Ludovico Manin 1726 – 1802

Biography

Ludovico Manin stepped into history as the 120th Doge of Venice in 1762, commanding the highest office of a republic that had ruled the Mediterranean for nearly a thousand years. Born into Venetian aristocracy in 1726, Manin inherited a city-state grappling with its fading maritime dominance as European powers reshaped the political landscape. His ascension marked the twilight of an institution that had survived empires and revolutions.

Manin’s 40-year reign as Doge witnessed Venice’s transformation from regional powerhouse to historical relic. He navigated treacherous diplomatic waters as the French Revolution rippled across Europe and Napoleon’s armies remade the continent’s map. When he died on October 24, 1802, at 76 from edema, his death sealed an extraordinary chapter: Manin was the last Doge of Venice, the final guardian of a republic that would soon surrender its independence entirely. Buried at Santa Maria degli Scalzi, he remains forever linked to a vanished world of Venetian grandeur.