{{Short description|Government of Medieval and Renaissance Florence}}
{{Refimprove|date=July 2019}}

{{History of Italy}}

The '''Signoria of Florence''' ([[Italian language|Italian]] for "lordship") was the [[government]] of the medieval and Renaissance [[Republic of Florence]],<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/topic/signoria Signoria] on [[Encyclopædia Britannica Online|Encyclopædia Britannica]]</ref> between 1250 and 1532. Its nine members, the ''Priori'', were chosen from the ranks of the [[Guilds of Florence|guilds]] of the city: six of them from the major guilds, and two from the minor guilds. The ninth became the [[Gonfaloniere of Justice]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/empires/medici/renaissance/republic.html|title=Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance . Renaissance . Republic|website=www.pbs.org}}</ref>

==Selection of members==
The names of all guild members over thirty years old were put in eight leather bags called ''borse''. Every two months, these bags were taken from the church of [[Basilica di Santa Croce di Firenze|Santa Croce]], where they were ordinarily kept, and in a short ceremony drawn out at random. Only men who were not in debt, had not served a recent term, and had no relation to the names of men already drawn, would be considered eligible for office.

==Service in the Signoria==
Immediately after they were elected, the nine were expected to move into the [[Palazzo della Signoria]], where they would remain for the two months of their office. There they were paid a modest sum to cover their expenses and were provided with green-liveried servants. The ''Priori'' had a uniform of crimson coats, lined with [[Stoat|ermine]] and with ermine collars and cuffs.

In undertaking their governmental duties, the Signoria was required to consult two other elected councils collectively known as ''Collegi''. The first was the ''Dodici Buonomini'', with twelve members, while the second, the ''Sedici Gonfalonieri'', consisted of sixteen people. Other councils, such as the Ten of War, the Eight of Security and the Six of Commerce, were elected as the need arose.

==See also==
{{Portal|Italy|History}}

{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
*[[Boule (ancient Greece)]]
*[[History of Florence]]
*[[History of Italy]]
**[[Italy in the Middle Ages|Medieval Italy]]
**[[Italian Renaissance]]
*[[Italian city-states]]
*[[Maritime republics]]
*[[Sortition]]
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==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Signoria Of Florence}}

[[Category:Government of Italy]]
[[Category:Italian Renaissance]]
[[Category:Medieval politics]]
[[Category:Political history of Italy]]
[[Category:Politics of Tuscany]]
[[Category:Republic of Florence]]