Doge
Francesco Morosini died on 16 January 1694. Morosini, a military hero before becoming Doge, had been the rare seventeenth-century Doge of Venice who was active on the battlefield. However, on his death, with the Republic still embroiled in war and facing massive economic difficulties, Venetians decided to elect someone who was not very ambitious. They therefore elected Silvestro Valier on 25 February 1694, and he celebrated by paying for lavish celebrations and banquets. Although the Grand Council had, in 1645, abolished the elaborate ceremony for installing a new
dogaressa, because of its large expense to the state and to the Doge, Valier convinced the council to grant an exception. As such, on 4 March 1694, Elisabetta Querini appeared clad in a
cloth of gold robe adorned with
sable, with a white
veil and
corno ducale, (the version of ducal crown worn by the Doge and his wife) adorned with
jewels, and a large
diamond cross on her chest. Together Valier and his wife sat on the throne of Venice and received counselors, ministers, judges, and the
capis of
the Ten. Venice's war with the Ottoman Empire - the
Morean War - was only one part of the Ottoman Empire's struggle against
the Holy League of 1684. On 11 September 1697, Ottoman forces were defeated by troops of the
Holy Roman Empire and the
Kingdom of Hungary at the
Battle of Zenta. This decisive battle led to the Ottoman Empire's determination to end the
Great Turkish War, and peace negotiations began at
Sremski Karlovci. These negotiations eventually produced the
Treaty of Karlowitz, signed on 26 January 1699 and ending the Great Turkish War, including the Morean War. Under the Treaty, Venice received the
Morea,
Aegina,
Lefkada, and
Zakynthos. Most Venetians felt they gained far too little territory to compensate for the huge loss of life and expense of the wars with the Ottoman Empire. The Republic was exhausted by the long war and facing economic distress, but little changed for Valier, and he continued hosting banquets, receptions, and parties at which he entertained persons of rank. Already sick, Valier's last days were made worse by a series of family disputes. He died on 7 July 1700. He was buried in the
Basilica di San Giovanni e Paolo, where twenty-four other doges also found their resting place. Between 1705 and 1708, a huge tomb was built in the Basilica for Valier, his wife, and his father. The tomb consists on either side of two large
Corinthian columns of black
marble. The tomb was designed by architect
Andrea Tirali, and contained sculptures from
Antonio Tarsia,
Pietro Baratta, and others, and the
bas relief was overseen by
Gruppello Marino. An important letter of diplomatic relations between Safavid Iran and the Serenissima, Iran, ca. 1694.jpg|Italian translation of a
Persian letter of congratulations sent by
Shah Soltan Hoseyn of
Safavid Iran to Valier, the newly elected Doge of Venice. Although the content is mostly honorific and auspicious, the underlining tone serves the political purpose of expanding relations between the two countries in case of an
Ottoman insurgence Interior of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - Monument of the Valier family.jpg|Monument of the Valier family Interior of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - Silvestro Valier.jpg|Statue of Silvestro Valier ==References and notes==