The Venetian Republic was a renowned ruler of the seas for many centuries. During this time, Venice issued some of the most interesting and successful coins in Europe. We will be looking into Venetian Oselle; a medallic coinage of Venice, which is considered to be among the most beautiful in the numismatic world.
Obligation of the doge
In the ruling system of the Venetian Republic, the doge was appointed for life and held privileges similar to those of European royalty. Venetian nobility strived to limit the absolute power of the doge. They succeeded in imposing obligations on the doge towards the noblemen in the second half of the 13th century. One of these Ducal privileges was the use of game preserves in some areas ruled by Venice. The doge had the moral obligation to share his bounty with the members of the Great Council and the authorities of the Republic. This was called Promissione Ducale and it was declared with great solemnity by the doges upon taking the office.
The last Osella was struck in 1796 during
