The Doge of Venice (derived from Latin dux; 'leader'); often mistranslated Duke (the Italian word for duke is 'Duca') was the chief magistrate and leader of the Most Serene Republic of Venice for over a thousand years. Doges of Venice were elected for life by the city-state's aristocracy. Commonly the person selected as Doge was the shrewdest elder in the city.

Contrary to popular belief the doge was not a duke in the modern sense; nor was a doge the equivalent of a hereditary duke. The doge was the senior-most elected official of Venice and Genoa; both cities were republics and elected doges. A doge was referred to variously by the titles 'My Lord the Doge' (Monsignor el Doxe); 'Most Serene Prince' (Serenissimo Principe); and 'His Serenity' (Sua Serenit?.