The Republic of Venice had its share of odd traditions, that they upheld for centuries.
On the day of Santa Barbara — December 4th — the Doge sitting in the Pien Collegio drew the names of thirty young noblemen of the age between twenty and twenty-five.
These thirty young men would henceforth be allowed to participate and vote in the Maggior Consiglio, where the normal age for membership was twenty-five.
The origin of this odd tradition goes back to the Serrata del Consiglio in 1297, when membership of the Maggior Consiglio became hereditary.
In 1315, they created the Golden Book, which listed all noblemen eligible for membership of the council, from their eighteenth year. They would, however, only become members of the council at twenty-five.
According to Da Mosto (1937), the tradition of the Barbarèla was introduced in 1319, when the Avogadori di Comun were given the charge of verifying each year who could sit in the council and who couldn’t.
Why let some youngsters in early, instead of just having they wait a few more years? Apparently, nobody knows.
Domenico Pizzamano, who barely survived killing one of Napoleon’s admirals, entered the Maggior Consiglio in his twentieth year, thanks to the Barbarèla.
Related articles
- Barbarèla — Dizionario
- Barbarela — Lessico Veneto
- Pien Collegio — ASV Indice
- The Consiglio Maggiore
- The Doge
- Domenico Pizzamano
Bibliography
Boerio, Giuseppe. Dizionario del dialetto veneziano. Venezia : coi tipi di Andrea Santini e figlio, 1829.
Da Mosto, Andrea. L'Archivio di Stato di Venezia : indice generale, storico, descrittivo ed analitico in Bibliothèque des Annales Institutorum, 5. Roma : Biblioteca d'arte, 1937.
Mutinelli, Fabio. Lessico veneto che contiene l'antica fraseologia volgare e forense … / compilato per agevolare la lettura della storia dell'antica Repubblica veneta e lo studio de'documenti a lei relativi. Venezia : co' tipi di Giambatista Andreola, 1851.
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