Origins
The University of Padua, founded in 1222, came under the jurisdiction of Venice when Padua was annexed to the Venetian Republic in 1405. Administration of the university, previously exercised by the nationes , relatively autonomous groups of students organized according to national origins, fell increasingly to the rettore , a Venetian nobleman nominated by the government to administer the city of Padua as a part of the mainland territories of the Republic. [1]
Classes were suspended in 1509 and the teachers and students dispersed as a result of the War of the League of Cambrai when Padua was briefly conquered by the troops of the Holy Roman Empire before being retaken by Venice. On 21 February 1517 (Venetian year 1516), the Venetian Senate tasked the Full College, the executive organ of the Republic, with reopening the University of Padua. This involved repairing physical damage to the buildings, hiring new professors, and organizing courses. For this purpose, three nobles were chosen with the title of riformatori dello studio di Padova. Successive legislation on 22 September and 17 October 1528 established the riformatori as a permanent committee of the Senate, responsible for education matters. [1]
Election
From 1517 until 1527, the nomination of the riformatori was delegated to the Consulta dei Savi del Collegio, composed of the Savi Grandi, the Savi di Terraferma, and the Savi agli Ordini. When the office was made permanent in 1528, the riformatori were designated as a magistratura senatoriale (senatorial magistracy), a standing subcommittee of the Senate. They were henceforth elected by the Senate from among its own members. [2]
In 1553, a deliberation of the Senate divided the senatorial magistracies between aperte (open) and serrate (closed); members of the latter could not be elected to an alternative office prior to the completion of their term. The objective was to ensure that magistrates dealing with more complex or critical matters had sufficient time to gain practical experience. [3] Although the riformatori dello studio di Padova were initially designated as a closed magistracy, beginning in 1625 they were no longer required to serve the entire term of office if they were elected to an alternative closed magistracy. Laws in 1648 and 1674 designated the riformatori as sopranumerari (supernumerary), allowing the office to be held simultaneously with a closed magistracy. [4] Ultimately, the law of 22 April 1731 established the riformatori as a magistratura privilegiata (privileged magistracy): the office was compatible with any other magistracy and could be held together with one closed magistracy and, at the same time, with one or more open or supernumerary magistracies. [5]
Functions
The role of the riformatori was progressively expanded beyond the original task of reopening the university, up to and including the right to preside over the university, effectively replacing the Venetian rector of Padua in his supervisory functions. The riformatori determined the number of official chairs for professors and of lectureships for teachers, hired professors and lectors, and fixed salaries. They determined teaching methods, authorized texts for readings, established the hours of classes, and prevented university professors from teaching privately. [6] Although they were initially advised by the consiliarii, elected by the nationes of students, all decisions regarding the faculty and the curriculum were assigned directly to the riformatori in 1560 when the elected offices within the university were abolished.
With the exception of religious seminaries and the military college of Verona, all private and public schools within the territory of the Republic of Venice came under their jurisdiction, as did all scientific, literary, and artistic academies. [6] [7] They were additionally responsible for censorship which involved reviewing and authorizing all books for publication and preventing the importation of forbidden works. [6]
In 1544 the riformatori were also charged with overseeing the Public Library of Saint Mark in Venice. [8] The election of the librarian was delegated by the Senate to the riformatori in 1558, but in 1626 the responsibility was attributed once again to the whole Senate. [9] With regard to the official state historian, the riformatori were required to review his progress every two years and present their findings to the three chiefs of the Council of Ten who were ultimately responsible for determining the suitability of the writings. [10]
The Marciana Library or Library of Saint Mark is a public library in Venice, Italy. It is one of the earliest surviving public libraries and repositories for manuscripts in Italy and holds one of the world's most significant collections of classical texts. It is named after St Mark, the patron saint of the city.
The Domini di Terraferma was the hinterland territories of the Republic of Venice beyond the Adriatic coast in Northeast Italy. They were one of the three subdivisions of the Republic's possessions, the other two being the original Dogado (Duchy) and the Stato da Màr.
The office of Procurator of Saint Mark was one of the few lifetime appointments in the government of the Venetian Republic and was considered second only to that of the doge in prestige. It was routinely occupied by nobles belonging to the most influential families and typically represented the climax of a distinguished political career, although it was often an intermediate position prior to election as doge.
The Senate, formally the Consiglio dei Pregadi or Rogati, was the main deliberative and legislative body of the Republic of Venice.
The Avogadori de Comùn, literally "public prosecutors", were an institution of the Republic of Venice. 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, in a manner similar to that of a modern State Attorney.
The Minor Council or Ducal Council was one of the main constitutional bodies of the Republic of Venice, and served both as advisors and partners to the Doge of Venice, sharing and limiting his authority.
The Zecca is a sixteenth-century building in Venice, Italy which once housed the mint of the Republic of Venice. Built between 1536 and 1548, the heavily rusticated stone structure, originally with only two floors, was designed by Jacopo Sansovino in place of an earlier mint specifically to ensure safety from fire and to provide adequate security for the silver and gold deposits. Giorgio Vasari considered it the finest, richest, and strongest of Sansovino's buildings.
Giovanni Antonio Moschini or Giannantonio Moschini was an Italian author and Roman Catholic Somascan priest. He was an art critic who wrote mainly about art and architecture in Venice and the Veneto.
Gaetano Cozzi was an Italian historian, professor at Padua University, and researcher with the Giorgio Cini Foundation and Fondazione Benetton Studi e Ricerche. He was a specialist in Venetian history, with special attention to the institutions, the relationship between law and society and the cultural environment.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Padua in the Veneto region of Italy.
The Savii or Savi del Consiglio dei Pregadi, also known as the Savi[i] Grandi, were senior magistrates of the Republic of Venice.
The Savii or Savi di Terraferma was a board of five senior magistrates of the Republic of Venice, initially charged with the defence of the Republic's possessions in the Italian mainland. Gradually they assumed specific roles pertaining to the supervision of public finances, the military administration, state ceremonies, and urgent ad hoc matters.
The Full College was the main executive body of the Republic of Venice, overseeing day-to-day governance and preparing the agenda for the Venetian Senate.
The Magistrato alla Sanità was the office of the Republic of Venice definitively instituted in 1490 to manage public health in the city of Venice and its territories, with specific attention on preventing the spread of epidemics within the maritime republic. The magistracy was among the first health authorities in Europe to institute public inoculation projects to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
The Savi[i] agli Ordini or Savi ai Ordini were senior magistrates of the Republic of Venice, charged with supervision of maritime matters, including commerce, the Venetian navy and the Republic's oversees colonies.
The Venetian Inquisition, formally the Holy Office, was the tribunal established jointly by the Venetian government and the Roman Catholic Church to repress heresy throughout the Republic of Venice. The inquisition also intervened in cases of sacrilege, apostasy, prohibited books, superstition, and witchcraft. It was established in the 16th-century and was abolished in 1797.
This is an alphabetical index of people, places, things, and concepts related to or originating from the Republic of Venice. Feel free to add more, and create missing pages.
In the judicial system of the Republic of Venice, that of the Esecutori contro la bestemmia was a magistracy, with competence in the city of Venice on crimes against religion and morality.
The Magistrato alle Pompe was a government department of the Republic of Venice responsible for upholding the Republic's sumptuary laws.
The Camerlenghi di Comun were senior fiscal officials of the Republic of Venice.
