Cattaneo della Volta, Cesare

The eldest son of Doge Giovanni Battista Cattaneo (1691-1693) and Magdalena Gentile, born in Genoa in 1680 , was baptized in the church of San Torpet, in the central district of Genoa. He received his first position in the magistrate of the poor. In the period 1710-1718 his figure does not appear in the chronicles, perhaps he was abroad, for personal reasons or, perhaps, as an envoy to a foreign court. Returning to Genoa, in 1718-1719 he was a member of the Magistrate of Oil, in 1724 - the Magistrate of Coin, in 1727 he was transferred to the post of commissar of the fortress of Savona.

His stay in Savona coincided with the beginning of new unrest and revolt in the territories of the Marquisat Finale, with the support of the Piedmontese, and in 1732 Cesare was transferred to the capital, to the magistrate trireme. On January 15, 1733 he was sent as an ambassador to Vienna , where he arrived on February 9 , but he waited for an audience until March 19 .

He spent about three years in Vienna and during this period faced with a number of problems related to the Finale and the question of the Polish war . Cesare sought to maintain Genoa neutrality and prevent deterioration in relations with the Habsburgs and France. Cesare was also a mediator between the Empire and France. On April 20, 1736, he was recalled from the post of ambassador and returned to Genoa.

In 1737, he was among the members of the Supreme Syndicatorium, and the next year he was elected for the second time as a member of the magistrate as a trireme and in 1743 - as the state inquisitor.

With the outbreak of the war for the Austrian inheritance , in 1736, unlike most aristocrats who fled the capital from the Austrian occupation, Cesare chose to stay. Initially, he was chosen, along with four other nobles, to serve as the ambassador-representative of Genoa at the court of Maria Theresa to represent the interests of the city. With the beginning of the uprising, the citizens of Cesare joined the rebels, disguised as a sailor.

During the French counterattack and siege of the city by the Austrians, Cesare served as a member of the syndicate, responsible for restoring the city fortifications.

March 6, 1748, with 260 votes out of 380, Cesare was elected the new Doge of Genoa, 159th in republican history.

Board and recent years

He was officially crowned on August 31 in the Cathedral of San Lorenzo, the ceremony was held by the Archbishop of Genoa, Giuseppe Maria Saporiti.

The end of hostilities and the signing of the Treaty in Aachen allowed the new doge to tackle the restoration of the city. In the returned territories of Finale and Corsica, the Doge sought to normalize political and social relations. He also set December 10 as the annual celebration of the anniversary of the evacuation of the Austrians from the city.

His mandate ended on March 6, 1750 , after which he continued to serve the Republic as president of the magistrate of war, the state inquisitor. Only in 1754 , due to poor health, he was forced to leave public life forever and devote himself to family business.

He died in Genoa on July 22, 1756 and was buried in the church of San Torpet. He did not leave offspring, and his nephews were the nephews of Giovanni Battista and Giacomo, the children of already dead brother Nicolo .

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