Chiara Zorzi

Chiara Zorzi or Giorgio, also Clara or Claire (died 1454 at Megara), was the second wife and widow of Nerio II Acciaioli, Duke of Athens, and regent for their young son Francesco I after Nerio's death in 1451.

She was the daughter of Nicholas III Zorzi, the titular margrave of Bodonitsa, and renowned for her beauty. After Nerio's death, she fell in love with the Venetian Bartolomeo Contarini, who murdered his wife in order to stay with her and marry her in Athens (1453). However, Mehmet II of the Ottoman Empire intervened at the insistence of the people on the behalf of the young duke Francis and summoned Bartolomeo and Chiara to his court at Adrianople.

Another Acciaioli, Francis II, was sent to Athens as a Turkish client duke and Chiara thus deprived of her power in the city. Evidently, the citizenry had mistrusted the two lovers influence over the young duke, for whose safety they may have feared. The new duke had Chiara murdered and Bartolomeo appealed to the sultan for justice. Athens was taken into Turkish hands and Francis II deposed.

References

• Setton, Kenneth M. (general editor) A History of the Crusades: Volume III — The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries. Harry W. Hazard, editor. University of Wisconsin Press: Madison, 1975.
• Setton, Kenneth M. Catalan Domination of Athens 1311–1380. Revised edition. Variorum: London, 1975.

Persondata
Name	Zorzi, Chiara
Alternative names
Short description	Duke of Athens
Date of birth
Place of birth
Date of death	1454
Place of death

This biographical article of a European noble is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: 1454 deaths Dukes of Athens Medieval women House of Contarini European nobility stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат? The Other Side of the Street Spanish Goat Dancer Look at other dictionaries: Chiara — is a word and place name of Italian origin, meaning clear. It may refer to: Contents 1 People 1.1 First name Chiara 1.2 Last name Chiara 2 Places …   Wikipedia Chiara — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Chiara est un mot et un nom italien signifiant « claire » pouvant se référer à : Sommaire 1 Personnalités …   Wikipédia en Français Zorzi — The Zorzi or Giorgi was a family of Venetian origin. They throve in the Late Middle Ages, especially in the remnants of the Latin Empire in Greece, where they controlled the Margraviate of Bodonitsa and through marriage the Duchy of Athens until… …   Wikipedia Nicholas III Zorzi — Nicholas III (or II) Zorzi or Giorgi (Italian: Niccolò) was the Margrave of Bodonitsa, a member of the Zorzi family of the Republic of Venice, from 1416 to 1436, though the title was purely nominal by then. Before becoming margrave in an exchange …   Wikipedia Bartolomeo Contarini — was a Venetian businessman who married the widowed duchess of Athens Chiara Zorzi in 1453 and governed the duchy in the name of her infant son, Francis I. Bartolomeo was the son of Priam, the castellan of Nauplia. After going to Athens on… …   Wikipedia Nerio II Acciaioli — (1416–1451) was the Duke of Athens[1] on two separate occasions from 1435 to 1439 and again from 1441 to 1451. He was a member of the Acciaioli family of Florence, the son of Francesco Acciaioli, Lord of Sykaminon. His rule was contemporaneous… …   Wikipedia Nerio II Acciaiuoli — (1416 1451) fue el duque de Atenas, en dos ocasiones desde 1435 hasta 1439 y nuevamente desde 1441 hasta 1451. Fue miembro de la familia Acciaiuoli de Florencia, hijo de Francesco Acciaiuoli, Señor de Sykaminon. Su gobierno fue contemporáneo con… …   Wikipedia Español Francesco I Acciaioli — Francis or Francesco I Acciaioli was the son of Nerio II Acciaioli by his second wife Chiara Zorzi. He succeeded on his father s death in 1451 to the Duchy of Athens under his mother s regency. His mother married the Venetian Bartolomeo Contarini …   Wikipedia 1454 — Year 1454 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.Events of 1454* February 4 In the Thirteen Years War, the Secret Council of the Prussian Confederation sends a formal act of disobedience …   Wikipedia Ducado de Atenas — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Ducado de Atenas Estado vasallo* …   Wikipedia Español 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”