Ruota civile
Item
Country
IT
Name of institution (English)
State Archives of Florence
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
ita
Contact information: postal address
Viale Giovine Italia 6, 50122 Florence
Contact information: phone number
0039 055263201
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
asfi@archiviodistato.firenze.it
Reference number
Ruota Civile
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (English)
Civil court of the "Ruota"
Title (official language of the state)
Ruota civile
Language of title
ita
Creator / accumulator
Ruota civile
Date(s)
1532/1807
Language(s)
ita
Extent
4,888 storage units
Type of material
Textual Material
Scope and content
The Ruota civile fonds comprises documentation produced by this court between the 16th and 18th centuries. Therefore, it is essentially composed of judicial records, namely judicial cases, affairs related to the Auditori di Ruota, calls of witnesses, justifications of sentences, examinations of testimonies, etc. In this fonds, it is possible to find some judicial cases involving Sephardic Jews living in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. It is the case of Samuel Lucena, who initiated a lawsuit in 1773 against a partner of his father, Carvaglio. After the Auditore vicario of Pisa ruled in favour of Carvaglio, the Ruota civile of Florence confirmed the sentence (4802, fols. 383-392). This case is mentioned by Francesca Trivellato (2009).
Archival history
After the extinction of the Ruota civile in the early 1770s, its archive was subject to changes. Following the judicial reforms during the Leopoldian period (1765-1790), the civil justice records were entrusted to the Magistrato supremo, which, after 1802, also took responsibility for the criminal justice documents.
During the French domination (1807-1814), the custody of the judicial archives was transferred to the registrar of the Corte d'appello (Court of Appeal). However, from the point of view of conservation, the archives did not suffer substantial transfers, neither were they merged with other fonds then incorporated in the Bureau d'archives générales (later Conservation générale des archives de Toscane). After the Napoleonic period, the judicial archives were gradually gathered into three locations: the civil records were stored in the former church of San Pier Scheraggio and in the Teatro mediceo, while the criminal records were stored in the Palazzo del Bargello (then the Palazzo degli Otto or del Podestà).
In 1838, after the creation of the Presidenza della Corte regia d'appello di Firenze (Presidency of the Royal Court of Appeal of Florence), the jurisdiction over the judicial archives was assigned to this new body, until their last transfer to the Archivio Centrale di Stato, founded in 1852. The civil judicial records were incorporated into the archive in 1853. Then, the Consiglio de giusticia and the Ruota civile fonds were separated and the latter was summarily inventoried by Telemaco del Badia.
Around the mid-1870s, the records of Florentine judicial magistrates were all reunited and relocated according to a functional criterion that aimed to reaggregate these records in chronological order, from the Republican period to the contemporary times. These documents became part of Division VIII of the Archivio di Stato, dedicated to the administration of justice. In the early 20th century, the records were placed in Section IV, which comprised the financial and judicial archives of the Republican and Principato periods. In 1966, a flood damaged the Archivio di Stato's collections, including the Ruota civile fonds, which lost numerous units (see Restrictions, Access).
During the French domination (1807-1814), the custody of the judicial archives was transferred to the registrar of the Corte d'appello (Court of Appeal). However, from the point of view of conservation, the archives did not suffer substantial transfers, neither were they merged with other fonds then incorporated in the Bureau d'archives générales (later Conservation générale des archives de Toscane). After the Napoleonic period, the judicial archives were gradually gathered into three locations: the civil records were stored in the former church of San Pier Scheraggio and in the Teatro mediceo, while the criminal records were stored in the Palazzo del Bargello (then the Palazzo degli Otto or del Podestà).
In 1838, after the creation of the Presidenza della Corte regia d'appello di Firenze (Presidency of the Royal Court of Appeal of Florence), the jurisdiction over the judicial archives was assigned to this new body, until their last transfer to the Archivio Centrale di Stato, founded in 1852. The civil judicial records were incorporated into the archive in 1853. Then, the Consiglio de giusticia and the Ruota civile fonds were separated and the latter was summarily inventoried by Telemaco del Badia.
Around the mid-1870s, the records of Florentine judicial magistrates were all reunited and relocated according to a functional criterion that aimed to reaggregate these records in chronological order, from the Republican period to the contemporary times. These documents became part of Division VIII of the Archivio di Stato, dedicated to the administration of justice. In the early 20th century, the records were placed in Section IV, which comprised the financial and judicial archives of the Republican and Principato periods. In 1966, a flood damaged the Archivio di Stato's collections, including the Ruota civile fonds, which lost numerous units (see Restrictions, Access).
Administrative / Biographical history
The Ruota Civile derives from the Consiglio di giustizia (Council of Justice), founded on October 21, 1502. The Council was a collegial body that operated as a court of appeal. It was composed of six judges (initially, five), all foreigners and "in utroque iure" doctors. Every six months, the "podestà di Ruota", which played a prominent role within the Consiglio, was elected.
On October 21, 1532, the Consiglio was reformed and replaced by the so-called Ruota Civile court. The objective was to solve some civil justice administration problems, including the excessive duration of the cases and uncertainties on Florence and the Grand Duchy's territorial jurisdiction. However, despite the subsequent efforts to reform this system, the problems continued and were even exacerbated over time. Following the coming into power of the Lorenese dynasty, the Ruota Civile court was strengthened and reformed.
On February 28, 1772, the Ruota civile magistrate was abolished.
On October 21, 1532, the Consiglio was reformed and replaced by the so-called Ruota Civile court. The objective was to solve some civil justice administration problems, including the excessive duration of the cases and uncertainties on Florence and the Grand Duchy's territorial jurisdiction. However, despite the subsequent efforts to reform this system, the problems continued and were even exacerbated over time. Following the coming into power of the Lorenese dynasty, the Ruota Civile court was strengthened and reformed.
On February 28, 1772, the Ruota civile magistrate was abolished.
Access points: locations
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
System of arrangement
The fonds is organised in various series, whose records are arranged chronologically.
Access, restrictions
The following records are missing: 42, 154, 159, 252, 259, 264, 268, 273, 353, 533, 706, 775, 784, 866, 941, 943, 946, 948, 953- 955, 957-959, 1041, 1046, 1051, 1105, 1159, 1203, 1516, 1522-1524, 1624-1626, 1913, 1947, 2021, 2092, 2139, 2491, 2571, 2573, 2579, 2586-2587, 2590, 2592, 2594, 2598, 2615- 2616, 2627, 2733, 2879, 2888, 2895, 2902, 2905-2906, 3267, 3598, 3729, 3936, 3953, 4228- 4237, 4254, 4265, 4336-4337, 4339, 4345, 4347, 4355, 4362-4363, 4371, 4373, 4379, 4382, 4390-4392, 4394-4395, 4397, 4401-4403, 4420, 4423-4425, 4475, 4478-4479, 4487, 4491- 4493, 4504, 4506, 4509, 4511, 4513-4516, 4518-4521, 4523, 4528-4535, 4537, 4585, 4592, 4596, 4598, 4603-4604, 4691, 4826, 4831-4835. These were destroyed in the sequence of the 1966 flood: 6bis, 785, 787, 2820, 2845-2847, 2877, 2881-2882, 2889-2890, 3731, 3734-3737, 3740, 3830, 3833, 3837, 3839, 3942, 3952, 3954, 3963, 3966, 4271, 4305, 4308, 4311-4312, 4317- 4319, 4321, 4325, 4327, 4329-4330, 4332, 4341, 4343, 4346, 4348-4349, 4359, 4599-4602, 4653, 4655, 4656 parte II, 4660, 4662-4663, 4665-4668, 4670, 4672, 4677, 4680, 4682-4683, 4687-4688, 4690, 4692, 4694, 4696, 4698.
Links to finding aids
Existence and location of copies
Copy of Ruota Civile, 4802, fols. 383-392 in Archivio di Stato di Livorno, Raccolta Pachò, vol. 31, nos. 8–9.
Author of the description
Carla Vieira, 2021
Linked resources
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