Zaccaria Barbaro

Zaccaria Barbaro (1422/3 – 29 November 1492) was a Venetian statesman and diplomat.

Life
Zaccaria Barbaro was born in 1422 or 1423. A member of the Barbaro family, he was the son of Francesco Barbaro, cousin of Bishop Ermolao Barbaro and father of another Ermolao Barbaro. He studied under the humanist Lorenzo Cesano. In 1449, he married Clara (Chiara), daughter of the future Doge Andrea Vendramin.

Barbaro held public office for the first time in 1443, when he was an avogador del mobile, but his career only took off some two decades later. He was elected one of the Savi di Terraferma in 1468 and again in 1469, 1473, 1474 and 1485. He was one of the Savi del Consiglio in 1478, 1480, 1482, 1484, 1485, 1488 and 1490. He sat on the Minor Council in 1481, 1484, 1486 and 1488 and on the Council of Ten in 1471, 1473–1474 and 1483–1483.

In 1459, Barbaro was the ambassador to King Alfonso V of Aragon. Around 1462, he was appointed a diplomat (oratore) to the Holy See. In 1462, he was one of the ducal electors at the election of Cristoforo Moro. In 1469, he was sent to Verona as ambassador to the Emperor Frederick III. In 1469–1470, he was the podestà and captain of Ravenna.

From September 1471 to September 1473, Barbaro was the ambassador to the Kingdom of Naples, charged with securing Neapolitan aid in Venice's war with the Ottoman Empire. He successfully negotiated the participation of 17 and 14 Neapolitan galleys in 1472 and 1473, respectively. In 1474, he was one of the electors of Pietro Mocenigo. In 1475, he was elected Avogador de Comun. In 1475–1476, he was captain of Verona. In July 1476, he was sent as ambassador to the Marquisate of Mantua to attend the marriage of Paolo, daughter of the Marquis Ludovico Gonzaga, with Count Leonhard of Gorizia. In December, he was sent to the Duchy of Milan to express the republic's condolences on the death of Duke Galeazzo Maria Sforza. In 1477, he was one of the provveditori charged with the defence of Friuli against Ottoman raids. In 1478, he was one of the electors of Giovanni Mocenigo. In 1478–1479, he was the podestà of Padua. In 1479, he was sent as ambassador to the Duchy of Ferrara. In 1480–1481, he was the ambassador to the Holy See.

In 1482, after the outbreat of the War of Ferrara, Barbaro loaned the republic 3,000 ducats for its prosecution. In 1482–1483, he served as provveditore of Brescia. In both years, he was also sent as the republic's ambassador to the condottiero Roberto Sanseverino, who was captain general of the Venetian army. In 1484, he was sent as ambassador to the papal legate Jorge da Costa at Cesena. In 1485, he was one of the electors of Marco Barbarigo and a correttore of the ducal promissio. That year, he was sent again as ambassador to Milan. In 1487, he was elected procurator de citra of San Marco, a post he still held at the time of his death.

Barbaro died in Venice on 29 November 1492.

Writings, correspondence and bibliophily
During his time in Naples, Barbaro wrote a biography of his father, dedicating it to King Ferdinand I of Naples on 15 May 1472. His diplomatic dispatches from Naples, Dispacci da Napoli, have been edited and published.

Among Barbaro's surviving correspondence are letters he wrote to his cousin Ermolao, Pier Candido Decembrio, Francesco Loschi, Lauro Quirini and Domenico de' Domenichi, as well as letters sent to him by his father, Domenico, Andrea Brenta, Francesco Filelfo and Maffeo Vallaresso.

Barbaro was a collector of Greek and Latin manuscripts.