The Duchy of Tuscany, 1737-1799



In 1737 the male line of the Medici dynasty ended, and Francis of Lorraine succeeded to the throne, the husband of Maria Theresia and soon elected German Emperor (1745-1765); thus the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty was established in Florence, which would, with interruptions 1799 and 1801-1814, last until 1860.
Under Francis and his son Peter Leopold, trade was encouraged by the removal of trade barriers; privileges were cancelled, torture and the death penalty abolished (1786). The inquisition was abolished in 1782; a number of monasteries were suppressed.
The ACCADEMIA DEI GEORGOFILI, founded in 1753, became a center of enlightenment thought; CESARE BECCARIA, in Milan, argued for the abolition of the death penalty, which Tuscany was the first country in Europe to implement (1786).
Grand Duke Leopoldo and bishop Ricci of Pistoia in 1786 held a synod which passed decrees which Pope Pius condemned as Jansenist/Gallican in 1794. The synod attempted to free the Tuscan church of the influence of Rome.


Tuscany's Dukes, 1737-1799
1737-1765
1765-1790
1790-1799 		Francesco II.
Pietro I. Leopoldo
Ferdinando III.



EXTERNAL
LINKS 		Article Tuscany, from Catholic Encyclopedia, 1913 edition
Cesare Beccaria (1738-1794), from Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Cesare Beccaria, biography from criminology.fsu.edu
The Last Guillotine of the Maremma, Book Review, on the history of the death penalty in Tuscany
Article : Synod of Pistoia, from Catholic Encyclopedia, 1912 edition
History of the Order of St. Stephen (Tuscany, 1561-), from Chivalric Orders
Anno 1737 : Muore L'Ultimo Medici, from Cronologia, in Italian
Anno 1765 : Leopoldo II nel Granducato di Toscana, from Cronologia, in Italian
Anno 1767 : Leopoldo II "riillumina" la Toscana, from Cronologia, in Italian
Anno 1770 : Le Riforme di Leopoldo in Toscana, from Cronologia, in Italian
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
George Chalmers: [A] collection of treaties between Great Britain and other powers. (London 1790): vol. 2 : English Treaties with Tuscany : n.d.. The Stipulation for LECHORN to remain a FREE PORT, p.337
Cesare Beccaria, Essay on Crimes and Punishments, from Modern History Sourcebook (1764)
Cesare Beccaria, Of Crimes and Punishments, full-text edition from constitution.org, (1764) English translation printed 1819
REFERENCE


This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted in 2001; last revised on August 22nd 2002