podesta (redirected from Podestà)

podesta

(Italian: “power”) In medieval Italian communes, the highest judicial and military magistrate. The office was instituted by Frederick I Barbarossa in an attempt to govern rebellious Lombard cities. From the late 12th century the communes usually elected their own podesta, often a nobleman with legal training. Serving for six months or a year, the podesta summoned councils, led the communal army, and administered civil and criminal jurisdiction.