spacecowboywhit asked:
I've always wondered: How much was the Republic of Venice (7th to 18th Century) actually like a republic as we think of it today? From the little I know and learned in class, it seems more like a monachy.
Thanks.
Thanks.
Well, the Republic of Venice wasn’t in the same vein as today’s European republics or the Roman Republic, it was more along the lines of a Monarchical-democratic aristocracy, or self-titled as a “mixed republic.” I know that sounds confusing, but it’s really the best description. The Doge was very close to a monarch, in that they were the supreme power for life. The Doge, however, was elected by the aristocrats of Venice, which were composed in a senate. Republic in that the representatives, though actually just aristocrats, would elect a Doge. There was also a “Major Council” made up of 480 members from powerful families throughout Venice, given power through a near-democratic process.
