Venetian [G 24 / patricians] were the watchdogs of the republic's liberty, preventing the [G 09 / doge] and each other from taking too much power. Aristocratic title could be inherited, granted for service to the state (usually in war) and occasionally bought by rich merchants. On reaching patrician status, the name of the aristocrat was solemnly inscribed in `The Golden Book.'
Despite their privileges and great palaces, which still line the canals of Venice today, the Venetian noble was a servant of the state who did not receive payment. His life was to a great extent controlled by the state: he was only permitted to wear certain clothes, required permission to travel abroad, and was not allowed to keep presents given to him while on diplomatic business for the state. If any patrician showed signs of becoming too proud or powerful in a way which endangered the liberty of the state, he was instantly accused of some trumped up crime and thrown into one of the infamous dungeons under the Doge's Palace.
Aristocratic families were keen on genealogy and when a family was in danger of dying out completely, desperate measures were sometimes sought, as in the case of the [ L3 202 / Giustinian family]. When the Republic fell in 1797, there were 1,218 noble families.
