Fluir nº1 - Renascimentos - 2018
Figure 3 - Procession in piazza San
Marco by Gentile Bellini c. 1496 (Gallerie
dell'Accademia, Public Domain.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.p
hp?curid=60483961)
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tried to make their position hereditary.
No stratagem was left untried; from appointing a son as
“Vice-Doge”, to enlisting “popular” revolutions or
conspiring with foreign invaders. Everywhere else in
Europe the dynastic tendency was triumphant even if
some republican forms were occasionally retained as in,
for example, Florence and its Medici family. In Venice a
ruling dynasty altogether avoided. But it was not easy;
there were many civil disturbances such as in 976 when
a “spontaneous” Arengo set fire to the Ducal palace
and killed the would-be dynastic Doge and his infant
heir as they tried to escape. The first S. Marco church
was also burnt to the ground in this incident, destroying
the body of St Mark, the patron saint of Venice.
In 1172, following the killing of one more Doge (this
time the dispute was over a failed military strategy) the
Arengo was persuaded to make the election of the
Doge indirect; henceforth it would elect eleven electors
who in turn would elect Doge. Why was this believed to
promote stability? Because the electors were prominent
individuals trusted by the populace for their wisdom
and benevolence, often wealthier citizens. They were
more knowledgeable in the identification of the right
profile for the Dogeship.
The principles of indirect election and the existence of
a council of “wise men” led to the establishment of the
Great Council. Its membership may initially have been
based on some sort of elected councilors, but over time
it became hereditary and comprised representatives of
the wealthiest families in Venice. The Arengo remained
theoretically sovereign but gradually fell into disuse; the
Great Council became the beating heart of the
Venetian Republic, choosing all important government
officials from the Doge downwards.
In 1297 Doge Pietro Gardenigo expanded membership
of the Great Council to 1100 members; in addition to
the wealthy families, impoverished descendants of
formerly wealthy families were also represented. The
Great Council became around 1% of the population of
Venice; for comparison, the modern US House of
Representatives comprises 0.0002% of the population.
During the expansion, entry was made relatively easy;
anybody who claimed they stood for an unrepresented
group could become a member without too many
questions, diffusing potential class and factional
conflicts. After that however, entrance to the Great
Council was gradually restricted. In 1323 the famous
serrata, or closure, of the Great Council occurred.
Henceforth only male descendants of members were
allowed, with very few exceptions. And so the Great
Council ended up as a hereditary elite, albeit a relatively
numerous one based on ancestry, not wealth.
Participation in the activities of the Great Council was
mandatory. It was too large for decision making; its
continuous activity was selecting members of
government committees. These committees included
the collegio (cabinet of ministers), Pregadi (120-
member senate to vote on legislation), the Council of
10 (supervision of all government activities) and so on.
The committees were the executive government of
Venice. Most committee positions had short terms of
office, typically of one year. In contrast, the executive
powers of the Doge, a lifetime position, were
increasingly restricted until he became a largely
ceremonial figure. To prevent the creation of factions
and corruption, the selection procedures for
government positions became famously complex.