The exact date of Febo Capella's birth is unknown, but based on his career he was likely born around 1420. His family were Venetian citizens, and Capella himself entered public service, being first attested in 1442 as a ducal notary and filling the post of chancellor for the Venetian governor of Cattaro (
Kotor). In 1443–44 he was a member of the embassy of
Francesco Barbaro to the
Duke of Milan. Later he was appointed secretary to the (board responsible for Venice's
mainland possessions), the
Council of Ten, and finally ducal secretary (i.e., to the
Doge of Venice) in the 1450s. As ducal secretary, Capella is attested as leading diplomatic missions on his own, to the
King of Naples René of Anjou (1455), the
Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III (1459), and to the
Republic of Florence (1460). He was elected to the office of
grand chancellor, the highest post available to a commoner, on 28 May 1480, but held it for less than two years, as he died in early 1482. ==Works==