Petrenean Signoria

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The Petrenean Signoria is the governing body of the Petrenean City-State and the arguable inheritor to the positions of the Senate of the former Petrenean Republic. The Signoria has two bodies, the Congress of Lords and the Princes of the City. These bodies are nominally of equal rank but different origins - the Congress of Lords are holders of titles of nobility from throughout the city-state, and the Princes of the City are wealthy merchants (for the most part).

Both bodies are of the same size - the size of the Princes of the City being determined by the number of the Congress of Lords - though they operate in very different ways. Lords recognize traditional patterns of inherited position and heriarchy amongst themselves, whereas the merchants nominate from among their own ranks, voting as a party on who to elect into any vacant posts, including the body itself. Both bodies' senior member (by rank or by election), is known as an interlocutor.

The business of the Signoria is conducted in an extremely formal fashion, with neither body addressing the other (in theory - in practice, rowdiness happens) but instead addressing their debate, through their interlocutor, to the Judge of the Signoria, a senior member of the city polity who cannot be a member of either other body. After debate, the entire Signoria votes their individual judgements on the matter, which is decided based on majority rule.