Francesco Foscari (1373-1457). 1874 illustration of Francesco Foscari,who was Doge of Venice,Italy,1423 to 1457. Foscari served the city of Venice in numerous official capacities,including ambassador,president of the Forty,member of the Council of Ten,inquisitor and Procuratore di San Marco,before being elected as Doge in 1423. His life was the subject of the play 'The Two Foscari' by Lord Byron (1821),which served as the basis for the libretto written by Francesco Maria Piave for Giuseppe Verdi's opera I due Foscari |