Gonfaloniere

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Pietro Gentile as Gonfaloniere of Bologna , in the background the banner. Painting by Artemisia Gentileschi (1622). At the time, the gonfalonier appointment was just a formality.

The Gonfaloniere ( standard-bearer of it. Gonfalone = Banner ) was a highly influential official in the Italian communities of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance , especially in Florence . Municipalities in central and northern Italy, from Spoleto to Piedmont , chose gonfalonieri .

Originally a gonfaloniere was just a military commander, which in German corresponds to an ensign (in its original meaning). In some areas of Italy the function and importance of a gonfaloniere expanded, while in other areas of rule he remained limited to military functions.

The Gonfaloniere in Florence

In Florence the gonfaloniere was the highest member of the Signoria . The Signoria (government) of Florence consisted of eight so-called priors. Three of these came from the middle guilds and five from the larger guilds ( arti maggiori ). This was added as the ninth member of the Gonfaloniere di Giustizia . All priors were not chosen in a fully democratic way, but were drawn through a complicated procedure. As the ruling elite's instrument of control over their peers, their reign was only two months and they could only be re-elected after three years. Resolutions had to be passed with a two-thirds majority.

As Gonfalone di Giustizia he is the "standard bearer of justice / justice" and thus de jure head of state of the republic and commander in chief of the armed forces. As a temporary standard bearer of the Republic of Florence, he is also the guardian of the city ​​banner , which hung on the crossbar of a crucifix and was carried during processions . Niccolò Machiavelli identified the gonfaloniere di Giustizia in his work Istorie fiorentine with the gonfalone and the soldiers commanded by him. He differed from the other eight members of the Signoria in his purple cloak, which was trimmed with ermine fur and embroidered with gold crosses.

In addition, each of the 16 districts in Florence ( rioni ) had its own priore , which the Signoria stood for election, and its own gonfaloniere di compagnia , which was chosen from the first families in each district.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Barbara Beuys : Florence. City world, cosmopolitan city. Urban life from 1200 to 1500. Rowohlt, Hamburg 1992, ISBN 3-498-00563-4 , p. 69 f.

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