Nerio II Acciaioli
Encyclopedia
Nerio II Acciaioli was the Duke of Athens on two separate occasions from 1435 to 1439 and again from 1441 to 1451. He was a member of the Acciaioli family of Florence
, the son of Francesco Acciaioli, Lord of Sykaminon. His rule was contemporaneous with a renewed Italian philhellenism and corresponding interest in antiquities and the Greek language. Nerio not only spoke Greek naturally, but also owned the most famous monuments of the Hellenic world in his capital of Athens
.
Nerio arrived in Greece in 1419 on the death of his father when he was only three years old. He was named heir to his uncle Antonio I
of Athens, but on his uncle's death in 1435, he had to fight his uncle's widow Maria Melissena and the Chalcocondylae for the ducal throne. Supported by Murad II
, the Ottoman sultan, against the Greek Constantine Palaeologus, Despot of Morea. After securing his position with Turkish help, he was removed by the intrigues of his brother Antonio II
and driven from the Acropolis. His inveterate personal enemy, the chronicler Laonicus Chalcocondylas, venomously denigrates him as "effeminate."
Nerio returned to power in 1441 after spending a few short years in Florence. He immediately expelled his brother's widow Maria Zorzi. It is probably that Nerio was present when the Emperor John VIII made a proclamation of Catholicism in the Florentine Duomo on 6 July 1439. In 1444, Nerio went to war against the Turks on the side of Constantine, but came to terms with the Ottomans. He subsequently lost Thebes
to Constantine and was forced to pay him tribute and become his vassal. In 1446, Murad assisted Nerio in retaking Thebes for the Latins. On his death, he was succeeded by his young son Francesco
under the regency
of his widow Chiara Zorzi
.
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, the son of Francesco Acciaioli, Lord of Sykaminon. His rule was contemporaneous with a renewed Italian philhellenism and corresponding interest in antiquities and the Greek language. Nerio not only spoke Greek naturally, but also owned the most famous monuments of the Hellenic world in his capital of Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
.
Nerio arrived in Greece in 1419 on the death of his father when he was only three years old. He was named heir to his uncle Antonio I
Antonio I Acciaioli
Antonio I Acciaioli , called the Bastard, was the illegitimate son of Nerio I of Athens and his longtime mistress Maria Rendi. He became Duke of Athens on the death of his father , but was expelled within the year by the Republic of Venice, the executor of Nerio's will...
of Athens, but on his uncle's death in 1435, he had to fight his uncle's widow Maria Melissena and the Chalcocondylae for the ducal throne. Supported by Murad II
Murad II
Murad II Kodja was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1421 to 1451 ....
, the Ottoman sultan, against the Greek Constantine Palaeologus, Despot of Morea. After securing his position with Turkish help, he was removed by the intrigues of his brother Antonio II
Antonio II Acciaioli
Antonio II Acciaioli was the Duke of Athens from 1439 to 1445.He was a son of Francesco and Margareta Malpigli and grew up in Florence until 1413, when his uncle Antonio I called he and his brother Nerio II to Greece to live at his court. When the elder Antonio died in January 1435, he left the...
and driven from the Acropolis. His inveterate personal enemy, the chronicler Laonicus Chalcocondylas, venomously denigrates him as "effeminate."
Nerio returned to power in 1441 after spending a few short years in Florence. He immediately expelled his brother's widow Maria Zorzi. It is probably that Nerio was present when the Emperor John VIII made a proclamation of Catholicism in the Florentine Duomo on 6 July 1439. In 1444, Nerio went to war against the Turks on the side of Constantine, but came to terms with the Ottomans. He subsequently lost Thebes
Thebes, Greece
Thebes is a city in Greece, situated to the north of the Cithaeron range, which divides Boeotia from Attica, and on the southern edge of the Boeotian plain. It played an important role in Greek myth, as the site of the stories of Cadmus, Oedipus, Dionysus and others...
to Constantine and was forced to pay him tribute and become his vassal. In 1446, Murad assisted Nerio in retaking Thebes for the Latins. On his death, he was succeeded by his young son Francesco
Francesco I Acciaioli
Francis or Francesco I Acciaioli was the son of Nerio II Acciaioli by his second wife Chiara Zorzi. He succeeded on his father's death in 1451 to the Duchy of Athens under his mother's regency.His mother married the Venetian Bartolomeo Contarini...
under the regency
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
of his widow Chiara Zorzi
Chiara Zorzi
Chiara Zorzi or Giorgio, also Clara or Claire , was the second wife and widow of Nerio II Acciaioli, Duke of Athens, and regent for their young son Francesco I after Nerio's death in 1451....
.