Duchy of Florence
Duchy of Florence Ducato di Firenze (Italian) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1532–1569 | |||||||||||
 Coat of arms
| |||||||||||
Alessandro | |||||||||||
• 1537–1569 | Cosimo I | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
• Established | 1532 | ||||||||||
• Battle of Marciano | 1554 | ||||||||||
• Elevated to Grand Duchy | 1569 | ||||||||||
| Currency | Florin | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
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The Duchy of Florence (
Alessandro de' Medici as Duke of the Florentine Republic, thereby transforming the Republic of Florence into a hereditary monarchy.[1]
The second Duke,
Grand Duke of Tuscany. The Medici ruled the Grand Duchy of Tuscany until 1737.[2]
Origins and Constitution
Florence had been under informal
Medici control since 1434.[3] During the War of the League of Cognac, the Florentines rebelled against the Medici, then represented by Ippolito de' Medici, and restored the freedom of their republic.[4] Following the Republic's surrender in the Siege of Florence, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor issued a proclamation explicitly stating that he and he alone could determine the government of Florence.[5] On 12 August 1530, the Emperor created the Medici hereditary rulers (capo) of the Republic of Florence.[6]
Alessandro de' Medici[a] to be the ruler of Florence, but also wanted to give the impression that the Florentines had democratically chosen Alessandro as their ruler.[6] The title "Duke of Florence" was chosen because it would bolster Medici power in the region. In April 1532, the Pope convinced the Balía, Florence's ruling commission, to draw up a new constitution, which formally created a hereditary monarchy. It abolished the age-old signoria (elective government) and the office of gonfaloniere
(titular head-of-state elected for a two-month term) and replaced it with three institutions:
- the consigliere, a four-man council elected for a three-month term, headed by the "Duke of the Florentine Republic".
- the Senate, composed of forty-eight men, chosen by the Balía, was vested with the prerogative of determining Florence's financial, security, and foreign policies. Additionally, the senate appointed the commissions of war and public security, and the governors of Pisa, Arezzio, Prato, Voltera and Cortona and ambassadors.[8]
- the Council of Two Hundred was a petitions court; membership was for life.
Alessandro's Reign
Even after Alessandro's accession, Imperial troops remained stationed in Florence. In 1535, several prominent Florentine families, including the
Pazzi Conspiracy) dispatched a delegation under Ippolito de' Medici, asking Charles V to depose Alessandro. Much to their dismay, the Emperor rejected their appeal. Charles had no intention of deposing Alessandro, who was married to Charles' daughter Margaret of Parma
.
Alessandro continued to rule Florence for another two years until he was murdered on 1 January 1537 by his distant relative Lorenzino de' Medici.
Cosimo's accession and rule
As Alessandro left no legitimate issue, the question of succession was open. Florentine authorities selected
Cosimo I in 1537.[9] At the news of this, the exiled Strozzi family invaded and tried to depose Cosimo, but were defeated at Montemurlo.[10]
Cosimo completely overhauled the bureaucracy and administration of Florence. In 1542, the Imperial troops stationed in Florence by Charles V were withdrawn.
In 1548, Cosimo was given
Pius V
. Medici rule continued into the Grand Duchy of Tuscany until the family became extinct in 1737.
Notes
- Lorenzo II, Duke of Urbino, though some historians suggest that Clement himself was the father.[7]
References
- ^ Goudriaan 2018, p. 8–9.
- ^ "Grand Duchy of Tuscany | Overview, History & Significance". study.com. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
- ^ Crum & Paoletti 2008, p. 44.
- ^ Fletcher 2016, p. 38-41.
- ^ Hale 2001, p. 118.
- ^ a b Hale 2001, p. 119.
- ^ Fletcher 2016, p. 16,280-81.
- ^ Hale 2001, p. 121.
- ^ Langdon 2006, p. 34.
- ^ Landon 2013, p. 74.
- ^ Hattendorf & Unger 2003, p. 172.
- ^ a b van Veen 2013, p. 190.
Sources
- Crum, Roger J.; Paoletti, John T., eds. (2008). Renaissance Florence: A Social History. Cambridge University Press.
- Fletcher, Catherine (2016). The Black Prince of Florence: The Spectacular Life and Treacherous World of Alessandro de' Medici. Bodley Head.
- Goudriaan, Elisa (2018). Florentine Patricians and Their Networks: Structures Behind the Cultural Success and the Political Representation of the Medici Court (1600-1660). Brill.
- ISBN 1-84212-456-0.
- Hattendorf, John B.; Unger, Richard W., eds. (2003). War at Sea in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The Boydell Press.
- Landon, William J. (2013). Lorenzo di Filippo Strozzi and Niccolo Machiavelli. University of Toronto Press.
- Langdon, Gabrielle (2006). Medici Women: Portraits of Power, Love and Betrayal from the Court of Duke Cosimo I. University of Toronto Press.
- van Veen, Henk Th. (2013). Cosimo I De' Medici and His Self-Representation in Florentine Art and Culture. Cambridge University Press.
External links
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