Paolo Renier - Doge of Venice

Penultimate head of Most Serene Republic

The 1779 portrait of Renier, by Lodovico
Gallina, hangs in Venice's Museo Correr

Paolo Renier, the politician and diplomat who served as the penultimate Doge of the Venetian Republic, was born on this day in 1710 in the San Stae parish of the lagoon city.

After a long political career, Renier was already 69 years old when he was appointed as Doge in 1779, an advanced age to be taking up such a position. He was not a popular choice.

He was a skilled orator but seen by many as manipulative and opportunistic. By the time of his appointment, La Serenissima (the most serene) - as 'Repubblica di Venezia’was officially prefixed in medieval and Renaissance times - was in sharp decline, its strength as a military and trade power largely a thing of the past.

The Venetian nobility was riven with factionalism and there was widespread discontent among the ruling elite and the broader public. Renier is said to have received numerous threats, warning him against accepting the role.

He did not help his reputation by appearing to change his position on a number of issues once elected. Having previously aligned with reformist factions in the Venetian government, advocating for administrative and economic modernisation, once elected he shifted toward a more conservative stance, opposing many of the reforms he had once supported.

In doing so, Renier alienated both reformers and traditionalists, who saw him as untrustworthy or self-serving.  Venice was desperate for an inspirational leader who could recreate the belief in future prosperity the city once enjoyed. Yet historians suggest that Renier's speeches, while polished, sometimes emphasised the Republic’s decline in a tone that bordered on defeatism, which did little to inspire confidence.

This was exemplified in a public speech he made in April 1780, in which he lamented Venice’s lack of military strength, alliances, and economic vitality, concluding that the Republic survived only by “chance and the prudence of its government.” 

Paolo Renier was born into a patrician Venetian family prominent in the 16th and early 17th centuries. His father, Andrea, held numerous positions in the Venetian government, most prominently as a member of the Consiglio dei Sei, a panel of six officials who advised the Doge. Five of Paolo’s brothers also played a part in Venetian political life.

Renier was admired for his oratory
but seen as an opportunist

Renier’s own political career spanned more than 50 years, his rhetorical finesse and political tact eventually earning him two of the most critical and prestigious foreign posts in the Venetian diplomatic network. He served as ambassador to the Habsburg court in Vienna (1764–1768) and later as bailo (ambassador) to Constantinople (1769–1773).

But, skilled in political manoeuvring, he acquired enemies along the way, as well as a feeling among many that he was a man who could not be trusted. When he was elected Doge on January 14, 1779 in the first ballot, with 40 votes out of 41, it was popularly rumoured that he had bought the election using the money earned in Constantinople.

In any event, as the 119th Doge of Venice, he inherited a state in decline at a time of public disillusionment with the Republic’s leadership im general. The once-mighty maritime republic had lost its dominance in Mediterranean trade and was increasingly marginalised in European politics. He faced a tide of decline that, despite his diplomatic experience and rhetorical prowess, he was ultimately unable to reverse.   

Away from the political arena, Renier was twice married, first in 1733 to Giustina Donà, who died in 1751, and later Margherita Delmaz, who outlived him by nearly three decades, dying in 1817.

Despite the political turbulence of his reign, Renier remained a man of culture and intellect. It was said that he knew the Iliad and the Odyssey by heart and he was known to have translated works of Plato into Venetian, reflecting his humanist education and engagement with classical thought.

His tenure ended with his death in February 1789, from rheumatic fever, just months before the French Revolution would begin to reshape Europe. He was succeeded by Ludovico Manin, who would become the last Doge of Venice before Napoleon’s forces brought an end to the Republic in 1797.

The stunning Chiesa di San Stae opens on
to the Grand Canal in the heart of Venice

Travel tip:

San Stae, where Paolo Renier was born, is part of the Santa Croce sestiere, a quieter, slightly less congested quarter of Venice compared with tourist-heavy San Marco. Nonetheless, it has some important attractions, not least the parish church, the Chiesa di San Stae. A stunning Baroque church on the Grand Canal, redesigned in the early 18th century by Domenico Rossi, its façade - facing the Grand Canal midway between Rialto and Santa Lucia railway terminus - combines regimented Palladian lines with some elaborate sculptural decoration. Inside, there are works by Tiepolo, Piazzetta, and Ricci.  No more than two minutes’ walk from the church, walking away from the Grand Canal, the Palazzo Mocenigo houses a museum exploring Venetian fashion, perfume, and textiles. From there, it is just another three or four minutes to reach Campo San Giacomo da l’Orio, a peaceful square that has the authentic feel of residential Venice. The church from which the square takes its name is one of the oldest in the city, with a history going back to the 10th century.

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The pink Verona marble of the striking Doge's Palace
is a prominent feature of the Venice waterfront

Travel tip:

Standing beside the Basilica di San Marco - St Mark’s - facing the Venetian lagoon to the south and the Biblioteca Marciana to the west, across the Piazzetta, the Doge’s Palace is one of the most striking sights in Venice. Built in Venetian Gothic style, with its open arcades, delicate stonework and pink Verona marble, the imposing palace dates back to around 810 and was the political and ceremonial heart of the Venetian Republic for over 1,000 years. The first structure was thought to have been a fortified building with towers, reflecting the Doge’s military and executive authority. It was rebuilt in the 14th century, under Doge Pietro Gradenigo, as an opulent palace to reflect Venice’s growing wealth and power. During its time as the seat of Venice’s government, the palace housed the Senate, the Council of Ten, and State Inquisitors, as well as the Hall of Justice and Archives. The city’s prison, including the infamous Piombi and Pozzi cells, was connected to the palace by the Bridge of Sighs, added in 1600, which came to symbolise the final view of Venice for condemned prisoners.

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More reading:

The 15th century Doge immortalised by Byron and Verdi

The Doge who freed land for two of Venice’s most beautiful churches

The Doge who clamped down on Spanish spies

Also on this day:

Since 1681: Festival of Madonna della Salute

1688: The birth of architect and engraver Antonio Visentini

1854: The birth of Pope Benedict XV

1907: The birth of politician and partisan Giorgio Amendola

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Ludovico Manin - the last Doge of Venice

Surrender to Napoleon ended La Serenissima’s independence 

Ludovico Manin was Doge of Venice
from 1789 until its fall in 1797 

The man who would become the last of Venice’s 120 Doges, Ludovico Giovanni Manin, was born on this day in 1725.

The Doge was the highest political office in Venice, its history going back to the seventh century, when the Venetian Lagoon was a province of the Byzantine (Eastern) Roman Empire and, in common with other provinces, was governed by a Dux (leader).

By the 11th century, when Venice had become an independent republic, the Doge was more of a figurehead, the head of a ruling council, and the title tended to be given to one of the oldest and most respected members of Venetian nobility.

Manin was 64 by the time he was elected but his eight years in post were significant in that they ended with the fall of La Serenissima - as the Venetian Republic was grandly known -its 1,100 years of independence ending with surrender to the French army of Napoleon Bonaparte, who subsequently handed control of the city to Austria.

The eldest of five sons of Lodovico III Alvise and Lucrezia Maria Basadonna, the great-granddaughter of cardinal Pietro Basadonna, Ludovico went straight into public life after completing his studies at the University of Bologna.

At 26 he was elected captain of Vicenza, then of Verona and finally Brescia, before being appointed procurator de ultra of Saint Mark's Basilica in 1764. 

Noted for his generosity, honesty and kindness as a governor, he married Elisabetta Grimani in 1748 but the marriage produced no children. 

The conclave of the Venetian Grand Council at
which Ludovico Manin formally abdicated

Despite his own failing health, he was elected Doge in March, 1789, a few months before the start of the French Revolution. Although Venice was even then regarded as a playground for the rich, its own wealth had been in decline for some years, and Manin had to oversee policies designed to reduce the republic’s financial obligations.

These included cutting the size of Venice’s merchant and military fleets to the degree that when Napoleon’s series of empire-building wars reached Italy, it was clear that Venice would be unable to defend itself.  Manin declined to enter the coalition of Italian states formed to counter Napoleon’s advance in 1795 and Venice declared itself neutral.

However, Napoleon had signed a secret deal with Austria, his most powerful rival for European dominance, to cede control of Venice to Austria in exchange for territories in the Netherlands, which meant he ignored Venice’s neutrality and came after the city anyway.

Manin refused an ultimatum from the French to surrender and on 25 April, 1797, the French fleet arrived at the Lido. Venice responded by sinking one of the French vessels but with only seven warships of their own to call on, the prospects for defending the city were remote and the French needed no second bidding to launch an attack.

The reaction of Manin and the Venetian Grand Council was to pass a motion to dissolve the republic and put the city under French rule.  After all the formalities of the surrender were completed, 4,000 French soldiers entered the city on 16 May and staged a parade in Piazza San Marco - St Mark's Square.

The Manin Chapel at the church
of the Scalzi in Venice

It was a humiliation for Venice, the first time that foreign troops had set foot in the city, but worse was to come. Despite having agreed to hand Venice to the Austrians, Napoleon first wanted to help himself to its treasures and triggered a large-scale looting operation by his troops, who also destroyed what remained of the Venetian fleet and the Venice Arsenal.

Manin, meanwhile, was offered the chance to become interim head of the new Venice but refused, returning the ducal insignia and withdrawing to Palazzo Dolfin Manin, his residence on the Grand Canal.

It was a lonely life. He refused to answer the door even to friends and his meek surrender to the French did not go down well with Venetians, who jeered and insulted him when he ventured out.

Manin died of heart problems in October, 1802. His remains were interred in the family tomb, in a chapel designed by Jacopo Antonio Pozzo, in the Church of the Scalzi in Venice, near the present railway station of Venice Santa Lucia.

The Palazzo Dolfin Manin is now
an office of the Banca d'Italia

Travel tip:

The Palazzo Dolfin Manin, the home of Ludovico Manin, is a 16th century palace on the Grand Canal, a short distance from the Rialto Bridge in the sestiere San Marco. It was built in 1536 for the Dolfin family by the great Florentine architect Jacopo Sansovino, whose work in Venice includes the Biblioteca Marciana, opposite the Doge’s Palace in Piazzetta San Marco, which connects St Mark’s Square with the waterfront. Sansovino created the palace by merging two existing structures and adding a facade in white Istrian stone with a portico of six arches. Inside are works by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, who decorated the palace for the wedding of Ludovico Manin and Elisabetta Grimani. The palace remained in the possession of the Manin family until 1867, when it was bought by the Banca Nazionale del Regno, forerunner of the Banca d’Italia, which still has its Venice headquarters in the building.

The Chiesa degli Scalzi fronts on to
the Grand Canal near the railway station

Travel tip:

The Chiesa degli Scalzi, site of the Manin family tomb and Ludovico’s final resting place, can be found immediately next to Venice’s Santa Lucia railway station, at the foot of the bridge of the same name. Formally known as the church of Santa Maria di Nazareth, it takes its other name from the Carmelite religious order of which it was the seat, the Discalced, which means ‘without shoes’ or ‘scalzi’ in Italian. Designed by Baldassare Longhena, best known for the magnificent Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute at the end of the Grand Canal where it meets the Lagoon, its sumptuous interior includes paintings by Tiepolo and sculptures by Giovanni Maria Morlaiter. The Venetian Late Baroque facade is the work of Giuseppe Sardi, while the statues mounted at various points on the facade were sculpted by Bernardo Falconi.

Also on this day:

1509: The Battle of Agnadello 

1916: The birth of designer Marco Zanuso

1934: The birth of footballer Aurelio Milani

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The end of the Venetian Republic

Peace treaty saw Venice given away to Austria

Venice in the days of Austrian rule, as depicted by the
18th century artist Canaletto

A peace settlement signed in a small town in north-east Italy on this day in 1797 heralded a dark day for Venice as the Most Serene Republic officially lost its independence after 1,100 years.

The Treaty of Campo Formio, drawn up after the Austrians had sought an armistice when faced with Napoleon Bonaparte's advance on Vienna, included an exchange of territory that saw Napoleon hand Venice to Austria.

It marked the end of the First Coalition of countries allied against the French, although it was a short-lived peace.  A Second Coalition was formed the following year.

The Venetian Republic, still a playground for the rich but in decline for several centuries in terms of real power, had proclaimed itself neutral during the Napoleonic Wars, wary that it could not afford to sustain any kind of conflict.

But Napoleon wanted to acquire the city nonetheless, seeing it as a potential bargaining chip in his empire-building plans and had his eye on its vast art treasures.  In May 1797 he provoked the Venetians into attacking a French ship and used this as an excuse to declare war.

The reaction of the Venetian Grand Council and the last of its Doges, Ludovico Manin, was to vote the Republic out of existence and surrender, which put the city under French rule.  When the city and the nearby islands had been secured, 4,000 soldiers of Napoleon's army staged a parade in Piazza San Marco (St Mark's Square). It was a humiliation for Venice, the first time that foreign troops had set foot in the city.

Ludovico Manin, the last Doge of Venice, in
a portrait by Barnardino Castelli

Systematically, the French began a programme of asset stripping, their plunder including the bronze Lion of Venice in St Mark's Square.

Within six months, however, the peace accord with the Austrians gave Napoleon the chance to use Venice as part of the settlement, taking Lombardy and the area of Belgium then known as the  Austrian Netherlands in return.

The city became part of Napoleon's newly formed Kingdom of Italy in 1805 but the Austrians seized control again when Napoleon was defeated in 1814.

Venice's resentment of the French was matched by their dislike for the Austrians, even though the city's new rulers were instrumental in building the railway that connected them to the mainland, opening the way for a new era of prosperity.

The Venetians rose up in rebellion in 1848, staging a general strike and recruiting a militia of 4,000 men, briefly driving the Austrians out. The new Republic of San Marco declared independence in March 1848 and a year passed before the Austrians reclaimed the city, its navy sailing into the lagoon and laying siege until, starving and fighting a cholera epidemic, Venice surrendered.

The Austrians were finally driven out by Victor Emanuele II's army during the wars of Italian unification, at which point Venice became part of the Kingdom of Italy via the Treaty of Vienna. 

Travel tip:

The town known as Campo Formio at the time of the Treaty subsequently changed its name to Campoformido.  Situated just to the south-west of Udine, the capital of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, the town is also historically important as the seat from the 12th century onwards of the Parliament of Friuli, one of the oldest parliaments in the world.  The Treaty was signed at the Villa Manin, the country home of Ludovico Manin, the last Doge of the Venetian Republic.

The Lion of Venice sits atop one of two columns
at the end of the Piazzetta of St Mark's

Travel tip:

The Lion of Venice, which sits atop one of two granite columns, standing guard at the lagoon end of the Piazzetta adjoining St Mark's Square, was lifted down and taken to France in 1797, where it remained until being repatriated in 1815 with the fall of Napoleon.  It was badly damaged on both legs of the journey, losing its griffin-like wings, its tail, its front paws and the gospel book upon which they rested on the outward journey.  Restored and mounted in the Place des Invalides in Paris, it was dropped as workmen lifted it down for the return to Venice, where it arrived in 20 pieces.  The fragments were pieced together by the sculptor Bartolomeo Ferrari.

More reading:

Napoleon crowns himself King of Italy

Austrians driven out in Battle of Marengo

Battle of Solferino and the birth of the Red Cross


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