The elected head of several Italian city-states (4)

I believe the answer is:

doge

(Other definitions for doge that I've seen before include "Old lord of Venice" , "Historically, the chief magistrate of Venice or Genoa" , "Venetian chief magistrate" , "Magistrate of 14 (historical)" , "Old ruler of Venice" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.

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