Zonta (Republic of Venice)

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In the Republic of Venice, a zonta was an extraordinary group of patricians chosen to serve alongside the elected members of the governing councils of the Republic. [1] The purpose of this measure was as a constitutional safeguard against the accumulation of power by individuals, and to broaden the decision-making circles on important issues.

The term is the Venetian variant of aggiunta, 'addition'. [2] The purpose of the institution was to prevent corruption and autocratic tendencies in the governing councils such as the powerful Council of Ten, [3] but, since its members were typically chosen among patricians who had not been elected to one of these councils, it was also a "'constitutional shortcut' for those noblemen who wished to actively participate in the Venetian oligarchy but had not achieved the necessary backing". [2] Zontas existed for the Council of Ten—originally 20 men, after 1529 reduced to 15, but the number could vary; [2] the Venetian Senate, where a zonta of 60 adjuncts was added to the 60 regularly elected senators, nominated by senators whose terms were coming to a close; [4] [5] as well as extraordinary commissions of inquiry, such as the one convened to investigate the Faliero coup in 1355. [6]

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References

  1. Contarini 2020, p. xlv.
  2. 1 2 3 Iordanou 2019, p. 13.
  3. Iordanou 2019, pp. 12–13.
  4. Contarini 2020, pp. xlv, 53.
  5. Lane 1973, p. 254.
  6. Lane 1973, p. 182.

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