THE CREDENCE COUNCIL

During the communal period in Ivrea the authority of law-making belonged to two Councils and two Credences, which integrated with each other and were presided by the Podestà.

Almost certainly before 1300 there were one Credence and one Council, but after it seemed better to let an increasing number of citizens take part in the enforcement of greater importance. The members of the Credence, called "Credendari", had to have Eporedian citizenship and were elected for life.

Towards the middle of 1300 there were two Credences:

  1. A General Credence, formed by 40 people.
  2. A Credence of the "Heads of the House" formed by 75 citizen representative of the "terzieri"

The General Credence was concerned with the simplest things, but, when it was to decide the town expenses, to make alliances or to declare war, it had to agree with the Credence of the Heads of the Houses.

There was also a private Council and a Council of 24 people which owned the biggest estate (it was formed by the richest families in town). The former was concerned with ordinary administration, the latter intervened in more important questions.

The General Credence had a general competence. When it had to deliberate over important matters, like peace or war, it looked for the approval of the heads of the houses; in these circumstances the two Credences got together. The deliberations of the Credence had to be respected by everybody until they were changed or cancelled. Every year at the beginning of August the Council of the Credences had to hold a meeting to decide if any reforms or additions were necessary to the statutes.

If one was necessary, they elected a commission formed of 3 or 4 "statutari" for each "terziere", and a notary, who, within 15 days, had to present the reforms and new orders written on parchment with the articles written in red (cinabro). The Credence, besides, passed the special orders of the different corporations and all the "artieri" had to swear every year to the Podestà to work in conformity with the laws. The Credence established the rates of every art and job.