appointed rector at Zara, where he remained until late 1418. Upon completion of his term there, he was again selected as Avogador de Comùn. In September 1419, he was elected as one of the committee of five wise men (Savi di Terraferma) charged with overseeing the final phase of the Venetian conquest of Dalmatia and Friuli. As Sigismund was preoccupied with dealing with the Hussite Rebellion, the Venetians moved in to secure their claims on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Loredan was again named captain of the Gulf on 8 February 1420, and set sail from Venice on 12 May. By the end of June, he had secured the surrender of Trogir and Split, and between September and October he brought the islands of Brač, Korčula, and Hvar under Venetian control. In February 1421, he was sent to the Levant to counter the Genoese Giovanni Ambrogio Spinola, who was raiding Venetian commercial shipping in the area. On is return in summer, he was sent to Friuli as its luogotenente ("Lieutenant", i.e., governor). His selection for the post was probably influenced by the fact that the area had been conquered by his nephew, Francesco Loredan, the previous year. In 1422, he served again as captain of the muda of Flanders, and was appointed again as ducal councillor. On 3 November, he was present at the registration of his son, Francesco, in the Golden Book, the book containing the names of the nobles eligible for public office. Contender for the Dogate, 1423 On 4 April 1423, the Doge Tommaso Mocenigo died at a critical juncture: the next Doge would have to make decisions affecting the course of the Republic, particularly regarding the continued expansion in the Terraferma or a reaffirmation of the traditional maritime policy. A successful commander, well educated and a capable orator, Loredan had all the prerequisites necessary for the position, but in the end it was his old rival, Francesco Foscari, who was elected. The two men were fierce rivals, their political differences reinforced by personal relationships. Thus two of Loredan's daughters, Maria and Marina, were married to Francesco Barbaro and Ermolao Donà respectively, both of them opponents of Foscari. Furthermore, when Foscari proposed a marriage between his own daughter and one of Loredan's sons, it was rejected. Military and political career, 1424–1438 Despite this setback, on 12 January 1424, Loredan was again elected as captain-general of