Salvatore Riina and the title of "Boss of all Bosses"

[B.]

Human beings love the idea of hierarchy and succession. Even when there isn't one, we like to imagine there's a hierarchy, and then a hierarchy within the hierarchy, that so-and-so succeeded so-and-so, this other guy is the real "power behind the throne", etc. It probably goes back to the days when everything revolved around kings and emperors. It throws a wrench in mob journalists' and authors' narratives when things aren't straightforward and linear, and on here it really fucks up our lists and charts.

[aleksandrored]

Another idea is also that Riina manipulated things, in a statement of a mouse he said that the Corleonesi charmed everyone, where the old will die and the new ones take over, only that in the end when the new ones took over they saw that it was all illusion and that were only manipulated by Riina.

[Dwalin2014]

The point that Aleksandrored is making is that there was/is no OFFICIAL title of "Boss of Bosses." He didn't deny that Riina was a powerful Mafioso, only that the title "Boss of Bosses" is a media invention.

but in sicily there was the title of 'regional boss' , who was the boss of the regional commission formed by all provincial bosses from palermo, agrigento, trapani, caltanissetta and catania/eastern sicily, it's like to be the boss of bosses

Yes, there was a regional boss and a provincial boss, but no single boss over all the provinces and all the regions called "capo dei capi"

There can't be a boss over different regions since Cosa Nostra has only 1 region (Sicily). The regional boss can be only 1: the chairman of the regional commission that includes the provincial bosses. Although I am not sure whether after Riina the chairman of the commission in Sicily has effective power or is it just a "formal/decorative" status like it was in the USA.

[dannymac]

was rinna still in control when first imprisoned or did provenzano takeover straight away when rinna was arrested?

[motorfab]

was rinna still in control when first imprisoned or did provenzano takeover straight away when rinna was arrested?

Given that Provenzano did not have the same methods at all and that Riina was in total isolation in prison anyway, Provenzano took control of the organization

[Antiliar]

The point that Aleksandrored is making is that there was/is no OFFICIAL title of "Boss of Bosses." He didn't deny that Riina was a powerful Mafioso, only that the title "Boss of Bosses" is a media invention.

but in sicily there was the title of 'regional boss' , who was the boss of the regional commission formed by all provincial bosses from palermo, agrigento, trapani, caltanissetta and catania/eastern sicily, it's like to be the boss of bosses

Yes, there was a regional boss and a provincial boss, but no single boss over all the provinces and all the regions called "capo dei capi"

There can't be a boss over different regions since Cosa Nostra has only 1 region (Sicily). The regional boss can be only 1: the chairman of the regional commission that includes the provincial bosses. Although I am not sure whether after Riina the chairman of the commission in Sicily has effective power or is it just a "formal/decorative" status like it was in the USA.

Regional boss and provincial boss are essentially synonyms. "Regional" can also refer to a specific territory like a capo mandamento. Regional doesn't equate to an official government entity.

[Dwalin2014]

The point that Aleksandrored is making is that there was/is no OFFICIAL title of "Boss of Bosses." He didn't deny that Riina was a powerful Mafioso, only that the title "Boss of Bosses" is a media invention.

but in sicily there was the title of 'regional boss' , who was the boss of the regional commission formed by all provincial bosses from palermo, agrigento, trapani, caltanissetta and catania/eastern sicily, it's like to be the boss of bosses

Yes, there was a regional boss and a provincial boss, but no single boss over all the provinces and all the regions called "capo dei capi"

There can't be a boss over different regions since Cosa Nostra has only 1 region (Sicily). The regional boss can be only 1: the chairman of the regional commission that includes the provincial bosses. Although I am not sure whether after Riina the chairman of the commission in Sicily has effective power or is it just a "formal/decorative" status like it was in the USA.

Regional boss and provincial boss are essentially synonyms. "Regional" can also refer to a specific territory like a capo mandamento. Regional doesn't equate to an official government entity.

But what is the correct term to indicate the chairman of the regional commission? A capo mandamento only controls a limited territory of a province, usually 3 families if I remember correctly.

[scagghiuni]

Regional boss and provincial boss are essentially synonyms. "Regional" can also refer to a specific territory like a capo mandamento. Regional doesn't equate to an official government entity.

no, they are two different ranks
the regional boss is the chairman of the regional commission the highest level of Cosa Nostra, the boss of bosses in other words
the provincial boss is the boss of a province (palermo, trapani etc.)
the capomandamento is the boss of 3 or more families and a member of the provincial commission

[Antiliar]

I've seen people use the term "regional boss" in different ways. Maybe they are incorrect, but the usage is flexible.

This Wikipedia article may answer your question. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicilian_Mafia_Commission

It gives the title of "chairman" to people like Riina, although I'm not certain that's a title that the Mafia bosses themselves use. It's possible, since the American Commission had a chairman, but the American chairman had no more power than anyone else. Salvatore Greco first segretario (secretary) or rappresentante regionale, according to Buscetta, and the chart on the Wiki page lists him as a chairman.

The regional boss who heads the regional commission isn't the boss over all of Sicily, only western Sicily. Excludes Catania, Messina, Ragusa, Syragusa.

[scagghiuni]

I've seen people use the term "regional boss" in different ways. Maybe they are incorrect, but the usage is flexible.

This Wikipedia article may answer your question. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicilian_Mafia_Commission

It gives the title of "chairman" to people like Riina, although I'm not certain that's a title that the Mafia bosses themselves use. It's possible, since the American Commission had a chairman, but the American chairman had no more power than anyone else. Salvatore Greco first segretario (secretary) or rappresentante regionale, according to Buscetta, and the chart on the Wiki page lists him as a chairman.

The regional boss who heads the regional commission isn't the boss over all of Sicily, only western Sicily. Excludes Catania, Messina, Ragusa, Syragusa.

the regional boss was the the boss over all sicily
the regional commission included the provincial bosses of palermo, agrigento, trapani, caltanissetta, enna and catania... messina/siracusa/ragusa families are only a few and answered to catania in the commission
every western province had a provincial commission formed by all capimandamento of a province (for example palermo)

[Dwalin2014]

Salvatore Greco first segretario (secretary) or rappresentante regionale, according to Buscetta, and the chart on the Wiki page lists him as a chairman.

In the book "Gli uomini del disonore" by Pino Arlacchi based on the information by Antonino Calderone, it's said that the regional commission chairman in the 1950s was Andrea Fazio from Trapani

https://books.google.it/books?id=ekML4A ... 22&f=false

Salvatore Greco was the boss of the Palermo province, but probably wasn't the regional commission chairman, or did he succeed Fazio?

[Antiliar]

I don't know. There's a lot of gaps in our knowledge.

[Confederate]

Regional boss and provincial boss are essentially synonyms. "Regional" can also refer to a specific territory like a capo mandamento. Regional doesn't equate to an official government entity.

no, they are two different ranks
the regional boss is the chairman of the regional commission the highest level of Cosa Nostra, the boss of bosses in other words
the provincial boss is the boss of a province (palermo, trapani etc.)
the capomandamento is the boss of 3 or more families and a member of the provincial commission

Tommaso Buscetta "testified" there was no official "Boss of Bosses". You know what, I would go with his statement. lol

[scagghiuni]

Tommaso Buscetta "testified" there was no official "Boss of Bosses". You know what, I would go with his statement. lol

there was not the rank of 'boss of bosses/capo dei capi', but the regional commission chariman was a sort of boss of bosses

[Confederate]

Tommaso Buscetta "testified" there was no official "Boss of Bosses". You know what, I would go with his statement. lol

there was not the rank of 'boss of bosses/capo dei capi', but the regional commission chariman was a sort of boss of bosses

Toto Riina was a greedy crazy animal who did more harm to the Sicilian Mafia than anybody else. The ONLY people who thought of him as "Boss Of Bosses" were the Corleonesi.