engleski

The Proportion of the Ragusan Nobility at the Closing of the Major Council in 1332

The process of the ʽclosingʼ of the Venetian Major council (the serrata) started in 1297 and ended in 1323. The Major Council of Dubrovnik closed thirtyfive years later, in 1332. The Ragusans followed the Venetian model, although their motive was primarily to prevent the ʻnaturalʼ inflow into the noble ranks. Analysis of Dubrovnik’s population structure at the time of the council’s closing in 1332 shows that prior to the closing of the council the Ragusan patrician circle included a significant portion of the population. The portion of the nobility in the overall city population was around 40%, the rest being composed of the first-generation immigrants (habitatores), marginal and other lower social groups. The descendants of the newcomers managed to rise to a higher rank (cives) without much hindrance, and win their noble status (nobiles) by being admitted into the council membership. In this way the portion of nobility in the overall population managed to retain its high level over a longer period of time. It was not until the closing of the Major Council that the nobility became the elite in the true sense. A once fluid circle had become conserved, ʽriseʼ of commoners towards nobility had become impossible.

Dubrovnik Republic; Venice; closing of the council; serrata; nobility

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