I consoli: incunaboli del Comune?

Where does the name given to the first leaders of the communes come from? The word ‘consul’ had an ancient tradition and undisputed prestige. In the High Middle Ages, however, in Italy it was used to define certain positions or local dignitaries, but only in cities with a Byzantine tradition. In the rest of Europe, the word was used as a synonym for ‘count’. By linking cultural contexts with political projects, a hypothesis has been put forward about the revival of the term in Italian cities from the end of the 11th century onwards.