
of black
marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...
. The tomb was designed by architect Andrea Tirali, and contained sculptures from Antonio Tarsia, Pietro Baratta, and others, and the
bas relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...
was overseen by Gruppello Marino. An important letter of diplomatic relations between Safavid Iran and the Serenissima, Iran, ca. 1694.jpg, Italian translation of a
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letter of congratulations sent by
Shah Shāh (; ) is a royal title meaning "king" in the Persian language.Yarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII, no. 1 (1989) Though chiefly associated with the monarchs of Iran, it was also used to refer to the leaders of numerous Per ...
Soltan Hoseyn Soltan Hoseyn (; 1668 – 9 September 1727) was the Safavid shah of Iran from 1694 to 1722. He was the son and successor of Shah Suleiman (). Born and raised in the royal harem, Soltan Hoseyn ascended the throne with limited life experience a ...
of
Safavid Iran The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the begi ...
to Valier, the newly-elected Doge of Venice. Although the content is mostly honorific and auspicious, the underlining tone serves the political purpose of expanding relations between the two countries in case of an Ottoman insurgence Interior of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - Monument of the Valier family.jpg, Monument of the Valier family Interior of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - Silvestro Valier.jpg, Statue of Silvestro Valier


References and notes

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. {{DEFAULTSORT:Valier, Silvestro 1630 births 1700 deaths Republic of Venice people of the Ottoman–Venetian Wars 17th-century Italian nobility 17th-century Doges of Venice Burials at Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice