Gornaro, Gaterina (1454-1510)

Queen of Cyprus, Venetian humanist, patron of poets, artists, and architects Born in Venice on 25 November 1454, Cate-rina was one of the eight children of Marco Cornaro (Corner) and Fiorenza Crispo, daughter of Duke Nicolo Crispo. Caterina was given an education befitting boys and girls whose families were members of the patriciate: humanist studies (poetry, philosophy, history, the classical languages) with an emphasis on the perfection of social skills, as well as dancing and singing. When Caterina was ten she entered the Convent of San Benedetto in Padova as a resident student. Four years later, in 1468, she returned to Venice for her engagement to James II de Lusignan, king of Cyprus.

The union had been engineered by Caterina’s father and uncle, Andrea Cornaro, who had strong commercial interests in Cyprus and was very close to the sovereign. James II de Lusig-nan had obtained the throne of Cyprus after much intrigue and thanks to the support of the Egyptian sultan at Alexandria who, up to that moment, was the titular ruler of the island. This marriage ensured James the protection of the Serenissima for his wealthy but contested dominion and would conversely strengthen Venetian influence in the Mediterranean. Caterina’s proxy marriage was a solemn event. On 30 July 1468, Caterina was taken from her father’s palace along the Grand Canal on the gilded ship of state, the Bucin-toro, and brought to the Doge’s Palace. Before the ambassador of Cyprus and the Doge Cristoforo Moro, she was officially married and then sent back to the convent in Padova to complete her education.

In 1471 the Venetian senate created for Caterina the title of Daughter of the Republic and gave her a magnificent dowry of one hundred ducats. In the summer of 1472, escorted by fourVenetian galleons and accompanied by family and servants, Caterina left for Cyprus. Two months later, in the cathedral of Famagosta, the marriage was celebrated in person, and she was crowned “Queen of Cyprus, Jerusalem and Armenia.” Her husband died in 1473 at the age of thirty-three and her infant son, Prince James III de Lusignan, died a few months later. Caterina thus became, at the age of nineteen, the sole ruler of Cyprus. Cate-rina’s uncle, Andrea Cornaro, and her cousin, Marco Bembo, were victims of a conspiracy that aimed at bringing Cyprus under the control of the Reign of Naples. Venice was quick to send a fleet to Famagosta and to reestablish order. The Venetians now had control over the island and the queen was surrounded byVenetian advisors: The Venetian senate had appointed a council of regents, which gained power over the fifteen years that she ruled. Caterina was still young, and the republic was

Caterina Cornaro, queen of Cyprus and patron of poets and artists. Painting by Titian. Uffizi, Florence, Italy. (Ali-nari/Art Resource, NY)

Afraid she would remarry (a possible candidate was Alfonso, son of the King of Naples). Moreover, there was the danger that, aided by the Cypriots, she would rebel against her Venetian advisors and gain effective control of the island. In 1488, through the mediation of her father and her brother Giorgio, the senate managed to persuade the queen to abdicate her crown to the republic. In exchange, she was allowed to retain the title of queen, her dowry, and the income from many villages in Cyprus.

In 1489 Caterina embarked for Venice where, in the Basilica of St. Mark, she publicly “donated” her reign to the doge. Some time after her return to Venice, during an excursion in theVeneto area, Caterina was charmed by the picturesque district of Asolo and requested it of the republic. The senate conceded Asolo with some neighboring lands, an annual pension, and a bodyguard. She settled in the castle of Asolo

And ruled for twenty years, turning out to be, in many ways, a progressive monarch. She introduced the silk industry to the region and improved commerce. Caterina was also a generous patron, and her new court became a center of attraction for poets, painters, and artists. Titian, Giorgione, and Gentile Bellini rendered her portrait, and the queen and her court were depicted by Pietro Bembo, a relative and frequent guest, in his work Degli Asolani. Her summer villa, Il Barco, designed by Francesco Grazioli in 1491 in the nearby village of Altivole, was an impressive building with an extravaganza of gardens, fountains, and exotic animals.

Caterina left Asolo and took refuge inVenice in 1509 during the invasion of the troops of Emperor Maximilian. Unfortunately, her resort place was destroyed and, because of the League of Cambrai politics, she could never return. On 10 July 1510 she died in Venice.

Irene Zanini-Cordi

See also Art and Women; Education, Humanism, and Women; the subheading Literary Patronage (under Literary Culture and Women); Power, Politics, and Women.

Bibliography

Primary Works

Bembo, Pietro. Gli Asolani. Venice: Aldo Manun-zio, 1505.

Colbertaldo, Antonio. Vita di Caterina Cornaro Regina di Cipro. Venice: Biblioteca del Museo Correr, ms. cod. 1189/XXVI.

Secondary Works

Antinoro-Polizzi, Joseph. Lady of Asolo: A Pictorial History of the Life and Times of Caterina Cornaro. Rochester, NY: Ayers Printing Co., 1985.

Berruti, Aldo. Patriziato veneto—I Cornaro. Turin:

La Nuova Grafica, 1953.

Piovesan, Luciana, Storia di Asolo: Il Barco della Regina Cornaro ad Altivole. Asolo: 1980.

Scarpari, Gianfranco. Le ville venete. Rome: Newton Compton Editori, 1980.