The ''governatore dei condannati'' ("commander of the convicts") was a senior commander of the

navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

of the

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, ...

. The post initially headed the

galley A galley is a type of ship that is propelled mainly by oars. The galley is characterized by its long, slender hull, shallow draft, and low freeboard (clearance between sea and gunwale). Virtually all types of galleys had sails that could be used ...

squadron manned by convicts and captives rather than free crewmen. Convicts (''condannati'') and Muslim captives began to be employed as rowers in the Venetian navy , when the first institutions to administer them are also attested. The post of ''governatore dei condannati'' was also created at this time. The use of convicts to row the galleys increased over time, except for the flagships and the

galeass Galleasses were military ships developed from large merchant galleys, and intended to combine galley speed with the sea-worthiness and artillery of a galleon. While perhaps never quite matching up to their full expectations, galleasses neverthe ...

es. Finally, as the number of galleys in the Venetian fleet diminished in favour of sailing

ships of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which depended on the two colum ...

, after 1721 all Venetian galleys were exclusively manned by convicts. Like all squadron commanders of the rowed fleet (''armata sottile'')—the '' Provveditore d'Armata'', the ''

Capitano delle galeazze Il Capitano (, Italian for "The Captain") is one of the four stock characters of ''Commedia dell'arte.'' He most likely was never a "Captain" but rather appropriated the name for himself. He is often a braggart and a swaggerer who can mainta ...

'', and the '' Capitano in Golfo''—he hoisted his ensign on a bastard galley, with striped red-and-white sails and tents. As his distinctive signs, the flagship of the ''governatore dei condannati'' carried a single lantern and the

standard of Saint Mark The Flag of the Republic of Venice, commonly known as the Banner or Standard of Saint Mark (''stendardo di San Marco''), was the symbol of the Republic of Venice, until its dissolution in 1797. Its main charge was the Lion of Saint Mark, symboli ...

on a plain-topped staff aft, and on the

foremast The mast of a Sailing ship, sailing vessel is a tall spar (sailing), spar, or arrangement of spars, erected more or less vertically on the centre-line of a ship or boat. Its purposes include carrying sails, spars, and derricks, and giving necessa ...

a square ensign of Saint Mark with an egg-shaped tail. His staff included a chancellor (''cancelliere'') or a secretary nominated by the

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 i ...

, an adjutant (''ammiraglio''), a quartermaster (''sopramasser''), and a standard-bearer. For his personal service he had a head of household (''maestro di casa''), a steward (''scalco''), a cook (''cuoco''), a wine steward (''canever''), and two orderlies (''fanti di pizzuol''). In addition he had at his disposal a boat (''felucca'') with twelve boatsmen (''caiccheri'') and a rowed

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

with a captain (''padrone''), two steersmen (''timonieri''), two artillerymen (''bombardieri'') and 18 rowers (''galeotti'').

Footnotes

References

Sources

* {{Venetian navy Military ranks of the Venetian navy 16th-century establishments in the Republic of Venice Republic of Venice admirals