Jacopo Antonio Marcello
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Jacopo Antonio Marcello (1399–1464/65) was a Venetian patrician, military leader, Renaissance humanist and patron of letters.
Marcello was born in Venice in 1399, probably on 17 January, the son of Francesco Marcello and Maddalena Trevisan. His older brother Pietro became the bishop of Padua in 1409. His sister Margherita married Marco Foscari, brother of Doge Francesco Foscari. His father served in the Hungarian–Venetian war of 1411 and died in 1419.[1]
In 1418, Marcello married Fiordelise Miani, daughter of Pietro Emiliani and Contarina Contarini. They had a son named Francesco and a daughter named Taddea. After his first wife's death, Marcello married a lady of the Capodivacca family of Padua in 1442. In 1443, he married for the third time to another Paduan, Lucia Lion di Bartolomeo, whose sister Anna married his son Francesco at the same time. In 1447, he was living the Castle of Monselice.[1] On 1 January 1461, his eight-year-old son Valerio died, which greatly grieved him and led to an outpouring of condolences from Venetian men of letters.[2]
Political and military career
Marcello did not become involved in politics until 1438.[1] In 1438–1439, during the Wars in Lombardy, he was the provveditore in Val Lagarina.[1][3] In 1438, he escaped from besieged Brescia with Gattamelata. In 1439, he returned to the city with a relief army.[4] In 1440, he was provveditore in Ravenna. In 1442, he was ambassador to Francesco Sforza. In 1444, he was provveditore in Lombardy. In 1446–1448, he was again provveditore of the army in Lombardy and also captain of Verona.[3] He was the provveditore of the victorious army at the battle of Casalmaggiore in 1446, for which he was knighted by Micheletto Attendolo. He remained with the army almost continuously from 1447 to 1453. He was captain at Verona in 1447 and joined the retreat from Caravaggio in 1448.[4] From 1449 to 1452, he was provveditore in Crema.[3] For his actions at Casalmaggiore, he was popularly regarded as a war hero.[5]
In 1462–1463, Marcello was lieutenant in Friuli.[3] He was named provveditore of the army for the war that broke out against the Imperial Free City of Trieste in 1463.[1][3] He personally led 500 cavalry into Istria and took command from Vitale Lando. Owing to the outbreak of the Ottoman–Venetian War, the war was short. Venice and Trieste agreed to terms on 17 December 1463. He died in his house in Venice between 5 August 1464 and July 1465.[1] "One of the most distinguished men of his generation", he "must have been very close to the dogeship on a number of occasions".[4]
