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CONTARINI

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Originally appearing in Volume V07, Page 24 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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CONTARINI , the name of a distinguished Venetian See also:

family, who gave to the See also:republic eight doges and many other eminent citizens. The See also:story of their descent from the See also:Roman family of See also:Cotta, appointed prefects of the See also:Reno valley (whence Cotta Reni or See also:Conti del Reno), is probably a See also:legend. One See also:Mario Contarini was among the twelve See also:electors of the See also:doge Paulo Lucio Anafesto in 697. Domenico Contarini, elected doge in 1043, subjugated rebellious See also:Dalmatia and recaptured See also:Grado from the See also:patriarch of See also:Aquileia. He died in 1070. Jacopo was doge from 1275 to 1280. See also:Andrea was elected doge in 1367, and during his reign the See also:war of See also:Chioggia took See also:place (138o); he was the first to melt down his See also:plate and See also:mortgage his See also:property for the benefit of the See also:state. Other Contarini doges were: See also:Francesco (1623-1624), Niccolo (163o—1631), who built the See also:church of the Salute, Carlo (1655-1656), during whose reign the Venetians gained the See also:naval victory of the See also:Dardanelles, Domenico (1659—1675) and Alvise (1676-1684). There were at one See also:time no less than eighteen branches of the family; one of the most important was that of Contarini dallo Zaffo or di Giaffa, who had been invested with the countship of Jaffa in See also:Syria for their services to Caterina See also:Cornaro, See also:queen of See also:Cyprus; another was that of Contarini degli Scrigni (of the coffers), so called on See also:account of their See also:great See also:wealth. Many members of the family distinguished themselves in the service of the republic, in the See also:wars against the See also:Turks, and no less than seven Contarini fought at See also:Lepanto. One Andrea Contarini was beheaded in 1430 for having wounded the doge Francesco See also:Foscari (q.v.) on the See also:nose. Other members of the See also:house were famous as merchants, prelates and men of letters; among these we may mention See also:Cardinal Gasparo Contarini (1483—1542), and Marco Contarini (1631-1689), who was celebrated as a See also:patron of See also:music and collected at his See also:villa of Piazzola a large number of valuable musical See also:MSS., now in the Marciana library at See also:Venice.

The family owned many palaces in various parts of Venice, and several streets still See also:

bear its name. See J. See also:Fontana, " See also:Sulla patrizia famiglia Contarini," in Il Gondoliere (1843). (L.

End of Article: CONTARINI

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