The ''Avogadori de Comùn'', (), were an institution of the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

. The ''Avogadori'' were responsible for taking care of and defend the interests of the '' Commune Veneciarum'', meaning the union of noble families in the Government of

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

, in a manner similar to that of a modern State Attorney. The ''Avogadori'' could supervise the Camerlenghi's accounts, prosecute violations of naval laws reported by crew members, investigate allegations of corruption moves with the courts' judges or negligence of the officials, be present in the Council of Forty's legal action in all identified cases in which were at stake the interests of the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

, that is, ultimately, the government of the oligarchy as a whole. Since 1400 the Doge himself could be taken to court for legal proceedings. The main task of the ''Avogadori'' was the protection of constitutional legality, watching carefully the strict compliance with the laws by councils and the various organs of the Venetian

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

and the power to suspend the unconstitutional measures. They themselves could be prosecuted for negligence in doing their jobs, being mentioned in front of the Supreme Court of the Forty.A. Zorzi ''La Repubblica del Leone'' ("The Lion's Republic"), p. 155 and 447, Bompiani Milano, 2001.

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Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Avogadoria de Comun Government of the Republic of Venice Legal history of Italy