Senior government official of the city states of Venice or Genoa (4)

I believe the answer is:

doge

(Other definitions for doge that I've seen before include "Former title of the chief magistrate in Venice" , "Old Italian chief magistrate" , "Old chief magistrate in Venice and Genoa" , "Old lord of Venice" , "Title of former ruler of Venice" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.