1688, Venice (Isole & Armata). Gazzetta (2 Soldi) Coin.
Reference: KM-2.
Mint Period: ca. 1688-1694 AD
Denomination: Gazzetta (2 Soldi)
Region (struck for): Isole (Islands = Corfu & Ionian region) & Armata (Naval & Armed Forces of Venice)
Material: Copper
Diameter: 29mm
Weight: 6.31gm
Obverse: Lion of San Marco. Legend: * S . MARC . VEN * Exergue: II
Reverse: Inscription in three lines (“ISOLE ET ARMATA”) terminated by rosettes.
The Doge of Venice (Doxe de Venexia [ˈdɔːze de veˈnɛsja]; Italian: Doge di Venezia; all derived from Latin dūx, “military leader”), sometimes translated as Duke (compare the Italian Duca), was the chief magistrate and leader of the Most Serene Republic of Venice for 1,100 years (697–1797). Doges of Venice were elected for life by the city-state’s aristocracy. Commonly the man selected as Doge was the shrewdest elder in the city. The doge was neither a duke in the modern sense, nor the equivalent of a hereditary duke. The title “doge” was the title of the senior-most elected official of Venice and Genoa; both cities were republics and elected doges. A doge was referred to variously by the titles “My Lord the Doge” (Monsignor el Doxe), “Most Serene Prince” (Serenissimo Principe), and “His Serenity” (Sua Serenità).