Editing Francesco Foscari (section)

==Biography==
[[File:Antonio Gambello, Francesco Foscari, c. 1374-1457, Doge of Venice 1423 (obverse), probably c. 1457, NGA 44558.jpg|thumb|left|Antonio Gambello, ''Francesco Foscari, c. 1374-1457, Doge of Venice 1423 (obverse)'', probably c. 1457]]
Francesco Foscari was born in 1373, as the oldest son of [[Nicolò Foscari (died 1412)|Nicolò Foscari]] and his wife Cateruzia Michiel.{{sfn|Romano|2007|p=3}} The [[Foscari]] family had been of only moderate importance, but had managed to become one of the few noble families that secured a hereditary place in the [[Great Council of Venice]] after the so-called ''[[Serrata del Maggior Consiglio|Serrata]]'' ("Closing") of the Great Council, and had begun to rise in prominence throughout the 14th century. Francesco's ancestors began holding high public office, and his father Nicolò even became a member of the powerful [[Council of Ten]].{{sfn|Romano|2007|pp=3–5}}

Francesco served the [[Republic of Venice]] in numerous official capacities—as ambassador, president of the [[Council of Forty]], member of the [[Council of Ten]], inquisitor, [[Procurator of St Mark's]],<ref>The posts of ''procuratori di San Marco'' appointed by the ''Maggior Consiglio'', were, beneath the Doge, the most prestigious administrative posts of the [[Republic of Venice|Venetian Republic]]; the offices of the procuratori, the ''[[Procuratie]]'' are the long low buildings that enfold [[Piazza San Marco]].</ref> ''[[Avogadoria de Comùn|avogador de comùn]]''— before he was elected in 1423<ref>"In proclaiming the new doge the customary formula which recognized the people's share in the appointment and asked for their approval – the last vestige of popular government – was finally dropped." {{harv|Villari|1911}}</ref> defeating the other candidate, [[Pietro Loredan (admiral)|Pietro Loredan]]. His task as doge was to lead Venice in a long and protracted series of wars against [[duchy of Milan|Milan]], governed by the [[Visconti of Milan|Visconti]], who were attempting to dominate all of [[northern Italy]].<ref>See [[Wars in Lombardy]].</ref> Despite the justification of Venetian embroilment in the [[Domini di Terraferma|terraferma]] that was offered in Foscari's funeral oration, delivered by the humanist senator and historian [[Bernardo Giustiniani]],<ref>{{cite journal |first=J. E. |last=Law |title=The Venetian Mainland State in the Fifteenth Century |journal=Transactions of the Royal Historical Society |series=Sixth Series |volume=2 |year=1992 |pages=153–174 [p. 157f] |doi=10.2307/3679103 |jstor=3679103 }}; "empire" occurred in the tomb's inscription, though it was never officially employed (p. 163).</ref> and some victories, the war was extremely costly to Venice, whose real source of wealth and power was at sea.  Venice, which during Foscari's leadership abandoned her ally [[Republic of Florence|Florence]], was eventually overcome by the forces of Milan under the leadership of [[Francesco Sforza]]. Sforza soon made peace with Florence, however, leaving Venice alone.

[[Image:Coat of Arms of the House of Foscari.svg|thumb|left|120px|Coat of arms of Francesco Foscari.]]
Foscari was married twice: first to Maria Priuli, and then in 1415 to [[Marina Nani]].<ref>[https://archive.org/stream/dogaressasofveni00stal#page/316/mode/2up  Edgcumbe Staley, ''The Dogaressas of Venice: The Wives of the Doges'' (London: T. Werner Laurie).]</ref> In 1445, his only surviving son, Jacopo, was tried by the [[Council of Ten]] on charges of bribery and corruption and exiled from the city. Two further trials, in 1450 and 1456 – during the latter he confessed, without even the need of torture, to having pleaded for help from the [[Ottoman Sultan]] [[Mehmed II]] and the aforementioned Duke of Milan, both Venice's enemies – led to Jacopo's imprisonment on [[Crete]] and his eventual death there soon after.<ref>A. Zorzi ''La Repubblica del Leone'' ("The Lion's Republic"), p. 237, Bompiani Edizioni, 2001.</ref>

[[Image:Francesco Hayez 012.jpg|thumb|250px|''The Parting of the Two Foscari'' by [[Francesco Hayez]],1842 (Galleria d'Arte Moderna, Florence).]]News of Jacopo's death caused Foscari to withdraw from his government duties, and in October 1457 the Council of Ten forced him to abdicate. However, his death a week later provoked such public outcry that he was given a state funeral.

Beside his profile portrait by [[Lazzaro Bastiani]], Foscari commissioned a bas-relief bronze plaquette from [[Donatello]], which survives in several examples.<ref>{{cite journal |first=W. |last=Von Bode |title=Eine Porträtplakette des Dogen Francesco Foscari von Donatello: Ein Nachtrag |journal=[[Berliner Museen]] |volume=45 |issue=2 |year=1924 |pages=42–430 }}</ref> His figure kneeling in prayer to St Mark figured over the portal to the [[Doge's Palace, Venice|Doge's Palace]] until it was dismantled by order of the revolutionary government, 1797; the head was preserved and is conserved in the Museo dell'Opera di Palazzo Ducale.<ref>Illustrated and discussed by {{cite journal |first=Anne Markham |last=Schulz |title=The Sculpture of Giovanni and Bartolomeo Bon and Their Workshop |journal=[[Transactions of the American Philosophical Society]] |series=New Series |volume=68 |issue=3 |year=1978 |pages=1–81 [p. 47f and figs. 54, 55] |doi=10.2307/1006192 |jstor=1006192 }}</ref> His monument by the sculptor [[Antonio Bregno]] in collaboration with his architect brother Paolo was erected in the church of [[Santa Maria dei Frari]] in Venice.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Giovanni |last=Mariacher |title=New Light on Antonio Bregno |journal=[[The Burlington Magazine]] |volume=92 |issue=566 |year=1950 |pages=123–129 }}</ref>[[file:Frari (Venice) - Tomb of doge Francesco Foscari.jpg|thumb|The tomb of Foscari in [[Frari]], Venice|232x232px]]
He was deposed from office on 27 October 1457 and died five days after.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Frederick Richard Pickersgill (1820-1900) - The Death of Francesco Foscari, Doge of Venice |url=https://www.rct.uk/collection/406235/the-death-of-francesco-foscari-doge-of-venice |access-date=2024-01-16 |website=www.rct.uk |language=en}}</ref>