Palmotta

The House of Palmotić known as Palmotta in Italian, was one of the oldest and most prominent families of the city of Dubrovnik. Many of its representatives were Rectors (Knezes) of the Republic of Ragusa, as well as members of the Small Council, Senate and Grand Council. Some of them were notable poets and playwrights.

== History == thumb|190px|Ceremonial Rector's sword, a gift from the King Matija Korvin, brought to Dubrovnik in 1466 by Dživo Palmotić The ancestors of the family originated most probably from the medieval principality of Zahumlje. The first mention of the Palmotta dates to 1222, although according to some sources they had been present in Dubrovnik before, already in the 12th century (1157). In the two-century-long period of time, from 1440 to 1640, there were in total 46 members of the family in the Grand Council (Consilium maius), a body consisting of all adult noblemen of the Republic. They were also 67 times elected to the Senate (Consilium rogatorum), 34 times to the Small Council (Consilium minus), and 42 times as Rectors (knez), the heads of the state.