The word doge (pronounced /dôdj/ in English, /do-dje/ in Italian; plural dogi or doges) is a dialectical Italian word (in standard Italian it became duce) that comes from Latin dux, meaning leader, especially military, and giving rise to the noble or princely title duke in English. Specifically, the title was used for the elected chief of state in a few Italian "crowned republics". The two best known such republics rivaled each other and the other regional great powers by building their historical city-states into maritime, commercial, and, to a lesser extent, territorial mini-empires: Venice and Genoa (Genova). Latin is an ancient Indo-European language. ... Dux is Latin for leader (from the verb ducere, to lead) and could refer to anyone who commanded troops, such as tribal leaders. ... The Most Serene Republic of Venice (Venetian: Serenìsima Repùblica Vèneta; Italian: ) was a Venetian city-state in Northeastern Italy, based around the city of Venice. ... Country Italy Region Liguria Province Genoa (GE) Mayor Giuseppe Pericu (since May 30, 2002) Elevation 20 m Area 243 km² Population  - Total (as of April 30, 2005) 611,476  - Density 2,571/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Coordinates Gentilic Genovesi Dialing code 010 Postal code 16100 Patron St. ...

Another, virtually insignificant, but still styled "most serene republic", was the minute Senarica, named after its capital west of Teramo (in Abruzzo) on Central Italy's Adriatic coast, which also elected dogi, possibly annually, from 1343 till its annexation to the Neapolitan kingdom of Sicily in 1797. A former tiny city-state republic in Italy, Senarica is now contained by the commune of Crognaleto in the Italian province of Teramo. ... Teramo is a town in the central Italian region of Abruzzo, 42°39N 13°42E, at 432 m (1417 ft) above sea-level, with 51,000 inhabitants as of the 2003 census. ... Abruzzo is a region of central Italy bordering Marche to the north, Lazio to the west and south-west, Molise to the south-east and the Adriatic Sea to the east. ... Central Italy, encompasses six of the countrys 20 autonomous regions: Abruzzo Lazio Marche Molise Toscana Umbria Although the regions of Abruzzo and Molise are geographically located in Central Italy, the European office for statistics (Eurostat) lists these two regions within Southern Italy. ... The Adriatic Sea is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea separating the Apennine peninsula (Italy) from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges. ... Events Magnus II of Sweden abdicates from the throne of Norway in favor of his son Haakon VI of Norway. ... Sicilian redirects here. ...

See also

• Doge of Venice
• Doge of Genoa