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''Capo dei capi'' (; "boss of hebosses") or ''capo di tutti i capi'' (; "boss of all hebosses") or ''Godfather'' ( it, Padrino) are terms used mainly by the media, public, fiction writers and law enforcement community to indicate a supremely powerful
crime boss A crime boss, also known as a crime lord, Don, gang lord, gang boss, mob boss, kingpin, godfather, crime mentor or criminal mastermind, is a person in charge of a criminal organization. Description A crime boss typically has absolute or nearl ...
in the Sicilian or
American Mafia The American Mafia, commonly referred to in North America as the Italian American Mafia, the Mafia, or the Mob, is a highly organized Italian American criminal society and organized crime group. The organization is often referred to by its mem ...
who holds great influence over the whole organization. The term was introduced to the U.S. public by the Kefauver Commission in 1950.De Stefano, ''An Offer We Can't Refuse'', p. 41


American Mafia

The title was applied by mobsters to
Giuseppe Morello Giuseppe "the Clutch Hand" Morello (; May 2, 1867 – August 15, 1930), also known as "The Old Fox", was the first boss of the Morello crime family and later top adviser to Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria. He was known as ''Piddu'' ( Sicilian ...
around 1900, according to
Nick Gentile Nicola Gentile (; June 12, 1885 – November 6, 1966), also known as Nick Gentile, was a Sicilian mafioso and an organized crime figure in New York City during the 1920s and 1930s. He was also known for publishing his memoirs which, violating the ...
.Critchley, ''The Origin of Organized Crime in America: The New York City Mafia, 1891-1931'', p.46 Bosses
Joe Masseria Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria (; January 17, 1886April 15, 1931) was an early Italian-American Mafia boss in New York City. He was boss of what is now called the Genovese crime family, one of the New York City Mafia's Five Families, from 1922 ...
(1928–1931) and
Salvatore Maranzano Salvatore Maranzano (; July 31, 1886 – September 10, 1931) was an Italian-American mobster from the town of Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, and an early Cosa Nostra boss who led what later would become the Bonanno crime family in New York City. ...
(1931) used the title as part of their efforts to centralize control of the Mafia under themselves. When Maranzano won the
Castellammarese War The Castellammarese War () was a bloody power struggle for control of the Italian-American Mafia that took place in New York City, New York, from February 1930 until April 15, 1931, between partisans of Joe "The Boss" Masseria and those of Salv ...
, he set himself up as ''boss of all bosses'', created the
Five Families The Five Families refers to five major New York City organized crime families of the Italian American Mafia formed in 1931 by Salvatore Maranzano following his victory in the Castellammarese War. Maranzano reorganized the Italian American gang ...
and ordered every Mafia family to pay him tribute. This provoked a rebellious reaction which led to his being murdered in September 1931, on the orders of
Lucky Luciano Charles "Lucky" Luciano (, ; born Salvatore Lucania ; November 24, 1897 – January 26, 1962) was an Italian-born gangster who operated mainly in the United States. Luciano started his criminal career in the Five Points gang and was instrumenta ...
."Lucky Luciano: Criminal Mastermind"
''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, t ...
''. December 7, 1998.
Although there would have been few objections had Luciano declared himself ''capo di tutti i capi'', he abolished the title, believing the position created trouble between the families and would have made him a target for another ambitious challenger. Instead, Luciano established the Commission to lead the Mafia, with a goal of quietly maintaining his own power over all the families, while preventing future
gang A gang is a group or society of associates, friends or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collective ...
wars; the bosses approved the idea of the Commission. Capeci, Jerry. ''The complete idiot's guide to the Mafia'
"The Mafia's Commission" (pp. 31–46)
/ref> The Commission would consist of a "
board of directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...
" to oversee all Mafia activities in the United States and serve to mediate conflicts between families. The Commission consisted of the bosses of the Five Families in New York City, the Buffalo crime family and the
Chicago Outfit The Chicago Outfit (also known as the Outfit, the Chicago Mafia, the Chicago Mob, the Chicago crime family, the South Side Gang or The Organization) is an Italian-American organized crime syndicate or crime family based in Chicago, Illinois, th ...
.Critchley, ''The Origin of Organized Crime in America: The New York City Mafia, 1891-1931'', p. 232 Since then, while media sources have often sought to award the title of "boss of all bosses" to the most powerful boss, the Mafia has not itself recognized the position to exist. Among other bosses media sources have presumed to hold the title include Luciano himself,
Frank Costello Frank Costello (; born Francesco Castiglia; ; January 26, 1891 – February 18, 1973) was an Italian-American crime boss of the Luciano crime family. In 1957, Costello survived an assassination attempt ordered by Vito Genovese and carried out by ...
and
Vito Genovese Vito Genovese (; November 21, 1897 – February 14, 1969) was an Italian-born American mobster who mainly operated in the United States. Genovese rose to power during Prohibition in the United States, Prohibition as an enforcer in the American Ma ...
. Some have claimed the title of the head of the
Gambino crime family The Gambino crime family (pronounced ) is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Ame ...
, as purportedly the most powerful of the Five Families, which have included
Carlo Gambino Carlo Gambino (; August 24, 1902 – October 15, 1976) was an Italian-American crime boss of the Gambino crime family. After the Apalachin Meeting in 1957, and the imprisonment of Vito Genovese in 1959, Gambino took over the Commission of ...
and his successors
Paul Castellano Constantino Paul Castellano (; June 26, 1915 – December 16, 1985), was an American crime boss who succeeded Carlo Gambino as head of the Gambino crime family. Castellano was killed in an unsanctioned hit on December 16, 1985. Early life Cas ...
, and
John Gotti John Joseph Gotti Jr.Capeci, Mustain (1996), pp. 25–26 (, ; October 27, 1940 – June 10, 2002) was an American gangster and boss of the Gambino crime family in New York City. He ordered and helped to orchestrate the murder of Gambino boss ...
.
Raab Raab is a market town (''Marktgemeinde'') in the district of Schärding in Upper Austria in Austria. History The village historically belonged to the Duchy of Bavaria until the Treaty of Teschen transferred the area to Austria in 1780. During t ...
, ''Five Families'', p. 201.
The term has since fallen out of use in the media but remains popular in fictional accounts. Bonanno family boss
Joseph Massino Joseph Charles Massino (born January 10, 1943) is an American former mobster. He was a member of the Mafia and boss of the Bonanno crime family from 1991 until 2004, when he became the first boss of one of the Five Families in New York City to tu ...
was recognized by four of the five families as chairman of the Commission from 2000 to 2004;Corliss, Richard & Crittle, Simon (March 29, 2004)
"The Last Don"
''Time''. Retrieved June 21, 2008.
during this time he was the only full-fledged boss in New York not in prison.


Sicilian Mafia

In the
Sicilian Mafia The Sicilian Mafia, also simply known as the Mafia and frequently referred to as Cosa nostra (, ; "our thing") by its members, is an Italian Mafia-terrorist-type organized crime syndicate and criminal society originating in the region of Sicily ...
the position does not exist. For instance, the old-style Mafia boss
Calogero Vizzini Calogero "Don Calò" Vizzini (; 24 July 1877 – 10 July 1954) was a Sicilian Mafia boss of Villalba, Sicily, Villalba in the Province of Caltanissetta, Sicily. Vizzini was considered to be one of the most influential and legendary Mafia bosses ...
was often portrayed in the media as the "boss of bosses" – although such a position does not exist according to later Mafia ''
pentiti ''Pentito'' (; lit. "repentant"; plural: ''pentiti'') is used colloquially to designate collaborators of justice in Italian criminal procedure terminology who were formerly part of criminal organizations and decided to collaborate with a public ...
'', such as
Tommaso Buscetta Tommaso Buscetta (; 13 July 1928 – 2 April 2000) was an Italian mobster and a member of the Sicilian Mafia. He became one of the first of its members to turn informant and explain the inner workings of the organization. Buscetta participated i ...
. They also denied Vizzini ever was the ruling boss of the Mafia in Sicily. According to Mafia historian Salvatore Lupo "the emphasis of the media on the definition of 'capo dei capi' is without any foundation".Zu Binnu? Non è il superboss
, Intervista a Salvatore Lupo di Marco Nebiolo, Narcomafie, April 2006
Nevertheless, the title has frequently been given to powerful Mafia bosses to this day. During the 1980s and 1990s the bosses of the
Corleonesi The Corleonesi Mafia clan was a faction within the Corleone family of the Sicilian Mafia, formed in the 1970s. Notable leaders included Luciano Leggio, Salvatore Riina, Bernardo Provenzano, and Leoluca Bagarella. Corleonesi affiliates were no ...
clan
Salvatore Riina Salvatore Riina (; 16 November 1930 – 17 November 2017), called (, Totò being the diminutive of Salvatore), was an Italian mobster and chief of the Sicilian Mafia, known for a ruthless murder campaign that reached a peak in the early 1990s ...
and Bernardo Provenzano were bestowed with the title by the media. In April 2006, the Italian government arrested Bernardo Provenzano in a small farmhouse near the town of
Corleone Corleone (; scn, Cunigghiuni or ) is an Italian town and ''comune'' of roughly 11,158 inhabitants in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, in Sicily. Several Mafia bosses have come from Corleone, including Tommy Gagliano, Gaetano Reina, Jack Dragn ...
. His successor is reported to be either
Matteo Messina Denaro Matteo Messina Denaro (; born 26 April 1962), also known as ''Diabolik'', is a Sicilian Mafia boss. He got his nickname from the Italian comic book character of the same name. He is considered to be one of the new leaders of Cosa Nostra after t ...
or Salvatore Lo Piccolo. This presupposes that Provenzano has the power to nominate a successor, which is not unanimously accepted among Mafia observers. "The Mafia today is more of a federation and less of an authoritarian state", according to anti-Mafia prosecutor Antonio Ingroia of the of Palermo, referring to the previous period of authoritarian rule under
Salvatore Riina Salvatore Riina (; 16 November 1930 – 17 November 2017), called (, Totò being the diminutive of Salvatore), was an Italian mobster and chief of the Sicilian Mafia, known for a ruthless murder campaign that reached a peak in the early 1990s ...
.The Mafia after Provenzano - peace or all-out war?
Reuters, April 12, 2006.
Provenzano "established a kind of directorate of about four to seven people who met very infrequently, only when necessary, when there were strategic decisions to make". According to Ingroia "in an organization like the Mafia, a boss has to be one step above the others otherwise it all falls apart. It all depends on if he can manage consensus and if the others agree or rebel." Provenzano "guaranteed a measure of stability because he had the authority to quash internal disputes". In Italy, a fictional six-part television miniseries called ''
Il Capo dei Capi ''Il Capo dei Capi'' (''The Boss of the Bosses'') is a six-part Italian miniseries which debuted on Canale 5 between October and November 2007. It tells the story of Salvatore Riina, alias ''Totò u Curtu'' (Totò the Short), a Sicilian mafia, ...
'' relates the story of Salvatore Riina."A Mafia saga keeps Italians tuned in"
''The New York Times''. November 18, 2007.


'Ndrangheta

In the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organisation in Calabria, the
capocrimine A capocrimine is the elected boss of the '' crimine'', an annual meeting of the 'Ndrangheta ''locali'' near the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi in the municipality of San Luca during the September Feast.Paoli, ''Mafia Brotherhoods'', p. 59 At leas ...
is the elected boss of the ''
crimine The crimine is an annual meeting of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organisation in Calabria. The meeting is held near the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi in the municipality of San Luca during the September Feast.Paoli, ''Mafia Brotherhoods'', p. 59 ...
'', an annual meeting of the 'Ndrangheta '' locali'' near the
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi, also known as the Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Polsi or Our Lady of the Mountain, is a Christian sanctuary in the heart of the Aspromonte mountains, near San Luca in Calabria, southern Italy. It was founded by Rog ...
in the municipality of
San Luca San Luca is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about southwest of Catanzaro and about east of Reggio Calabria. The town is situated on the eastern slopes of the Aspromonte moun ...
during the September Feast.Paoli, ''Mafia Brotherhoods'', p. 59 Far from being the "boss of bosses", the ''capo crimine'' actually has comparatively little authority to interfere in family feuds or to control the level of interfamily violence.How Mafias Migrate: The Case of the 'Ndrangheta in Northern Italy
, by Federico Varese, Law & Society Review, June 2006


See also

* ''
The Godfather ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 The Godfather (novel), novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al ...
'', film series about the subject


References


Further reading

* Arlacchi, Pino (1994). ''Addio Cosa nostra: La vita di Tommaso Buscetta'', Milan: Rizzoli, *Critchley, David (2009). ''The Origin of Organized Crime in America: The New York City Mafia, 1891-1931'', New York: Routledge, *De Stefano, George, (2007).
An Offer We Can't Refuse: The Mafia in the Mind of America
', New York: Faber and Faber, *Paoli, Letizia (2003).
Mafia Brotherhoods: Organized Crime, Italian Style
', New York: Oxford University Press * Raab, Selwyn (2005). ''Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires'', New York: Thomas Dunne Books,


External links


"The Boss of All Bosses"
''Time''. 2010. {{Mafia American Mafia Sicilian Mafia Organized crime terminology Organized crime members by role Italian words and phrases Italian language in the United States