Who was the Doge of Venice?
Venice needed a strong government, so the people imposed a system like no other. The Doge, or Duke of Venice, ruled the city for over a 1,000 years and while other great European leaders hid themselves away in Medieval fortresses, the Venetians were busy building a symbol of confidence to show the world that they were impregnable to attack. The Doge would enter the palace, walking between the statues of Neptune and Mars, and stand at the top of the stairs by the God of the Sea and God of the War. Today, lesser mortals have to use the tradesman’s entrance to the right of the palace, which is still lined with gold! The Doge was elected for life but he could not indulge in private business, receive foreign ambassadors alone, leave Venice without permission, accept personal gifts and his descendents could not inherit anything. The aim was to stop the power falling into the hands of one dynasty. The Doge’s private life was entirely at the service of La Serenissima (the state) and everywhere
