The Surrender of Absolute Power
The Surrender of Absolute Power
Chapter seven concerns the decline of absolute power as a tool of government. The lawyer and Senator and Egidio Bossi, insisted that absolute power was no longer misused in the duchy. Francesco Sforza II (1521‐1535) appears to have given up plenitude of power, handing it over to the Milanese Senate in the interests of justice. Whether or not the Senate did have plenitude of power was much debated. With its right to administer equity, Senate did not have to keep to the letter of the law; the Senate also had the right to judge according to the facts alone (sola facti veritate inspecta), ignoring established legal procedure. Both these prerogatives were analogous to plenitude of power; on the other hand, the Senate never referred to plenitude of power in its decisions. The discussion continued for decades among later commentators.
Keywords: Egidio Bossi, Milanese Senate, Francesco Sforza II, sola facti veritate inspecta, equity
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