In the Republic of Venice, a zonta was an extraordinary group of patricians chosen to serve alongside the elected members of the governing councils of the Republic.[1] The purpose of this measure was as a constitutional safeguard against the accumulation of power by individuals, and to broaden the decision-making circles on important issues.

The term is the Venetian variant of aggiunta, 'addition'.[2] The purpose of the institution was to prevent corruption and autocratic tendencies in the governing councils such as the powerful Council of Ten,[3] but, since its members were typically chosen among patricians who had not been elected to one of these councils, it was also a "'constitutional shortcut' for those noblemen who wished to actively participate in the Venetian oligarchy but had not achieved the necessary backing".[2] Zontas existed for the Council of Ten—originally 20 men, after 1529 reduced to 15, but the number could vary;[2] the Venetian Senate, where a zonta of 60 adjuncts was added to the 60 regularly elected senators, nominated by senators whose terms were coming to a close;[4][5] as well as extraordinary commissions of inquiry, such as the one convened to investigate the Faliero coup in 1355.[6]

References

  1. ^ Contarini 2020, p. xlv.
  2. ^ a b c Iordanou 2019, p. 13.
  3. ^ Iordanou 2019, pp. 12–13.
  4. ^ Contarini 2020, pp. xlv, 53.
  5. ^ Lane 1973, p. 254.
  6. ^ Lane 1973, p. 182.

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