Zonta (Republic Of Venice)
In the Republic of Venice, a ''zonta'' was an extraordinary group of patricians chosen to serve alongside the elected members of the governing councils of the Republic. The purpose of this measure was as a constitutional safeguard against the accumulation of power by individuals, and to broaden the decision-making circles on important issues. The term is the Venetian variant of , 'addition'. The purpose of the institution was to prevent corruption and autocratic tendencies in the governing councils such as the powerful Council of Ten, but, since its members were typically chosen among patricians who had not been elected to one of these councils, it was also a "'constitutional shortcut' for those noblemen who wished to actively participate in the Venetian oligarchy but had not achieved the necessary backing". ''Zonta''s existed for the Council of Ten—originally 20 men, after 1529 reduced to 15, but the number could vary; the Venetian Senate, where a ''zonta'' of 60 adjuncts was adde ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Republic Of Venice
The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, links=no), was a sovereign state and maritime republic in parts of present-day Italy (mainly northeastern Italy) that existed for 1100 years from AD 697 until AD 1797. Centered on the lagoon communities of the prosperous city of Venice, it incorporated numerous overseas possessions in modern Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Greece, Albania and Cyprus. The republic grew into a trading power during the Middle Ages and strengthened this position during the Renaissance. Citizens spoke the still-surviving Venetian language, although publishing in (Florentine) Italian became the norm during the Renaissance. In its early years, it prospered on the salt trade. In subsequent centuries, the city state established a thalassocracy. It d ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Venetian Nobility
The Venetian patriciate ( it, Patriziato veneziano, vec, Patrisiato venesian) was one of the three social bodies into which the society of the Republic of Venice was divided, together with citizens and foreigners. was the noble title of the members of the aristocracy ruling the city of Venice and the Republic. The title was abbreviated, in front of the name, by the initials N.H. ( or ), together with the feminine variant N.D. (). Holding the title of a Venetian patrician was a great honour and many European kings and princes, as well as foreign noble families, are known to have asked for and obtained the prestigious title. The patrician houses, formally recorded in the Golden Book, were primarily divided into Old Houses () and New Houses (), with the former being noted for traditionally electing the first Doge in 697 AD. The New Houses were no less significant, as many became very prominent and important in the history of the Republic of Venice. The families were furtherm ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Venetian Language
Venetian, wider Venetian or Venetan ( or ) is a Romance language spoken natively in the northeast of Italy,Ethnologue mostly in the Veneto region, where most of the five million inhabitants can understand it. It is sometimes spoken and often well understood outside Veneto: in Trentino, Friuli, the Julian March, Istria, and some towns of Slovenia and Dalmatia ( Croatia) by a surviving autochthonous Venetian population, and Brazil, Argentina, Australia, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Mexico by Venetians in the diaspora. Although referred to as an "Italian dialect" ( vec, diałeto, links=no, it, dialetto) even by some of its speakers, the label is primarily geographic. Venetian is a separate language from Italian, with many local varieties. Its precise place within the Romance language family remains somewhat controversial. Both Ethnologue and Glottolog group it into the Gallo-Italic branch. Devoto, Avolio and Ursini reject such classification ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Council Of Ten
The Council of Ten ( it, Consiglio dei Dieci; vec, Consejo de i Diexe), or simply the Ten, was from 1310 to 1797 one of the major governing bodies of the Republic of Venice. Elections took place annually and the Council of Ten had the power to impose punishments upon Venetian nobility, nobles. The Council of Ten had a broad jurisdictional mandate over matters of National security, state security. The Council of Ten and the Full College constituted the inner circle of oligarchical Venetian nobility, patricians who effectively ruled the Republic of Venice. Origins The Council of Ten was created in 1310 by Doge Pietro Gradenigo.David Chambers & Brian Pullan with Jennifer Fletcher (eds.). ''Venice: A Documentary History, 1450-1630'' (2001, reprinted 2004). University of Toronto Press/Renaissance Society of America. p. 55. Originally created as a temporary body to investigate the plot of Bajamonte Tiepolo and Marco Querini, the powers of the Council were made formally permanent in 145 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Venetian Senate
The Senate ( vec, Senato), formally the ''Consiglio dei Pregadi'' or ''Rogati'' (, la, Consilium Rogatorum), was the main deliberative and legislative body of the Republic of Venice. Establishment The Venetian Senate was founded in 1229, or less likely shortly before that date. Its creation was both the result of the rising predominance of the aristocratic element in the Republic, and of the necessity to govern a territory that was much more extensive than the earlier Dogado and still expanding at a rapid rate. The Senate originated as a select committee of sixty men, chosen by the Great Council, to deliberate on decrees concerning taxation, commerce, foreign policy, and military operations, instead of the far larger, and more unwieldy, Great Council. Hence, it was initially named the council of the or , while the name of 'Senate' was only applied to it in the late 14th century, under the influence of Renaissance humanism. Membership Initially it was junior to another simila ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Faliero Coup
The Faliero coup was a failed 1355 coup designed to overthrow Venice's established republican government. Strains between the Venetian commoners and the nobility, originally stemming from the catastrophic failure of the nobility in the Battle of Porto-Longo against Venice's long-time rival, Genoa, are largely considered to be the main cause for the coup. However, traditional stories also point to the marriage of Doge Marino Faliero as a possible cause for the coup. Faliero, an 81 year old man, had recently taken a young bride, who was rumored to be engaged in multiple affairs, including with Michele Steno, a Venetian statesman and future Doge. The consistent rumors and apparent intense arrogance of the established Venetian elite seems to have gotten to Faliero in this explanation for a coup. A more reasonable one, however, is that Faliero wished to transform Venice into a dictatorship, mirroring those of Genoa and other northern Italian city-states. This view is, however, disputed ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |