By William Landon, Northern Kentucky University
In order to understand how the Florentine Republic worked, one has to look at Florence’s political geography. In 1400, one could walk across the entire city in 20 minutes or less. Florence was compact, but neatly divided into four quarters, each linked with a saint or particular church. Each of these main administrative quarters was further subdivided into four quarters.
The Three Major Branches of Government
The four main administrative quarters in Florence were, and in fact remain: San Giovanni, Santa Croce, Santa Maria Novella, and Santo Spirito. Santo Spirito is located across the Arno River from today’s historic center of Florence. Each of these main administrative quarters was subdivided into four quarters.
Each of the four main quarters had a flag which represented it, and each of the city’s 16 sub-quarters had its own flag. If Florence was ever attacked, each sub-quarter’s standard bearer was to rally male residents to it, so that militias could be organized quickly.
Politically, each of Florence’s four quarters provided two members, for a total of eight, to the city’s first branch of government—the Signoria. A ninth member, the gonfaloniere of justice was elected to arbitrate discussions and arguments that developed within the Signoria; this was Florence’s most prestigious elected office.
The second branch of government was known as the Twelve Good Men, and the third was the Sixteen Standard-Bearers (who represented each of the city’s sub-quarters). The nine members of the Signoria were required by law and tradition to seek the opinion of the Twelve Good Men and the Sixteen Standard-Bearers regarding any legislation it proposed.
And before that proposed legislation could be moved to the larger governing bodies of Florence, all three major branches of the government had to be in agreement about it.
This article comes directly from content in the video series How the Medici Shaped the Renaissance. Watch it now, on Wondrium.
Council of the People and the Council of the Commune
To be clear, the major branches of government did not have the power to put new laws into place. The other branches of government—the Council of the People, which contained 300 members, and the Council of the Commune, which contained 200 members—put laws on the books.
In order for legislation to be made law in the Florentine Republic, both councils had to ratify proposals brought to them by the Signoria, by a two-thirds majority. Importantly, neither council had the ability to initiate legislation; they were only permitted to consider proposals drafted by the Signoria and approved by the Twelve Good Men and the Standard-Bearers.
The Seven Major Guilds
The seven major guilds of Florence accounted for 75% of those who served in government, and the more numerous minor guilds (there were fourteen) provided the other 25%. This proportional representation was codified in the Florentine constitution.
The only office in Florence that prohibited a minor guild member from serving was the gonfaloniere of justice—who was required to be a major guild member.
Distrust of Political Power
When all of the elected offices and committees of the Florentine Republic are taken into consideration, there were generally 1,650 men serving at any one time. These various positions were elected to serve anywhere from 2–6 months. To be eligible for office, a man had to be at least 30 years old, and if he was either in arrears on his taxes or bankrupt, his name could not be considered.
The Florentines deeply distrusted political power and the notion of tyranny. Thus, republican law made it impossible, at least in theory, for one individual to acquire too much power. The Florentine constitution stipulated brief terms in office, and therefore a high turnover rate in those offices.
Moreover, the majority of the most important offices in the city were open only to wealthy and powerful families—and those families were responsible for providing the names of those who were eligible for service.
Names for each office and open seat in the city’s representative chambers were drawn from a hat. Every couple of years, the names in the election hats were emptied and replaced by new eligible names. Every man who was eligible to serve in the government could expect that his name would, at some point, be drawn.
Anything but Democratic
So, we must come to grips with the fact that the Florentine Republic was anything but ‘democratic’. The majority of Florentines weren’t guild members, so they lacked political representation; and when we consider that elections were by lot—a game of chance—referring to them as elections leaves us somewhat stupefied.
But given that elections by lot took place so frequently, and that members of the Florentine government were constantly visible in the city’s streets, a connection between the people of Florence (directly represented in government or not) developed, and interest in politics was constant.
Giving Birth to Political Revolutions
With our contemporary values in mind, it is rather too easy to scoff at these Florentine innovations. After all, the Republican government was ‘conservative’. It protected the interests of Florence’s old families and the city’s guilds. Few men were able to serve in government—only 10% of Florence’s population—and all women lacked the franchise. Why is a system such as that worthy of our admiration?
Because when the Florentine Republic is studied objectively in the context of the longer stream of history, it becomes clear that the Renaissance at Florence began a battle between free government and tyranny, and—by reintroducing political elections into the western consciousness—gave birth to political revolutions that continue to shape our world today.
Common Questions about Florence’s Political Geography and the Florentine Republic
The four main administrative quarters in Florence were, and in fact remain: San Giovanni, Santa Croce, Santa Maria Novella, and Santo Spirito.
In the Florentine Republic, the second branch of government was known as the Twelve Good Men, and the third was the Sixteen Standard-Bearers (who represented each of the city’s sub-quarters).
The only office in Florence that prohibited a minor guild member from serving was the gonfaloniere of justice—who was required to be a major guild member.
