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Political Life Doges of Venice | Andrea Gritti
Andrea Gritti The man | Wars | Diplomat | Freedom
Doge Andrea Gritti and the wars in northern Italy
Later, Andrea Gritti was appointed “Provveditore in Campo”, or Provveditore of the Republic, alongside Giorgio Corner, in response to the threat of war looming over northern Italy, at the gates of Venice.Andrea Gritti, as Provveditore, was tasked with Giorgio Corner with controlling and supervising the political and military aspects of the emerging conflict.
The enemy at that time was Emperor Louis Maximilian, who was still allied with the Pope.
In early summer 1509, peasants and commoners rose up in many towns on the Terra Ferma around Venice against Maximilian.
Andrea Gritti then decided, with the support of the people, to take Padua on 17 June 1509.
With Padua and Treviso now firmly in his hands, Andrea Gritti did not stop there and succeeded in regaining complete control of Friuli on 30 October 1511, again with the help of the population, who had formed local militias.
Things then became increasingly favourable for Venice, as the nobles of Brescia, then under the rule of the King of France, Louis XII, asked Andrea Gritti to help them drive the French out of Brescia, which was accomplished on 5 February 1512 with Andrea Gritti's entry into the city.
The future Doge did not stop there, as shortly afterwards he also recaptured Bergamo.
But, as might be expected, Louis XII did not see things this way and, thanks to the boldness and intelligence of a young captain, Gaston de Foix, Brescia was not only recaptured, but Andrea Gritti was also taken prisoner and taken to Paris.
But the shrewd and cunning diplomat managed to secure his release by skilfully pleading his case to Louis XII, and even more impressively, he was then appointed by Louis XII to serve as negotiator between France and Venice.
However, the Venetian Senate was reluctant to accept the French king's proposals and preferred to play on the divisions between his enemies by signing a peace treaty with the French's last ally, Emperor Maximilian.
But in those troubled times, alliances were formed and broken just as quickly, and on 14 September 1515, the new King of France, Francis I, allied with England and Venice, seized Marignan, where he defeated the Swiss.
He then returned to Venice almost all of its lost territories on the mainland.
A year later, the Spanish were driven out of Brescia and Andrea Gritti conquered Verona on 24 January 1517.
In August 1517, Spain abandoned the fight, leaving the other belligerents to sort things out among themselves.
In September 1517, Francis I, who had already made peace with the Pope, signed a peace treaty with the Swiss.
Andrea Gritti The man | Wars | Diplomat | Freedom
Political Life Doges of Venice | Andrea Gritti
History Important dates | Politics | Navy | Love | Wars | Religion | Scuole | Ghetto | Printing
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