Republic of Florence

At its height, the Republic of Florence spanned a territory almost equivalent to the modern-day region of Tuscany. Only Lucca and the mountains of Massa and Carrara escaped Florentine domination. The use of the term ‘Republic’ is perhaps somewhat misleading in the case of Florence. Though hereditary rule ended the Republic only later in the 17th century, the Medici Family alone dominated the politics and direction of the state.

This family, more than anything, defined the politics, culture, and course of the Tuscan Renaissance. Their patronage is responsible for the great works of art that line our history books and the great monuments that tower above the city. To explore the lands of Florence is to explore the Medici legacy, and to understand it is to understand the origins of the European Renaissance.

The region shown here is Florence around 1450, with some liberties taken to simplify the political situation. It does not include territories outside of Tuscany, and I exclude exclaves or allied states such as Montepulciano, which geographically do not align. There are still some notable exceptions.

• The port city of Livorno is a Florentine city, designed and built to replace Pisa as the main Tuscan port. It was, however, largely destroyed in WWII.
• Lucca would have controlled substantially more land in the direction of Pistoia, but this was lost to Florence by the end of the 15th century.
• The region of Tuscany was once full of lakes and marshlands that helped delineate historical borders. For example, the Chiana Valley near Montepulciano was irrigated under Roman rule but became an impassible, disease-ridden swamp by the Middle Ages. It served to divide the Sienese and Florentine states. Drained by the 18th century, today hardly any trace of it remains.
• Florence controlled much of the Serchio Valley at various points, but to simplify the map, I gave it all to Lucca, as did the planners of Modern Italy.