1574-1621 1670-1737






The Duchy of Tuscany, 1621-1670



In 1621 Duke Ferdinando II. (-1670) succeeded to the throne. Galileo Galilei had been among his tutors, and the Duke protected him during his trial; Duke Ferdinando was an avid reader with a wide range of interests. He continued the Medici tradition, patronizing the arts and sciences. In 1657 the Accademia del Cimento (academy of experiments) was established. Although it disintegrated already in 1667, it produced some remarkable achievements, among them the invention of the barometer by Evangelista Torricelli.
In the 1630es Duke Ferdinand, in an attempt to keep the power in Italy balanced between Spain and France, repeatedly switched his support. Toward the Papal State he pursued a policy avoiding conflict.
Ferdinando's son and heir Cosimo III. in 1661 was married to a French princess, Marguerite-Louise d'Orleans, a relative of Louis XIV.; the marriage de facto was an alliance with France.






EXTERNAL
LINKS 		Article Tuscany, from Catholic Encyclopedia, 1913 edition
History of the Order of St. Stephen (Tuscany, 1561-), from Chivalric Orders
Accademia del Cimento, from University of Sydney
Biography of Ferdinando II., from The Florence Art Guide
The Trial of Galileo Galilei, 1633, from Famous Trials
Biography of Evangelista Torricelli, from Catholic Encyclopedia, 1912 edition
Biography of Galileo Galilei, from Catholic Encyclopedia, 1909 edition
From the 16th century to Napoleon, from Tuscan Archipelago
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
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.


This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted on September 28th 2002, last revised on March 17th 2006

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