Gentile, Odorico Ottavio

The early years

The son of Nicolo Oderico, was born in Genoa in 1499 . His father, who served in various positions in the republic for many years, had connections with the courts of Spain and France, as well as with representatives of the noble families of Genoa. Most likely, it was father’s ties that paved the way for Ottavio first to the post of prosecutor, and then to the doge.

Oderico became related to the Gentile family after the reform carried out by Admiral Andrea Doria in 1528 .

Ottavio belonged to the so-called “new nobility” of Genoa, unlike the previous Doge Giovanni Battista Lercari , a representative of the “old nobility”, and was elected Doge on October 11, 1565 , the 65th in the history of Genoa. He held this position until October 11, 1567 .

Board

In a sense, the Council’s decision to elect a “politically inexperienced” Gentile, who, according to historical sources, was a doctor, was never interested in Genoese politics and did not hold leading positions, was controversial. According to other assumptions, his election - 193 out of 300 votes - was the result of a compromise between the “new nobility” led by Giovanni Andrea Doria , the heir to the great Admiral Doria and the “old nobility”: Gentile was perceived as a harmless, apolitical and malleable candidate. Similarly, in 1547, the Doge elected Benedetto Gentile , a candidate convenient for Andrea Doria , who did not prevent him from ending the leaders of the “Fieschi conspiracy” .

The doge soon had to appear before the “court of five” (the Syndicatorium, the body that evaluated the effectiveness of the doge) regarding the appointment of the former doge Giovanni Battista Lercari as a life prosecutor: the judges blocked this decision, and the doge had to put up with it. Lercari's son Giovanni Stefano hired a killer to avenge his father’s humiliation, but the killer mistakenly killed not the offender - the former Doge Luca Spinola , but his companion, also the former Doge Augustino Pinello Ardimenti . After the execution of Giovanni Stefano, the Doge Gentile tried to alleviate the situation by allowing his father to visit his son in prison and deciding to carry out the execution not in the square in front of the palace, as was established, but in the Grimaldin tower, without prying eyes.

Another highlight of Gentile’s reign was the settlement in Corsica after the uprising of Sampiero Corso . Commissioner Francesco de Fornari was sent to the island to conclude with Sampiero’s son, Alfonso de Ornano, a peace agreement that was officially formalized in 1569 by Giorgio Doria.

The election to the papal throne of Pius V in Genoa was received favorably. Genoese diplomacy began to strengthen ties with the Holy See, and along with the Venetian Republic.

Gentile also studied Gaspard Vassori's project to expand the port of Genoa. Vassori, criticizing the project of the more famous Galeazzo Alessi , proposed to build a new port from scratch, taking as a basis the old docks. However, the project was frozen, despite all the efforts of Gentile to implement it.

Recent years

After Gentile’s mandate expired on October 11, 1567 , he was appointed life prosecutor, but did not accept other government posts until his death, preferring medical practice and philosophy.

He died in Genoa in 1575 and was buried in the now defunct church of San Domenico.

Personal life

Gentile had one son, Nicolo, who became a diplomat and married on July 9, 1566 - during the reign of his father - to Virginia Giustiniani Monellier. With the birth of her only daughter, Nicolo, the direct branch of the Gentile Oderico family was cut short.

• Sergio Buonadonna, Mario Mercenaro, Rosso doge. I dogi della Repubblica di Genova dal 1339 al 1797, Genova, De Ferrari Editori, 2007.