Sebastiano Venier

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Sebastiano Venier.

Sebastiano Venier or Veniero (c. 1496 – March 3, 1578) was Doge of Venice from June 11, 1577 to March 3, 1578.

[edit] Biography

Venier was born in Venice around 1496 to Mosè Venier, and Elena Donà.

He worked as a lawyer from a very early age, though without holding formal qualifications, and subsequently was an administrator for the government of the Republic of Venice. In 1570 he was procurator and, in the December of the same year, capitano generale da mar ("Chief admiral") of the Venetian fleet in the new war against the Ottoman Turks.

He was one of the protagonists of the Battle of Lepanto (7 October 1571), in which the Christian League decisively defeated the Turks. After the peace he returned to Venice as a very popular figure, and in 1577, at the age of 81, he was unanimously elected Doge.

He was married to Cecilia Contarini, who bore him a daughter, Elena, and two sons.

Sebastiano Venier died in 1578, allegedly of broken heart after a fire that had heavily damaged the Doge's Palace of Venice.

He was the uncle of Cecilia Venier-Baffo, known as Nur Banu after her conversion to islam. He sold her to the Ottoman sultan in 1536 ^[1] in order to counter the ascension of Roxelana. She became eventually the wife Selim II and the mother of Murad III.