signoria
thumbnail|Palazzo Vecchio, the former seat of the Signoria of [[Florence]] A signoria () was the governing authority in many of the Italian city-states during the Medieval and Renaissance periods. The word signoria comes from signore (), or "lord", an abstract noun meaning (roughly) "government", "governing authority", de facto "sovereignty", "lordship"; : signorie.
Article
6 sectionsContents
- History of the ''Signoria''
- Politics
- List of ''signorie''
- See also
- References
- Further reading
thumbnail|Palazzo Vecchio, the former seat of the Signoria of [[Florence]] A signoria () was the governing authority in many of the Italian city-states during the Medieval and Renaissance periods. The word signoria comes from signore (), or "lord", an abstract noun meaning (roughly) "government", "governing authority", de facto "sovereignty", "lordship"; : signorie.
==History of the Signoria== During the late 13th and early 14th centuries, a significant shift occurred in the governance of Italian cities. Whereas citizens had once chosen their own leaders, they began to entrust power to a single ruler. Such authority often spiraled out of control when the citizens could not depose rulers who had failed to govern wisely.