{{Short description|Administrative title used in Italy during the Middle Ages}} {{Italics title}} [[File:Gonzaga-Portraits G 0276 III 11.jpg|thumb|235px|[[Ludovico I Gonzaga]], elected in 1328 as the first ''capitano del popolo'' of the city of [[Mantua]]]] '''Captain of the people''' ({{langx|it|capitano del popolo}}) was an administrative title used in [[Italy]] during the [[Middle Ages]], established by and for the ''popolo'' to check the power and authority of the noble families of the [[Italian city-states]].<ref name="najemy">Najemy, John M. 2006. ''A History of Florence 1200-1575''. Blackwell Publishing. {{ISBN|1-4051-1954-3}}. pp. 66–7, 75, 83–4, 94, 123, 157, 172, 178, 248.</ref>
The specific details of the office, such as the length of term and powers differed from city-state to city-state, and it was formed at different times in different places.
== Context == In the 12<sup>th</sup> century, the ''popolo'', a class which included merchants, professionals, craftsmen, in maritime cities, ship-owners, and other such skilled laborers, began to experience a rise in power and wealth. As Italian urban centers grew in size, such laborers were given the opportunity to form various organizations, namely guilds and neighborhood associations. [[Guild|Guilds]] were formed for many professions, and they acted as political entities for their members. Neighborhood associations, for their part, provided the ''popolo'' a semblance of protection from the violence committed by nobles (called ''potentes'').<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Zorzi |first=Andrea |title=Italy in the Age of the Renaissance: 1300-1550 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-152484-4 |editor-last=Najemy |editor-first=John M. |publication-date=November 5, 2004 |pages=145-148 |language=en |chapter=The Popolo}}</ref>
Noble violence had, by the 13<sup>th</sup> century, become endemic to Italy. Rival families built increasingly high towers in urban areas, which served as legitimately defensible structures.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wickham |first=Chris |title=Sleepwalking into a New World: The Emergence of Italian City Communes in the Twelfth Century |date=2015 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-18114-1 |series=The Lawrence Stone Lectures |location=Princeton, NJ |pages=79-80}}</ref> While violence committed by nobles typically targeted other nobles, violence against members of the ''popolo'' was not unheard of, and in the [[Republic of Florence]], it was common knowledge that the majority of violence in the city was perpetrated by noble families.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Najemy |first=John M. |title=A History of Florence 1200-1575 |date=2006 |publisher=Blackwell Pub |isbn=978-0-470-75487-0 |location=Malden, MA |pages=16-17}}</ref>
== History == Conflict between nobles and the ''popolo'' grew as the ''popolo'' started to acquire roles in the communal administration of various Italian city-states.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Najemy |first=John M. |title=A History of Florence 1200–1575 |publisher=Blackwell Publishing |year=2006 |isbn=978-1405119542 |pages=66–67|language=English}}</ref> The ''popolo'' needed a municipal officeholder able to counter the political power of the nobles, represented usually by the ''[[Podestà|podestà]]'' (a title used for chief magistrates and other top administrators in medieval Italian cities). One of the first ''capitani del popolo'' was created in [[Bologna]] in northern Italy, appointed in 1228.
The ''capitano del popolo'' exercised control of the ''podestà'', sometimes flanked by two autonomous councils with representatives of local guilds of artisans and craftsmen ({{langx|it|arti e mestieri}}) and the [[Gonfaloniere|''gonfalonieri'']], leaders of military units connected with city's parishes.
In the Republic of Florence, a ''capitano del popolo'' existed from 1250 as part of the attempt to free the city from the rule of [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]]. The Florentine ''capitano del popolo'' assumed military and judicial responsibilities which previously had belonged to the ''podestà''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Najemy |first=John M. |title=A History of Florence 1200-1575 |date=2006 |publisher=Blackwell Pub |isbn=978-0-470-75487-0 |location=Malden, MA |page=67}}</ref> Florentine chronicler [[Giovanni Villani|Giovanni Villani]] writes that {{Circa|1280}}, the ''capitano del popolo'' and his men were paid a salary of 5,800 ''lire di piccioli'' per year. This figure was higher than the salary of most other offices, but significantly lower than that of the ''podestà'' and his men, who were paid 15,240 ''lire di piccioli'' per year.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Villani |first=Giovanni |title=The Eleventh and Twelfth Books of Giovanni Villani's New Chronicle |date=2022 |publisher=De Gruyter |isbn=978-1-5015-1842-3 |editor-last=Diakité |editor-first=Rala |series=Research in Medieval and Early Modern Culture |location=Berlin |page=367 |editor-last2=Sneider |editor-first2=Matthew Thomas}}</ref>
In Genoa, the ''popolo'' gained political power later than in other city-states.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Epstein |first=Steven |title=Genoa & the Genoese, 958-1528 |date=1996 |publisher=University of North Carolina Press |isbn=978-0-8078-2291-3 |location=Chapel Hill, N.C |pages=141}}</ref> In 1257, [[Guglielmo Boccanegra]], a wealthy member of the ''popolo'', was elected ''capitano del popolo'' following a riot against the ''podestà'' at the time. As opposed to the ''capitano del popolo'' in other city-states, Boccanegra was elected for 10 years, and had the additional condition that his brother would succeed him should he die, though he was overthrown in 1262.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Epstein |first=Steven |title=Genoa & the Genoese, 958-1528 |date=1996 |publisher=University of North Carolina Press |isbn=978-0-8078-2291-3 |location=Chapel Hill, N.C |pages=143-157}}</ref>
In Orvieto, a ''capitano del popolo'' existed from 1264 in the Council of the ''Popolo.''<ref>{{Cite book |last=Waley |first=Daniel |title=Mediaeval Orvieto: The Political History of an Italian City-State 1157-1334 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1952 |pages=146}}</ref> The office was the most powerful in Orvieto, though the ''podestà'' presided over the Council of the ''Popolo'' and held more power on paper.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Waley |first=Daniel |title=Mediaeval Orvieto: The Political History of an Italian City-State 1157-1334 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1952 |pages=xxiii}}</ref>
Towards the second half of the 13th century, however, the communal title of ''capitano del popolo'' became a breeding ground for [[despotism]] and hereditary lordship. By gaining control of the election process for choosing the title-holder, many influential families (including aristocrats that the establishment of this office had contributed to keeping out of power) gained control over their cities and towns of residence, thus assuring their long-lasting influence and progressively transforming the ''[[comune]]'' into a ''[[signoria]]'' (i.e. lordship).
After the rise of ''signorie'', ''signori'' exercised control over offices including the ''capitano del popolo''. These offices gave the ''signori'' much-needed legitimacy. The ''signore'' of [[Milan]], [[Ottone Visconti]] was able to have his nephew appointed to the position.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Najemy |first=John M. |title=Italy in the Age of the Renaissance: 1300-1550 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-152484-4 |editor-last=Najemy |editor-first=John M. |publication-date=November 5, 2004 |page=190 |language=en |chapter=Governments and Governance}}</ref> Villani writes that the ''signore'' of Bologna, Taddeo Pepoli, assumed the title as he came to power.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Villani |first=Giovanni |title=The Eleventh and Twelfth Books of Giovanni Villani's New Chronicle |publisher=De Gruyter |year=2022 |isbn=978-1-5015-1842-3 |editor-last=Diakité |editor-first=Rala |series=Research in Medieval and Early Modern Culture |location=Berlin |pages=341 |editor-last2=Sneider |editor-first2=Matthew Thomas}}</ref> In Genoa, the office of ''capitano del popolo'' gave way to that of [[Doge of Genoa|doge]]. [[Simone Boccanegra]] (the grandnephew of Guglielmo Boccanegra) was elected doge in 1339, with the office fully replacing that of ''capitano del popolo''. When a ''signoria'' was established, it weakened the mechanisms through which the ''popolo'' obtained power, namely the guilds. Taddeo Pepoli, for instance, reduced the power of guilds in Bologna by limiting many of their powers and assuming personal control of their functions.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Zorzi |first=Andrea |title=Italy in the Age of the Renaissance: 1300-1550 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-152484-4 |editor-last=Najemy |editor-first=John M. |publication-date=November 5, 2004 |pages=155-157 |language=en |chapter=The Popolo}}</ref>
==See also== * [[Captains Regent]] * [[Tribune of the plebs]], similar office in Republican Rome
==References== <references responsive="1"></references>
==Bibliography== * {{cite book |last=Zorzi |first=Andrea |chapter=The Popolo |title=Italy in the Age of the Renaissance: 1300–1550 |editor-last=Najemy |editor-first=John M. |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=November 5, 2004 |isbn=978-0-19-152484-4}} * {{cite book |last=Villani |first=Giovanni |title=The Eleventh and Twelfth Books of Giovanni Villani's New Chronicle |editor-last=Diakité |editor-first=Rala |editor-last2=Sneider |editor-first2=Matthew Thomas |publisher=De Gruyter |date=2022 |isbn=978-1-5015-1842-3 |series=Research in Medieval and Early Modern Culture |location=Berlin}} * {{cite book |last=Epstein |first=Steven |title=Genoa & the Genoese, 958-1528 |date=1996 |publisher=University of North Carolina Press |isbn=978-0-8078-2291-3 |location=Chapel Hill, N.C}} * {{cite book |last=Waley |first=Daniel |title=Mediaeval Orvieto: The Political History of an Italian City-State 1157-1334 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1952}} * {{cite book |last=Najemy |first=John M. |title=A History of Florence 1200–1575 |publisher=Blackwell Pub |date=2006 |isbn=978-0-470-75487-0 |location=Malden, MA}} * {{cite book |last=Najemy |first=John M. |chapter=Governments and Governance |title=Italy in the Age of the Renaissance: 1300–1550 |editor-last=Najemy |editor-first=John M. |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=November 5, 2004 |isbn=978-0-19-152484-4}} * {{cite book |last=Wickham |first=Chris |title=Sleepwalking into a New World: The Emergence of Italian City Communes in the Twelfth Century |publisher=Princeton University Press |date=2015 |isbn=978-0-691-18114-1 |series=The Lawrence Stone Lectures |location=Princeton, NJ}}
[[Category:Gubernatorial titles]] [[Category:Italian city-states|*]] [[Category:Medieval history of Italy]] [[Category:2nd millennium in Italy]] [[Category:Legal history of Italy]]