Niccolo of Lesbos
Encyclopedia
Niccolò Gattilusio was the last Prince of Lesbos
(1458-1462).
He was a younger son of Dorino of Lesbos
and Orietta Doria
.
He deposed his elder brother Domenico of Lesbos
, threw him in prison, and had him strangled. Sultan
Mehmed II
used this crime as his pretext to invade Lesbos. In truth he was angry with Niccolò for the latter's sponsorship of Catalan
pirates in the region.
After the Turks almost completely demolished the capital city, Mytilini, and slaughtered many of the inhabitants, Niccolò surrendered. He was carried off to Constantinople as a captive, along with most of his family. There he converted to Islam
and was briefly released. His sister Maria Gattilusio (widow of Alexander, a brother of Emperor David of Trebizond
), who was called the most beautiful woman of her day, disappeared into the sultan's harem. Her son Alexios became a page
, but seems to have been beheaded not long afterwards.
Then Mehmed II discovered that a favorite page of his, who had fled from him some time before, had become Christian and was included among the retinue of Prince Niccolò. This final indignity seems to have hastened Niccolò's death sentence. He was strangled to death with a bowstring.
Gattilusio
The Gattilusi were a powerful Genoese family who controlled a number of possessions in the northern Aegean from 1355 until the mid 15th century....
(1458-1462).
He was a younger son of Dorino of Lesbos
Dorino of Lesbos
Dorino Gattilusio, Lord of Lesbos was the fourth ruler of an independent Lesbos from 1428 to 1455.He was the second son of Francis II, Lord of Lesbos and Valentina Doria. He succeeded his older brother Jacopo of Lesbos in 1428....
and Orietta Doria
Doria
Doria, originally de Auria , meaning "the sons of Auria", and then de Oria or d'Oria, is the name of an old and extremely wealthy Genoese family who played a major role in the history of the Republic of Genoa and in Italy, from the 12th century to the 16th century.-Origins:According to legend, a...
.
He deposed his elder brother Domenico of Lesbos
Domenico of Lesbos
Domenico Gattilusio, Lord of Lesbos was the fifth ruler of an independent Lesbos from 1455 to 1458.He was a son of Dorino of Lesbos and Orietta Doria. He succeeded his father and reigned in the island for three years....
, threw him in prison, and had him strangled. Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
Mehmed II
Mehmed II
Mehmed II , was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire for a short time from 1444 to September 1446, and later from...
used this crime as his pretext to invade Lesbos. In truth he was angry with Niccolò for the latter's sponsorship of Catalan
Catalan people
The Catalans or Catalonians are the people from, or with origins in, Catalonia that form a historical nationality in Spain. The inhabitants of the adjacent portion of southern France are sometimes included in this definition...
pirates in the region.
After the Turks almost completely demolished the capital city, Mytilini, and slaughtered many of the inhabitants, Niccolò surrendered. He was carried off to Constantinople as a captive, along with most of his family. There he converted to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
and was briefly released. His sister Maria Gattilusio (widow of Alexander, a brother of Emperor David of Trebizond
David of Trebizond
David Megas Komnenos was the last Emperor of Trebizond from 1459 to 1461. He was the third son of Emperor Alexios IV of Trebizond and Theodora Kantakouzene....
), who was called the most beautiful woman of her day, disappeared into the sultan's harem. Her son Alexios became a page
Page
-Position or occupation:* Page , a traditionally young male servant* Page * Page of Honour, a ceremonial position in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom* A participant in any of the following programs:...
, but seems to have been beheaded not long afterwards.
Then Mehmed II discovered that a favorite page of his, who had fled from him some time before, had become Christian and was included among the retinue of Prince Niccolò. This final indignity seems to have hastened Niccolò's death sentence. He was strangled to death with a bowstring.
External links
- Gattilusio family
- His listing along with his father and siblings in "Medieval lands" by Charles Cawley. The project "involves extracting and analysing detailed information from primary sources, including contemporary chronicles, cartularies, necrologies and testaments."
- "The Lesbian ancestors of Prince Rainier of Monaco, Dr. Otto von Habsburg, Brooke Shields and the Marquis de Sade" by William Addams Reitwiesner, an extensive article on the Gattilusio and their descedants