Joseph I Habsburg (1391 - ) - The Great Duke
Joseph was never meant to be Duke of Austria. He succeeded to the throne in 1422 after Albert V died with no heir, and Joseph, being Albert's closest cousin, became the Duke. Had Albert had a son the history of Austria, and Venice, may have been very different.
Joseph was a brilliant ruler. He was brave and at the same time cunning. He administered his realm wisely and never did anything in haste. Venetian Doge Zustiniani passed away just a few months after Joseph rose to the throne in Austria, and with the new ruler of Venice, Doge Lando, being less than competent, Joseph chose to curtail the extent of Venetian power.
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The official cause of war was Joseph's desire, as Holy Roman Emperor, to return Verona to Milan. Austria's might alone may have been enough to bring Venice to its knees, but Joseph first split the Venetian alliance and convinced Savoy to defect to Austria, and then brought France into the war on the Austrian side. There was little Venice could do.
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Venetian possessions in Italy were overrun within 2 months. Verona itself held out for longer due to Joseph's desire to reach Venice, but the Venetian fleet kept the Austrian army from being able to reach the city for over a year. Eventually, however, the French fleet arrived, and, after a closely contested battle, forced the Venetian fleet out of the straits. Venice itself fell only two weeks later.
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The only good news was the death of Doge Lando during the Austrian assault on Venice. Michele Toscani was elevated to the position of Doge under Austrian supervision. The war continued for another two years in Greece as a large French force made its way down the coast while small bands of Greek and Venetian soldiers attempted resistance, but the outcome was never in doubt.
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The French and Austrians dictated a harsh peace. Venice lost its suzerainty over Byzantium, Albania, and Montenegro. The daughter of Ioannes, Zoe, was crowned Empress of Byzantium. Morea and Epirus became independent states, although here, in southern Greece, Venice retained its supervision of the newly independent principalities. The Republic was also allowed to keep its outposts in Corfu and Cyprus, but its power in Eastern Mediterranean was nowhere near what it was in the first quarter of the century.
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