Albertino Morosini
He served in high offices in the Venetian Republic, including as bailo in Acre and Duke of Crete, where he confronted the Revolt of Alexios Kallergis.
[1][2] The agreement restored the Venetian community and privileges in Tyre that had been abolished in 1257 as a result of the War of Saint Sabas,[3] and was, in part at least, also directed against the ambitious Charles I of Anjou, who in the same year had acquired the title of King of Jerusalem and sought to extend his influence of the Christian states of the Levant.
The endeavour failed due to bad weather, and the Pisans moved towards the French coast, before turning back east and making for their home port.
In the ensuing battle, the Genoese received reinforcements of further 30 vessels, securing a crushing victory: 10,000 prisoners were taken, including a wounded Morosini.
Morosini remained in debt, so the family jewels pledged were sold by the creditors; but since the Florentines still did not recover the full amount, in 1291 they personally visited him in his Venetian palace, who simply threw them out amid threats.
[5] Morosini's sister Tommasina had married in second marriage Stephen, the posthumous son of King Andrew II of Hungary (r. 1205–1235), who lived in exile in Italy.
[6][7] Among other affairs, Morosini ensured Andrew's rights to the inheritance of Stephen's first wife, Isabella Traversari, daughter of a powerful Ravennate family.
[1] Upon the invitation of some Hungarian lords, Andrew, adopting the title of Duke of Slavonia, acted as a pretender to the throne against Ladislaus IV of Hungary (r. 1272–1290) in 1278 and 1286–1287.
[6] During Andrew's first attempt in 1278, Morosini came to Hungary for the first time to visit his nephew in the company of a certain Gyarmanus, a local Slavonian lord, who guided him back to his homeland.
In June 1286, while engaged in the Venetian legation trying to re-open the trade routes, Morosini traveled to Duino to make a marriage proposal between Andrew and Clara, the daughter of Albert I of Gorizia (r. 1258–1304).
[1] Based on the narration of the near-contemporary Steirische Reimchronik, it is possible that Albertino Morosini, representing his nephew, took part in the negotiations in the summer of 1291, which ended the Austrian–Hungarian war in that year.
The delegation, equipped with gifts, set sail on twenty-four horses, and each of the high-ranking ambassadors took four servants with them, alongside chefs, stewards and notaries.
[13] Albertino Morosini served as captain of Istria and podestà of Capo d'Istria or Justinopolis (present-day Koper, Slovenia) in 1296.
[17] The monarch reconciled with the rebellious Babonići and appointed their head Stephen as Ban of Slavonia in order to weaken the supporters of the rival claimant Capetian House of Anjou upon the advice and consent of Morisini in 1299.
[18] Andrew's death in 1301, and the subsequent interregnum and civil war over the Hungarian crown rendered Morosini's influence and rights more theoretical than real, although he took care to have them confirmed by papal legate Niccolò Boccasini (the future Pope Benedict XI) and even repeated them in his testament.
[19] Despite his alleged status as de facto heir per the aforementioned 1299 decision, Albertino Morosini did not take a step in the direction of announcing his claim to the Hungarian throne.
[1] According to his last testament, he decreed that the tombstone to be erected should depict the holy Hungarian royalties, Stephen I, Emeric, Ladislaus I and Elizabeth.
