Back ڕاوێژکار CKB Consigliere Czech Consigliere Danish Consigliere German Κονσιλιέρι Greek Mafia Konsilisto EO Consigliere Spanish Consigliere French קונסיליירי HE Consigliere Hungarian
Consigliere (/ˌkɒnsɪliˈɛəri/ KON-sil-ee-AIR-ee,[1] Italian: [konsiʎˈʎɛːre]; plural consiglieri) is a position within the leadership structure of the Sicilian, Calabrian, and Italian-American Mafia. The word was popularized in English by the novel The Godfather (1969) and its film adaptation. In the novel, a consigliere is an advisor or counselor to the boss, with the additional responsibility of representing the boss in important meetings both within the boss's crime family and with other crime families.[2]
The consigliere is a close, trusted friend and confidant, the mob's version of an elder statesman. They are an advisor to the boss in a Mafia crime family, and sometimes their "right-hand man". By the very nature of the job, a consigliere is one of the few in the family who can argue with the boss, and is often tasked with challenging the boss when needed, to ensure subsequent plans are foolproof.[2] In some depictions, he is devoid of ambition and dispenses disinterested advices. This passive image of the consigliere does not correspond with what little is known of real-life consiglieri.[citation needed]
The boss, underboss, and consigliere constitute the top three positions and a three-man ruling panel, or "administration".[3][4]
- ^ "consigliere". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on May 21, 2020.
- ^ a b Capeci, Jerry. The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia. Indianapolis: Alpha Books, 2002. ISBN 0-02-864225-2, p. 9.
- ^ "Criminal RICO indictment against Genovese Crime Family". ipsn.org. Archived from the original on 2020-07-22. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
- ^ Garcia, Joaquin "Jack" and Michael Levin, (2008) Making Jack Falcone: An Undercover FBI Agent Takes Down a Mafia Family, p. 133. ISBN 1-4165-5163-8.