Council of Forty

The Council of Forty or the Supreme Court of the Forty or more simply Quarantia, was one of the highest constitutional bodies of the ancient Republic of Venice, that functioned politically as the Supreme Court.

Origins and evolution

It seems that the Quarantia was established in 1179 for the constitutional reforms that transformed the monarchy into the communal form. It was established, therefore, as an assembly of forty electors who were entitled at that time to nominate the Doge. These forty were elected in their turn by nine electors who were nominated by the popular assembly, la concio, after completing their main role as the Doge's nominators and remaining in power alongside the Doge in the Judiciary, participating with the Senate, the state government and the legislative functions, which were often delegated to them by the Great Council, in which the forty were members by law.

After the constitutional reform of 1297 that, with the Lockout of the Great Council, changed the states form into an aristocratic republic, the Quarantia was responsible for the approval and the scrutiny of new appointments to the Grand Council and the Senate but also, according to Maranini, to projects of law preparations for criminal justice and the public treasure management.

During the time, the Quarantia lost its legislative functions and representation to the Council of Senate and around 1380, after the creation of the College of the Sages, its executive functions were largely taken away as well.