43 Facts About Angelo Emo

Angelo Emo was a Venetian noble, administrator, and admiral.

Angelo Emo is notable for his reforms of the Venetian navy and his naval campaigns, being regarded as the last great admiral of the Venetian Republic.

The scion of a distinguished family, Emo received an excellent education, and began his naval career as a cadet in 1752.

Angelo Emo was quickly recognized for his ability and given his first command of a ship of the line two years later.

Angelo Emo's body was returned to Venice, where he received a hero's funeral, and a funerary monument by the sculptor Antonio Canova was commissioned in his honour.

Angelo Emo was born at the Palazzo Emo, in the parish of San Simeone Piccolo, which formerly had belonged to the Diedo family.

Angelo Emo hailed from a distinguished aristocratic family, which claimed to have been resident in Venice since the last years of the 10th century; but with few exceptions, its members had not played a major role in Venetian politics until the 18th century.

Angelo Emo's mother was Lucia Lombardo, his father's second wife.

Angelo Emo was the third child of his father, having an older sister, Fiordaliso, and an older brother, Alvise or Luigi, from Giovanni's first marriage to Apollonia Bon; and a younger sister, Cecilia.

Angelo Emo's first cousin on his mother's side, Giacomo Nani, born in 1725, became a notable admiral a few years ahead of Emo himself.

Angelo Emo was of mediocre stature, slight build and pale complexion, and stood out for his wide forehead, thick eyebrows, and large eyes.

The beneficiary of an excellent humanistic education, the young Angelo Emo distinguished himself in philosophy, but not so much in other scholarly pursuits.

Angelo Emo was an ardent student of Venetian history, whose military achievements he sought to emulate in later life, as well as the ancient Roman historian Tacitus, who became his favourite author.

Angelo Emo then commanded the second-rate Speranza of 58 guns.

In 1758, Angelo Emo assumed command of the 74-gun first-rate San Carlo Borromeo, then the newest ship of the line of the Venetian fleet, and lead ship of its class.

Angelo Emo gave a display of the new mast's abilities while carrying the new, Francesco Grimani, to his seat at Corfu: faced with strong northeastern wind, instead of reefing or reducing his sails, Angelo Emo ordered full sails set to test and demonstrate the new masts, until Grimani ordered him to reduce sail.

Angelo Emo was given a squadron of three ships, comprising the San Carlo Borromeo, the second-rate San Vincenzo Ferrer of 58 guns, and the 28-gun frigate Costanza, all of them fairly newly built ships.

Angelo Emo realized the mistake and tried to correct course, but the heavy wind made the manoeuvre difficult.

Angelo Emo had to reduce sail, and had to go through three sets of sails as they were ripped apart by the wind.

Some of his officers panicked and suggested beaching the ship, but Angelo Emo managed to restore discipline.

Angelo Emo made contact with the shore, and with the help of the British vice-consul at Figueira arranged for Portuguese ships to tow the San Carlo to Lisbon.

In 1763 Angelo Emo finally returned to the navy, being elected to the higher command rank of and charged with anti-piracy operations in the Adriatic Sea.

The election was not smooth, however: in the first election, the post was given to Alvise da Riva instead, and only when the latter resigned after finding conditions at sea too severe, was Angelo Emo elected to replace him.

Angelo Emo sailed to Algiers with the frigate Ercole, joined by San Michele Archangele and Costanza, and threatened to bombard the city.

Angelo Emo then headed to Marseilles, where he purchased two xebecs for service with the Venetian fleet.

Angelo Emo fulfilled his instructions in exemplary fashion, providing constant updates on Russian operations and perceptive reports on Russian strategy during the war.

Angelo Emo pursued them at Kythira and recovered two captured ships.

Angelo Emo himself was swept into the sea during the manoeuvre and was rescued with difficulty by his crew.

Distraught over what he perceived as a personal failure, Angelo Emo offered to donate his private fortune to make up for the losses.

Angelo Emo entered the Venetian Senate, as well as going abroad, visiting the courts of Frederick II of Prussia and Maria Theresa of Austria.

Angelo Emo's mission was to confront the Pashalik of Tripolitania, who tried to exploit the "right of search" accorded to them by treaty on Venetian shipping beyond the agreed-upon limits.

Angelo Emo led his fleet in a demonstration of force in front of Tripoli, leading the pasha to conclude a new peace agreement with the Republic.

Angelo Emo's appointment was renewed for the year after, but in the event it was not required for him to set sail.

In 1779, as a, Angelo Emo promoted reforms such as the reduction of tax on silk, the opening of new shops at Sibenik and the transfer of the Venetian consulate in Egypt from Cairo to the port city of Alexandria.

When Venice resolved to send a permanent envoy to Saint Petersburg shortly after, Angelo Emo's name was on top of the list, but he managed to avoid the costly and unattractive appointment by pleading ill health.

In 1783, as an extraordinary commissioner, Angelo Emo led the negotiations with the Habsburg envoy Philipp von Cobenzl on freedom of navigation in Istria and Dalmatia.

Angelo Emo imported new models of ships from England and France, introduced copper sheathing of warships to improve their speed and reduce the maintenance costs, and improved the methods for the manufacture of hawsers and rigging.

Angelo Emo increased the salaries of non-noble officers, introduced a theoretical training for naval cadets, as well as a publicly funded welfare scheme for invalid and aged sailors.

Negotiations with the Bey of Tunis failed, and Angelo Emo sailed back to Malta and Sicily.

Angelo Emo too had appreciated the effect of his floating batteries, and had built more of them, with still heavier mortars; in nightly operations they were led up to the sea walls, and bombarded the city's interior with such devastating effect that the inhabitants of Sfax pleaded with the Bey to resume negotiations, to little effect.

Angelo Emo's recall was likely connected to the imminent outbreak of another war between Russia and the Ottomans.

Until 1791, Angelo Emo spent his time in anti-piracy cruises off the western coasts of Greece, with the exception of a foray into the Aegean in 1790 that brought him to Paros.

In late 1790, the Senate named Angelo Emo, but did not entrust him with leading the fleet against the Tunisian coast.