History Walks in Venice

Discover Venice with a professional historian

Tag: Head of state

The Venetian State

The Doge

The interior of the Sala Maggior Consiglio - painting by Joseph Heintz the Younger — The interior of the Sala Maggior Consiglio - painting by Joseph Heintz the Younger ca. 1648-50

The doge was the elected head of the Venetian Republic. He was elected for life by an arcane process that also included drawing lots.

Tags Doge, Elections, Head of state

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The Doge
The doge was the elected head of the Venetian Republic. He was elected for life by an arcane process that also included drawing lots.
Why did Venice become a republic?
Venice was a republic from the beginning, but in a time when hereditary power was the norm, why did Venice become a republic and not a monarchy?
Streets in Venice
Streets in Venice have different names from in the rest of Italy, because Venice wasn't a part of Italy for most of its history.