Most Serene Republic

Most Serene Republic (Template:Langx; Template:Langx; Polish: Najjaśniejsza Rzeczpospolita) is a title attached to a number of European states through history. By custom, the appellation "Most Serene" is an indicator of sovereignty (see also Serene Highness or Most Serene Highness for a sovereign prince). When used in the past, the title "Most Serene Republic" emphasized the sovereignty of the republic.

Modern states

Currently, no country officially calls itself a "Most Serene Republic": Only two modern independent nations are still sometimes referred to by this style: San Marino, officially "the Republic of San Marino" (Template:Langx).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Poland, while officially "the Republic of Poland" (Template:Langx), is also at times called "the Most Serene Republic of Poland" (Polish: Najjaśniejsza Rzeczpospolita).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Historical states

• The Most Serene Republic of Venice (Template:Langx; Template:Langx), a city-state that existed from 697 to 1797 based in the city of Venice with continuously controlled territory along the eastern Adriatic and Greece at its strongest period. The phrase Template:Lang ("The Most Serene") was also popularly used as a specific reference to the Venetian government or state authorities.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• The Most Serene Republic of Genoa (Template:Langx; Template:Langx), an independent state based in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast from Template:Circa to 1805. After using the plain title of "Republic" for a long time, the honorific "Most Serene" was added after the election of the first Doge of Genoa (1339). Even so, to distinguish their government from its ancient rival to the east, the Genoese rarely used the "Most Serene" designation, opting more frequently for the appellation "Superb Republic" (Template:Langx), a nickname allegedly coined by Petrarch in 1358.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• The Most Serene Republic of Lucca (Template:Langx), a city-state that existed from 1119 to 1799 based in the city of Lucca, in northern Tuscany, Italy. Lucca was the third largest Italian city state (after Venice and Genoa) with a republican constitution (Template:Lang) to remain independent over the centuries.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (the Most Serene Commonwealth of Both Nations; Template:Langx; Template:Langx), an elective monarchy in Central and Eastern Europe, existing from 1569 until 1795.<ref name="Ferrand">Template:Cite book</ref>

See also

• Serene Highness