popolo

popolo
(Italian: "people") In the communes (city-states) of 13th-century Italy, a pressure group instituted to protect the interests of the commoners against the nobility.

Until then noblemen had exclusively controlled the commune governments, and the popolo was the means by which wealthy merchants sought to extend their power. The popolo in Florence controlled the government 1250–60 and again after 1282. By the beginning of the 14th century, its elders formed the supreme executive of the commune.

* * *

▪ historical Italian non-noble political faction
      (Italian: “people”), in the communes (city-states) of 13th-century Italy, a pressure group instituted to protect the interests of the commoners (actually, wealthy merchants and businessmen) against the nobility that up to then had exclusively controlled commune governments. It was one of a number of groups competing for power in the commune and in some cities succeeded in dominating the government in the late 13th century.

      The popolo was organized either on a territorial basis (by quarters or districts) or on a corporative basis (by guilds); in some cities, notably Florence, a combination of both types developed. It gradually developed its own officials, who paralleled those of the commune. In the mid-13th century the office of capitano del popolo (“captain of the people”) became prominent. This official was charged with leading the military forces of the popolo and ensuring justice to injured members; like the communal officer known as the podestà, he was usually a native of another city. The effective leaders of the popolo were the local representatives, the anziani, or “elders” (sometimes known as priors).

      In Florence the organization of the popolo developed early and became quite powerful. From 1250 to 1260 it controlled the government (in the regime known as il primo popolo), and after the seizure of power in 1282 its power was firmly established. By the beginning of the 14th century, its priors, chosen from among guild members, formed the supreme executive of the commune.

      In the writings of medieval chroniclers and modern historians, the term popolo grasso (“fat people”) refers to the wealthy middle class of merchants and businessmen that dominated the economic and political life of the Italian communes. The term popolo minuto (“small [or common] people”) refers to the lower-middle class of proprietors of small shops and small merchants denied direct participation in government; it is sometimes extended to include the wage-earning proletariat, the most economically deprived group.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • popolo — / pɔpolo/ (ant. populo) s.m. [lat. pŏpŭlus ]. 1. a. (antrop.) [gruppo di esseri umani, che occupano un area geografica definita, spesso costituiti in collettività nazionale] ▶◀ gente, nazione, popolazione, razza, stirpe. b. (estens.) [insieme… …   Enciclopedia Italiana

  • popolo — 1pò·po·lo s.m. FO 1. l insieme degli individui che si considerano o sono considerati appartenenti a una stessa collettività, spec. etnicamente omogenea, in quanto abitano un territorio geograficamente o politicamente definito o hanno in comune… …   Dizionario italiano

  • Popolo — Le Popolo désigne une partie de la population urbaine de l Italie communale. Il apparaît, selon les villes, entre le XIIe et le XIIIe siècle . On peut le définir comme désignant l ensemble de la population urbaine qui n appartient pas à la… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • popolo — {{hw}}{{popolo}}{{/hw}}s. m. 1 Complesso degli abitanti, inseriti in un ordinamento civile, di uno Stato o di una città: il popolo italiano; il popolo di Firenze | A voce di –p, per unanime richiesta dei cittadini | A furor di –p, per unanime… …   Enciclopedia di italiano

  • popolo — (italiano: pueblo) En las comunas (ciudades estado) italianas del s. XIII, grupo de presión instituido para proteger los intereses del pueblo común contra la nobleza. Hasta entonces los nobles habían controlado en forma exclusiva los gobiernos… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • popolo — s. m. 1. popolazione, cittadinanza CFR. demo , etno 2. (est.) nazione, stirpe, razza, gente 3. plebe, volgo, proletariato CONTR. nobiltà, aristocrazia, signori 4. moltitudine, calca, folla …   Sinonimi e Contrari. Terza edizione

  • Popolo della Liberta — Popolo della Libertà Partei­vor­stand …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Popolo della Libertà — Popolo della Libertà …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Popólo Minuto / Popólo Grasso / Grandi —    Terms used in the early Renaissance to describe the three principal classes in the ur ban communes of northern and central Italy. During the 12th and 13th centuries, as imperial control declined and the cities struggled to assert their own… …   Historical Dictionary of Renaissance

  • Popolo d'Italia — Il Popolo d Italia Il Popolo d’Italia est un quotidien créé le 14 janvier 1914 par Benito Mussolini, suite à son exclusion du parti socialiste où il était le directeur du journal l Avanti!. Le journal reçut un soutien financier de la… …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”