Bartolomeo Minio
Encyclopedia
Bartolomeo Minio was, among other things, a Venetian
captain and commander (provveditor e capitanio) of Nauplion in the Venetian Morea
(modern Nafplion
, Greece
) from 1479 to 1483 AD. His reports to Venice, dispacci, provide a unique historical source for southern Greece in the later 15th century under the Ottoman occupation.
. In the 14th century, Bartolomeo's family held myriad office positions and were also counted in the estimo of 1379. Nine members of his family were listed in Hopf's catalogues of governors for Greece and the Aegean islands. Bartolomeo was born in Venice in around 1428 to Marco Minio and Cristina Storlado, the youngest of five sons. Cristina died when Bartolomeo was only two years old and Marco remarried in 1431. In 1455, Bartolomeo married Elena Trevisan. Three sons were known to have reached adulthood (Marco, the first son, who was born around 1460, Alvise, born in 1461, and Francesco). The family house can be identified in the San Tomà parish of the San Polo sestiere of Venice.
during his early career in the stato mar. Minio spent over forty-two months in Nauplion beginning in November of 1479. His term is notable for the fortifications he built for Nauplion, for his settlement of the territorial boundaries with the Ottomans, and for his judicious settlement of the Kladas revolt. In 1499 and 1500, he was stationed in Cyprus
where he made notable contributions to the fortifications of Famagusta
. Between 1500 and 1502, he was vice-doge (briefly) and captain in Crete
. A collection of 60 reports which he made during that time has survived. These reports, combined with the 90 from Nauplion, form an incomparable collection of letters by a single person. An edition of these letters by Diana G. Wright and John R. Melville-Jones, accompanied by a translation and commentary, has been published (2008) by UniPress, Padova, Italy.
His career in Venice and the mainland followed the normal course for Venetian patricians: in 1497, he was a councillor for water issues in the terrafirma; in 1503, consiliere and capo of the Dieci; podestà
at Cremona from 1504 to 1505; in 1506 and 1507, and again in 1510 and 1514, podestà in Padua. In 1509, at the age of 80, he was sent to Julius II in order to discuss matters pertaining to the papal interdict placed on Venice for the capture of Ravenna and Faenza.
He was appointed proveditore of the stratioti
for the Ferrara War in 1484. In 1485, he was elected captain of the annual Venetian trading convoy from Venice to Flanders
and England
. In the Bay of Biscay
, the convoy of four galleys was attacked by pirates, one of whom was Christopher Columbus
, the merchandise was taken, and Minio and the survivors left on the coast of Portugal
.
Bartolomeo had periods of illness prior to his death. After missing vespers on April 25, 1512, he sent a message a week later to the Collegio rejecting his position as vice-doge due to his illness. He was ill again and missed two major ceremonial events in May and June of 1513. Despite all this, he became consiliere of Padua in October of 1515 after a meeting of the Dieci that lasted until the eleventh hour of the day. In August or September of 1518, Bartolomeo Minio died at the age of ninety.
______ 1989 reprint. Le Vite dei Dogi (1474–1494). Angela Caracciolo Aricò, ed. Padua.
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
captain and commander (provveditor e capitanio) of Nauplion in the Venetian Morea
Morea
The Morea was the name of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. It also referred to a Byzantine province in the region, known as the Despotate of Morea.-Origins of the name:...
(modern Nafplion
Nafplion
Nafplio is a seaport town in the Peloponnese in Greece that has expanded up the hillsides near the north end of the Argolic Gulf. The town was the first capital of modern Greece, from the start of the Greek Revolution in 1821 until 1834. Nafplio is now the capital of the peripheral unit of...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
) from 1479 to 1483 AD. His reports to Venice, dispacci, provide a unique historical source for southern Greece in the later 15th century under the Ottoman occupation.
Family
The Minio family records date back to 904 when a Paolo Minio moved to RialtoRialto
The Rialto is and has been for many centuries the financial and commercial centre of Venice. It is an area of the San Polo sestiere of Venice, Italy, also known for its markets and for the Rialto Bridge across the Grand Canal....
. In the 14th century, Bartolomeo's family held myriad office positions and were also counted in the estimo of 1379. Nine members of his family were listed in Hopf's catalogues of governors for Greece and the Aegean islands. Bartolomeo was born in Venice in around 1428 to Marco Minio and Cristina Storlado, the youngest of five sons. Cristina died when Bartolomeo was only two years old and Marco remarried in 1431. In 1455, Bartolomeo married Elena Trevisan. Three sons were known to have reached adulthood (Marco, the first son, who was born around 1460, Alvise, born in 1461, and Francesco). The family house can be identified in the San Tomà parish of the San Polo sestiere of Venice.
Military and political career
In 1462, Bartolomeo was a consiliere to the rettor of CorfuCorfu
Corfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the edge of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The island is part of the Corfu regional unit, and is administered as a single municipality. The...
during his early career in the stato mar. Minio spent over forty-two months in Nauplion beginning in November of 1479. His term is notable for the fortifications he built for Nauplion, for his settlement of the territorial boundaries with the Ottomans, and for his judicious settlement of the Kladas revolt. In 1499 and 1500, he was stationed in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
where he made notable contributions to the fortifications of Famagusta
Famagusta
Famagusta is a city on the east coast of Cyprus and is capital of the Famagusta District. It is located east of Nicosia, and possesses the deepest harbour of the island.-Name:...
. Between 1500 and 1502, he was vice-doge (briefly) and captain in Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
. A collection of 60 reports which he made during that time has survived. These reports, combined with the 90 from Nauplion, form an incomparable collection of letters by a single person. An edition of these letters by Diana G. Wright and John R. Melville-Jones, accompanied by a translation and commentary, has been published (2008) by UniPress, Padova, Italy.
His career in Venice and the mainland followed the normal course for Venetian patricians: in 1497, he was a councillor for water issues in the terrafirma; in 1503, consiliere and capo of the Dieci; podestà
Podestà
Podestà is the name given to certain high officials in many Italian cities, since the later Middle Ages, mainly as Chief magistrate of a city state , but also as a local administrator, the representative of the Emperor.The term derives from the Latin word potestas, meaning power...
at Cremona from 1504 to 1505; in 1506 and 1507, and again in 1510 and 1514, podestà in Padua. In 1509, at the age of 80, he was sent to Julius II in order to discuss matters pertaining to the papal interdict placed on Venice for the capture of Ravenna and Faenza.
He was appointed proveditore of the stratioti
Stratioti
The Stratioti or Stradioti , were mercenary units from the Balkans recruited mainly by states of southern and central Europe from the 15th until the middle of the 18th century.-Name:The Greek term "στρατιώτης/-αι" and its various latinized forms, were in use since classical antiquity with...
for the Ferrara War in 1484. In 1485, he was elected captain of the annual Venetian trading convoy from Venice to Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. In the Bay of Biscay
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
, the convoy of four galleys was attacked by pirates, one of whom was Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
, the merchandise was taken, and Minio and the survivors left on the coast of Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
.
Bartolomeo had periods of illness prior to his death. After missing vespers on April 25, 1512, he sent a message a week later to the Collegio rejecting his position as vice-doge due to his illness. He was ill again and missed two major ceremonial events in May and June of 1513. Despite all this, he became consiliere of Padua in October of 1515 after a meeting of the Dieci that lasted until the eleventh hour of the day. In August or September of 1518, Bartolomeo Minio died at the age of ninety.
Sources
- Brown, Rawdon. 1864. Calendar of State Papers and Manuscripts, Relating to English Affairs, Volume 1. London.
- Colón, Ferdinand. 1992. The Life of the Admiral Christopher Columbus, Trans. B. Keen. Rutgers, NJ.
- Dario, Giovanni. 1996. 22 Dispacci da Costantinopoli al Doge Giovanni Mocenigo. Giuseppe Calò, ed. & trans. Venice.
- Sanudo, Marino (1466–1535). 1969 reprint. Diarii. R. Fuldini et al., eds. 58 vol. Bologna.
______ 1989 reprint. Le Vite dei Dogi (1474–1494). Angela Caracciolo Aricò, ed. Padua.
- Sathas, Konstantinos N. 1880-1890. Mnēmeia ellēnikēs istorias: Documents inédits rélatifs à l’histoire de la Grèce au moyen âge. 9 vols. Paris.
- Wright, Diana Gilliland & John Melville-Jones. 2008. The Greek Correspondence of Bartolomeo Minio: Vol. 1: Dispacci from Nauplion, 1479-1483. Padua.
- Wright, Diana Gilliland. 2004. “After the Serenissima and the Grand Turco Made Love: the Boundary Commissions of 1480 & 1482,” 550th Anniversary of the Istanbul University International Byzantine and Ottoman Symposium. Sümer Atasoy, ed. Istanbul.
- Wright, Diana Gilliland. 1999. Bartolomeo Minio: Venetian administration in 15th-Century Nauplion. Doctoral dissertation, The Catholic University of America, Washington DC.