Bartolomeo Contarini was a Venetian businessman who married the widowed duchess of Athens Chiara Zorzi in 1453 and governed the duchy in the name of her infant son, Francesco I. Bartolomeo was the son of Priam, the castellan of Nauplia.
After going to Athens on business, he fell in love with Chiara and sent to have his wife in Venice murdered in order to marry the duchess.
The Athenian citizenry, however, mistrusted the two lovers' influence over the young duke and probably feared for his life.
They called upon Mehmet II, the Ottoman sultan, to intervene on behalf of the young duke Francis.
The new duke had Chiara murdered at Megara and Bartolomeo appealed to the sultan for justice.