engleski

The Culture of Voting in Medieval Split: Appearance and Reality

The analysis of the 14th-century minutes of the Major Council of Split, by comparing them with the contemporary documents from Dubrovnik, shows how the principles of podestorial rule were translated into the voting practice of a tiny Dalmatian city. But, more of that, they demonstrate that by researching of what seem to be the technicalities of voting, we can get an insight into the fundamental political values of a certain communal society. The veiled role of the government in the decision-making process, an ostensibly neutral attitude of the podestà, feigned propositions, and the staged debate in the Council were all part of an important political play orchestrated to display the success of the commune in collecting heterogeneous standpoints and reaching a durable compromise. The fact that the decision-making in medieval Split encompassed several staged elements is a perfect case to demonstrate the complexity of a pre-modern culture of voting, in which operative and ‘theatrical’ components may be intertwined, and where the expression of civic values and political ideals may be as important as the outcome of vote itself.

Dubrovnik, St Blaise, city patron, cult, piety, feast

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