Silvestro Gallante, Marquis of Liguria (14 June 1696-22 September 1772) was a Genoese aristocrat and diplomat who served as the Ambassador to the Maratha Confederacy from 1723 to 1761.
Biography[]
Silvestro Gallante, Marchese di Liguria was born on 14 June 1696 in Genoa, Republic of Genoa (present-day Italy). Gallante's family inherited the title from the Spanish Empire and retained the title after Genoa became its own independent country. Gallante was trained in speaking not only his native Italian, but also English, French, German, and Spanish. Gallante was unassigned to any embassy until he turned 27, when he was sent to the Maratha Confederacy in present-day India, far away from Italy. Gallante lived in an embassy in the former Portuguese colony of Goa, which had a sizeable European population. Gallante negotiated a trade agreement with the Marathas in 1723, and both the Genoese and Marathas became rich off their deal. Gallante retired in 1761 and died in Genoa in late 1772.