Caterina Cornaro, Queen Of Cyprus

Abstract

Caterina Cornaro (1454--1510), queen of Cyprus, a nobil donna,1 was born on November 25, 1454 (Saint Catherine's Day) in Venice and died on July 10, 1510, in Venice (see figures 1.1--1.5). She came from a powerful family of the Republic of Venice, the Cornaro family. Caterina was the daughter of Marco Cornaro (1406--1479), knight of the Holy Roman Empire, and Fiorenza Crispo, a Greek princess, daughter of the Lord of Syros, Nicholas Crispo, and granddaughter of John Comnenus, emperor of Trebizond. This remarkable Cornaro family produced four doges, including Marco Cornaro, doge of Venice from 1365 to 1368.2