The Council of Ten (1419)
Overview
The Council of Ten, or simply the Ten, was one of the major governing bodies of the Republic of Venice from 1310 to 1797. Although its actions were often secretive, it was generally considered to be fair and effective by the citizens of the Republic. It was primarily tasked with maintaining the security of the Republic and preserving the government from overthrow or corruption. To maintain their power, they often used methods such as poisoning to kill off threatening controversial figures.