Florence Sanudo was the daughter and successor as the seventh Duchess of John I

John I Sanudo

John I Sanudo was the sixth Duke of the Archipelago from 1341 to his death.He was the brother and successor of Nicholas I and son of William I. His other brother was Marco Sanudo, Lord of Milos....

, Duke of the Archipelago, in 1362, reigning with her second husband until her death.

Her first marriage was to Giovanni dalle Carceri

Giovanni dalle Carceri

Giovanni dalle Carceri was a Lord of Euboea.He married as her first husband Florence Sanudo, who became the seventh Duchess of the Archipelago in 1362, daughter and successor of John I, Duke of the Archipelago. Their son was Nicholas III dalle Carceri, who inherited both the Duchy and the...

, Lord of Euboea

Lordship of Negroponte

The Lordship of Negroponte was a crusader state established on the island of Euboea after the partition of the Byzantine Empire following the Fourth Crusade. Partitioned into three baronies run by a few interrelated Lombard families, the island soon fell under the influence of the Republic of...

, but he died in 1358. She tried to remarry, first to the Vignoso, Genoese

Genoa

Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....

 Lord of Chios, and then to Nerio I Acciajuoli, the future Duke of Athens, but both potential husbands were vetoed by the Republic of Venice

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...

, which kidnapped her and brought to 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...

. There she was forced to marry in 1364 her cousin Nicholas Spezzabanda

Nicholas II Sanudo

Nicholas II Sanudo , called Spezzabanda, Lord of Gridia and eight Consort Duke of the Archipelago, was a son of Guglielmazzo Sanudo, Lord of Gridia, and wife, and the second husband of his cousin Florence Sanudo, seventh Duchess of the Archipelago, with whom he reigned until her death.Her first...

, whom the Venetians entitled eight Consort Duke.

She died in 1371 and was succeeded by her son by Giovanni, Nicholas III dalle Carceri

Nicholas III dalle Carceri

Nicholas III dalle Carceri , ninth Duke of the Archipelago and Lord of Euboea, was the only son of the first marriage of eight Duchess Florence Sanudo, whom he succeeded in 1371, to Giovanni dalle Carceri, Lord of Euboea....

. By her cousin, she left only daughters: Maria

Maria Sanudo, Lady of Andros

-Ancestry:She was a daughter of Florence Sanudo and second husband and cousin Nicholas II Sanudo, seventh and eight consort Dukes of the Archipelago.-Marriage and issue:...

, who inherited Andros

Andros

Andros, or Andro is the northernmost island of the Greek Cyclades archipelago, approximately south east of Euboea, and about north of Tinos. It is nearly long, and its greatest breadth is . Its surface is for the most part mountainous, with many fruitful and well-watered valleys. The area is...

, and Elisabetta Sanudo.

Sources

• Miller, William. The Latins in the Levant: A History of Frankish Greece (1204–1566). London: 1908.