FIESCO, or FIESCHI, ft-iss/k,'_•, GIOVANNT Lt.unt, Count of Lavagna (e, 1523-47). The head of a conspiracy against Andrea Doria. He was born about 1523, and was a member of one of the oldest and most illustrious houses of Genoa. In organizing and planning his famous plot he seems to have been actuated by motives both of patriotism and class feeling. Andrea Doria, the famous admiral, sprung from a race hereditarily at feud with the Eieschi, having ex pelled the forces of Francis T. from the State, had made himself practically dictator at Genoa, and held. the office of doge, while his nephew, Gianettino, commanded the galleys. Count Fi esco organized a plot, having for its object the death Doria and Gianettino, whom the admiral had designated as his successor in power, and the establishment of an oligarchic lorlo of govern went. lle speedily enrolled a formidable array of accomplices, his throe brother-, among the fore most, and entered into secret negotiations with prance and Rome and the Duke of Parma. in spite of repeated warnings, refused to ascribe treacherous or subversi‘e designs to Eiesco, whom he regarded as a friend 111141 pa•tiSall, mid an alliance by Marriage even arranged between the families. Complete success seemed at first
to crown the conspirators. When the attack was finally made, January 2, 1517, the gates of the city were forced, the fleet was captured, Gianet tino was assassinated, and Doria put to flight. The Count had but to appear and dictate; but he was nowhere to be found. It was finally dis covered that in stepping from one galley to the other in the darkin.ss of night, he had stumbled, and, falling overboard, was borne down by his ponderous armor and drowned in the harbor. This put an end to the conspiracy. Doria re turned in triumph, and those of the Fiesehi who were not slain were banished forever from Genoa. Schiller founded a tragedy on this dramatic event. Consult: Mascardi, Historical Relation of the Conspiracy of the Count of Fieschi, trans lated by flare ( Edinburgh, 1886) Retz, La con juration du comtc ricsque (Paris, 1SS4) ; Erea, Sana eon !lbw(' de vont(' L. Ficschi (Genoa, 1863) : Sismondi, History of the Italian. Republics ( Eng. trans., New York, 1870).