Nobilis Animus
Distinguished Member
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2017
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In Machiavelli's time the Republic of Venice had already been in existence about 700 years.
For much of that time it was a leading Mediterranean and Adriatic naval and commercial
power. It was essentially a commercial oligarchy governed by A Doge (Duke) and an
hereditary Senate. Not democratic in our sense of the term.
Republic of Venice - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
HA! Tell that to the ignoramuses that keep calling my country a democracy, when we have a hereditary monarch and an essentially oligarchic senate. (both of which I'm fine with)