Tomasso Grimani (1363 - 1414) - The Treasurer's Doge
Tomasso was the third son of a large trading family in Venice. The Grimani were never politically active, but over the years they have built a large trading house. When Alvise Erizzo first arrived in Venice Tomasso's two older brothers scorned him as an outsider, but Tomasso offered him help, and as a result benefited greatly as Alvise rose to the pinnacle power in Venice.
When Antonio Veniero died unexpectedly during his campaign in Piedmont in 1405 an election for a new Doge was called. The Venetian electoral system was complex and unwieldy, with multiple rounds of elections and random weeding out of candidates and electors. It was believed to be impossible to manipulate, and yet, somehow, to Erizzo's luck, Tomasso emerged as the new Doge. Some grumbled about Erizzo's rising power, but there was no apparent problems with the election and so the result stood.
It was now Tomasso who set out for Piedmont to take command of Venice's small army there, and Erizzo became the head of the Collegio which was to govern in the Doge's absence. He immediately turned to raising revenues for the Republic which was struggling to pay even its small army.
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As a Doge Tomasso proved to be cunning rather than brave. He did not follow his predecessor's doomed attempts of confronting the French head on, and instead paid money to those in France who could cause enough trouble for his enemies. Two revolts in the south of France occupied the French army for the better part of 1406 and prevented the looming assault on Savoy.
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In late 1406 the French begun to incorporate Provence into their realm without waiting for a peace treaty with Naples. Both Tomasso and Erizzo hoped that this would bring about the end of the war, but unfortunately it was not to be. The Republic's old "friend," Carlo Zeno, decided to do another "service" to Venice and invaded Cyprus in late 1406 from his base in Epirus.
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Of course Venice's authority was shaky even in Epirus, and it was nonexistent in the newly conquered Cyprus, but the incident infuriated the French and any hope of peace was lost. In fact the war would drag on until 1409 with limited action on both sides. Two small attempts by the French vassals to penetrate Italy were repulsed, and the Italians were smarter than to try to invade France proper, especially after the two thousand knight mercenaries had to be let go in 1408 due to lack of money. Naples finally negotiated a peace agreement in 1409, although Carlo Zeno did not live to see it - he fell victim to a very well paid assassin earlier the same year.
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Tomasso returned to Venice to find the city transformed. In his absence Erizzo had set up a council of prominent merchants to promote trade, had signed trade agreements with two dozen German states, and even with Aragon and England. The port was busier than it had been at any time in the last two decades, and the Collegio was transformed and now included new, more capable members.
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By 1410 Tomasso and Erizzo had a falling out. Tomasso wished to rule as Doge, while Erizzo had gotten used to being the unquestioned lord of the Republic. Their relationship strained, but neither one dared move against the other. Tomasso needed Erizzo's trading expertise, while Erizzo knew that if he stepped out of line Tomasso could drive him out of the city. In this peculiar manner Venice finished the year 1410, becoming in the process the sixth richest country and the largest trading port in the known world.
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But Tomasso had not forgotten his old tricks, and wishing to find a way to grab command of the Republic he called on some of the same people again...
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