Francesco Morosini
Francesco Morosini (
1618 –
1694) was the Doge of
Venice from
1688 to
1694, at the height of the
Great Turkish War.
Morosini first rose to prominence as
Captain-General of the Venetian forces on
Crete during the siege of
Candia by the
Ottoman Empire. He was eventually forced to surrender the city, and was accused of cowardice and treason on his return to Venice; however, he was found innocent after a brief trial.
In
1685 Morosini took command of a fleet against the Ottomans and sacked
Corone. Over the next several years, he captured most of the
Morea with the help of
Otto von Konigsmark. During the siege of
Athens in
1687, his artillery partly destroyed the
Parthenon, and he oversaw the looting of many of the surviving sculptures.
In the summer of
1688 Morosini, now having been proclaimed Doge, attacked
Negropont, but was unable to capture it, and was forced to return to Venice when plague broke out among his troops. He embarked on a final campaign in
1693, but was again unsuccessful in taking Negropont, and returned to Venice after sacking some minor coastal towns.
*
Scuola Navale Militare Francesco Morosini named for him
* Ship
Francesco Morosini (Ruggiero Di Lauria Class), launched
30 July 1885, named for him
