Caterino Zeno
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Caterino Zeno (12 July 1418 - 1478) was an Italian politician and diplomat of Republic of Venice, known for having been ambassador to Aq Qoyunlu's ruler Uzun Hassan.
Life[edit]
Zeno was born on July 12, 1418, in Venice. She was born into the Zeno family[1] as a member of the aristocratic class. Her father was Draqone Pietro Zeno (d. 1430), and her mother was Anna Morosini, who was the niece of a prominent Venetian named Michele Morosini. Zeno had two brothers named Antonio and Nikolo,[2] and a sister named Antonia, who married Antonio Zorzi in 1439.[3][4]
Katerino Zeno was introduced to Venetian elite society through her mother and uncles. She participated in expeditions to Alexandria and Tanais in 1445 and 1446.[3][4]
From the late 1448s, she began to undertake state duties, providing legal representation for minor cases from 1448 to 1450, and serving multiple terms in the Forty (Council of Forty) from 1448 to 1455. In 1450, she also became the caposestiere (leader) of San Marco, one of the districts of Venice.[3][4]
In 1453, she married Violante Krispi, the daughter of Nicolo Crispo, and they had at least one son, Pietro, born in 1457, who served as the ambassador to Istanbul. Additionally, she had at least two daughters from this marriage. Her daughter Adriana married Federiko Qradeniqo in 1476, while her other daughter married Leone di Sommaripa, Lord of Andros. To distinguish Zeno's services, the Republic of Venice began granting a dowry of 1500 ducats to each of her daughters on January 8, 1476. Whether she had a second son named Oktavian is not precisely known.[3][4]
In 1455, Zeno financed the route to Syria and Beirut, became a ship captain in 1463, and worked as an official overseeing the transportation of goods in 1467.[3][4]
Embassy in Aggoyunlu Empire[edit]
On December 2, 1463, the Senate of the Republic of Venice decided to form an alliance with the Aggoyunlu Turkmens and Anatolian beyliks against Fatih Sultan Mehmed. After 1464, the Venetian administration sent several envoys to the Aggoyunlu palace. With this, the beginning of the 16-year war with the Ottomans was set.[5]
After the rejection of two previous nominees on March 7, 1471, Zeno was sent as an ambassador to Uzun Hasan. His main task as an ambassador was to establish an alliance between the two states against the Ottoman ruler, II Mehmed. Another reason for his appointment as an ambassador was the alleged kinship between his wife and Uzun Hasan's wife, Despina Hatun, who was a Byzantine princess. However, whether this kinship existed or to what extent it was valid remains uncertain.[3][4] Zeno noted in his travelogue that Despina Hatun showed interest in him, engaged in conversation, and asked about his relatives. Upon his return to Venice, Zeno's family also showed interest in Despina's family and made notes about her children. Besides writing about her burial place, Zeno also made remarks about her religious beliefs:
Despina was one of the most devout women of her time and, accordingly, continued her beautiful faith in Christianity. Every day, she organized the sacred evening meal according to the rituals of the Greek Church, and she herself participated in it with great devotion. Despite her husband belonging to another religion and her wife being an enemy of her religion, she never said anything about it and did not force her to abandon her faith. Truly surprising is how these things harmonize with each other.
References[edit]
- ^ Tassini, Giuseppe (2009). Curiosità Veneziane.
- ^ Staley, Edgcumbe (2008). The dogaressas of Venice: The wives of the doges. London: T. W. Laurie. p. 317.
- ^ a b c d e f Mazzon, di Martino (2020). ZENO, Caterino.
- ^ a b c d e f Caraci, di Giuseppe (1937). ZENO, Caterino. Enciclopedia Italiana.
- ^ Mahmudov, Yaqub (1986). Azərbaycanın Avropa ölkələri ilə əlaqələri. Baku. p. 12.
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