TheCouncil of Ten (Italian:Consiglio dei Dieci;Venetian:Consejo de i Diexe), or simply theTen, was from 1310 to 1797 one of the major governing bodies of theRepublic of Venice. Elections took place annually and the Council of Ten had the power to impose punishments uponpatricians. The Council of Ten had a broad jurisdictional mandate over matters ofstate security. The Council of Ten and theFull College constituted the inner circle ofoligarchical patricians who effectively ruled the Republic of Venice.
The Council of Ten was created in 1310 by DogePietro Gradenigo.[1] Originally created as a temporary body to investigate theplot ofBajamonte Tiepolo andMarco Querini, the powers of the Council were made formally permanent in 1455.[2] The Council was composed of tenpatrician magistrates elected by theGreat Council to one-year terms.[3] Until 1582, an additionalzonta of around 15 to 20 members also served on the Council.[2] No more than one member of the same family could serve on the Council at any one time,[1] and members could not be re-elected to successive terms.[4]
Elections took place annually in August and others in September.[3] The Council, which met at least weekly, had the power to impose punishments upon nobles, includingbanishment andcapital punishment. On the council's orders, DogeMarino Faliero was executed after the failedFaliero coup in 1355, and theCount of Carmagnola in 1432.[5] The body's deliberations were highly secretive, and members of the Council of Ten took an oath of secrecy.[6] Thomas Madden wrote: "The three capi of the Ten served for a month at a time and, to avoid any opportunity for bribery, were forbidden to leave theDucal Palace during their tenure of office."[7]
HistorianEdward Wallace Muir Jr. wrote: "The Council of Ten stood somewhat apart from the hierarchy of offices but was proverbially powerful. With its secret funds, system of anonymous informers, police powers, and broad jurisdictional mandate over matters ofstate security, the members of the Council of Ten, along with those of theCollegio, rotated offices among themselves and constituted the inner circle of oligarchical patricians who, in effect, ruled the republic."[2] During theWar of the League of Cambrai, for example, the Council had responsibility for finding ways to pay for the state's military expenses.[8]
From the 1490s through the 1530s, the Council of Ten and other Venetian authorities enactedsumptuary laws.[9][10] In 1506, the Ten enacted an anti-banqueting law, seeking to prevent ambitious noblemen from engaging invote buying by hosting lavish dinner parties at thecompaginie della calza (exclusive social societies). The law specifically prohibited women other than the wives of members from attending such dinners.[11]
The Council was formally tasked with maintaining the security of the Republic and preserving the government from overthrow or corruption. However, its small size and ability to rapidly make decisions led to more mundane business being referred to it, and by 1457 it was enjoying almost unlimited authority over all governmental affairs. In particular, it oversaw Venice's diplomatic and intelligence services, managed its military affairs, and handled legal matters and enforcement. By the end of the sixteenth century, the Council of Ten had become Venice's spy chiefs, overseeing the city's vast intelligence network.[12]
The Council utilizedbocche dei leoni ('lion's mouths') placed around the city which allowed Venetians to report suspected illegal activities by placing a written note into the mouth. The lion's mouths were seen by later observers such asMark Twain to represent an oppressive autocratic government that spied on its citizens, but in reality the reports placed in lion's mouths were examined and only credible reports were investigated.[7]
In 1539 the Council established the State Inquisitors, a tribunal of three judges chosen from among its members to deal with threats to state security. The Inquisitors were given equal authority to that of the entire Council of Ten, and could try and convict those accused oftreason independently of their parent body. To further these activities, the Inquisitors created a largeespionage network of spies and informants, both in Venice and abroad.[13] Inquisitors could conductsecret trials with a lowstandard of proof, and the inquisitors' practices bore strong similarities to those of theRoman Inquisition, which was established three years later. From 1624 onward, the Council of Ten was charged with the prosecution of all crimes involving the private lives of Venetian patricians.[14]
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