Capitano del Popolo

an official in an Italian urbancommune (from the middle of the 13th century through the15th). He headed the small commune, which consisted of popolani (townspeople) and excluded the nòbili (noblemen residing in the city). Within the all-city commune, the small commune had its own army (people’s militia), administrative bodies (two councils), and legal system. The capitano del popolo in the small commune was analogous to the podestà (mayor) in theall-city commune. Gradually, with the strengthening of the merchants and guilds, the capitano del popolo began to play a decisive role in the political life of the city.