The Consoli del Mare of Pisa, 1550-1750: an institutional and social profile

This chapter provides a first insight into the inner workings and composition of the main tribunal in charge of commercial and maritime justice in Tuscany under the Medici princes: the Consoli del Mare (‘Consuls of the Sea’) of Pisa. After a brief reconstruction of the magistracy’s history from its origins, the essay first focuses on its functioning: as other Mediterranean mercantile courts, in order to fulfil the local and foreign merchants’ need for speedy justice, the Consoli applied a special procedure, the so-called summary process. A preliminary survey of the archival sources held by the Archivio di Stato di Pisa shows that the Consoli retained their significant jurisdiction over commercial and maritime legal cases even after the rise of the nearby Livorno eclipsed Pisa as Tuscany’s main port city, in the first half of the 17th century. On the other hand, the court was manned by two judges, both Florentine noblemen, helped by a small group of legal technicians. In spite of the anecdotical and popular narrative, it seems that appointment to the position of Console was taken quite seriously by the Tuscan authorities until at least the end of the Medicean period, and that most Florentines chosen for the role retained at least some connection to the world of commerce.