 |
 |
 |
 |
1574-1621 |
| The Duchy of Tuscany, 1532-1574 |
On May 1st 1532, Alessandro de Medici, Capo della Repubblica since 1530, assumed the title of Duke of Florence. In 1537 he was succeeded by Cosimo I. (-1574), who in 1569 was elevated to Grand Duke of Tuscany. He constructed Cosmopoli on Elba, on the ruins of Ferraia, a city sacked by Barbary Coast pirates. In 1557 Cosimo purchased the Republic of Siena - occupied by the Spanish, who conquered the capital after a long siege in 1555 - from the Spanish. Spain only held on to the important Sienese ports, from then onward known as the Stato dei Presidii, administrated as an annex to the (Spanish) Kingdom of Naples.
On October 28th 1533, Caterina de Medici, Duchess of Urbino was married to Duke Henri of Orleans, heir apparent of the French throne and future King Henri II. The ceremony was conducted by Pope Clement VII.
Duke Alessandro's policy was to abolish institutions and symbols reminiscent of the republic; he was perceived by many Florentines as a tyrant. A delegation of Florentine citizens raised numerous complaints against the duke at the Imperial court; in vain, the Emperor continued his support for Alessandro. In 1537, Alessandro then fell victim to an assassination plot.
Succession was decided upon by the Palleschi; the choice fell upon Cosimo de Medici.
Duke Cosimo I. (1537-1574) stabilized Medici rule over Florence; his elevation to Grand Duke of Tuscany (1569) served to erase another reminiscence of Florence's republican past. He foiled an attempt of Florentine exiles, the Fuorusciti, to oust him (1537), succeeded in having the Spanish troops withdrawn from Tuscany (1543). Cosimo extended his power by abolishing the Signoria. In the Treaty of Cateau-Cambresis (1559), King Philip II. of Spain confirmed the Florentine purchase and annexation of Siena. Cosimo had a Tuscan fleet built, which, together with the fleets of Spain, Venice and the Papal State, fought in the naval Battle of Lepanto (1571).
In true Medici tradition, Cosimo I. promoted the arts; his architect Giorgio Vasari built the Uffizi (begun in 1559)
|
EXTERNAL LINKS |
Article Tuscany, from Catholic Encyclopedia, 1913 edition History of the Order of St. Stephen (Tuscany, 1561-), from Chivalric Orders Biography of Cosimo I. de Medici, from The Florence Art Guide Biography of Giorgio Vasari, from The Florence Art Guide Biography of Alessandro de Medici, from PBS : Famous Families The Jews and the Medici, from Jewish Virtual Library From the 16th century to Napoleon, from Tuscan Archipelago Lo Stato dei Presidi, from Argentario, in Italian History of Siena, from Web Gallery of Art History of Piombino, from Infotel Genealogy of the Boncompagni-Ludovisi Family (Princes of Piombino), from Chivalric Orders E. Armstrong, Tuscany and Savoy, (in the later half of the 16th century), posted by MATEO |
| DOCUMENTS |
Heraldry in Tuscany, from heraldica.com Tuscany, historical flags, from FOTW List of Grand Dukes of Tuscany, from World Statesmen : Italian States to 1860 by Ben Cahoon; Rulers of Tuscany, from euweb.cz Portrait of Cosimo I. de Medici, from Virtual Museums : Uffizi Relief featuring the Florentine victory over Siena, from Web Gallery of Art |
| REFERENCE |
History of Italian Regions : Tuscany, from History Book Reviews Christopher Hibbert, The House of Medici, its Rise and Fall, New York : Morrow Quill 1980, 364 pp. Eric Cochrane, Florence in the Forgotten Centuries, 1527-1800, Chicago : UP 1973, 593 pp. |
|
This page is part of World History at KMLA First posted on September 29th 2002, last revised on March 17th 2006 Click here to go Home Click here to go to Information about KMLA, WHKMLA, the author and webmaster Click here to go to Statistics |
