Ferdinand III returned to the throne
Ferdinand III returned to the throne The Palio in Siena in honor of Francis II and Maria Theresa, daughter of Charles VI. Francis ascended directly after expulsion the medicine of the throne in Florence. He was a medium-long prince and for Tuscany he is really only important because Leopold I was his son.
The Romans called the ancestors of the present inhabitants of Tuscany Tusci or Etrusci and the Greeks called them Tyrrhenoi. The area that used to be in the sphere of influence of this ancient culture was many times larger than the present province; most centers of the Tusci even lie outside the provincial borders. The then Etruria lay between the rivers Arno and Tiber and also included large parts of the provinces of Umbria and Latium, but not the present provinces of Massa Carrara and Lucca, which were then ruled by the Ligurians.
After Herodotus, the Etruscan people fled from Lydia shortly after the Trojan War. According to other theories, the Etruscans are descendants of pirates from the Tyrrheinian and Pelagie Seas. Livy claimed that the Etruscans came to the peninsula from the other side of the Alps. In recent decades it has been assumed that the inhabitants of Tuscany are descended from original inhabitants and emigrants from the Orient. The cultural superiority of the socially highly developed Etruscan people in the 7th century BC was great, at that time the rich and powerful aristocracy was already able to import goods of gold, silver, ivory and bronze from the Orient, Greece and Egypt.
The downfall of this civilization, the direct result of the rise of the Roman Empire, meant the definitive destruction of a society about which unfortunately not much is known today. Only on the basis of archaeological excavations, historical reports from enemies and certain historians can we form an image of how the society of that time must have functioned. Etruscan cities such as Vetulonia, Populonia, Volterra and Arezzo were city-states, comparable to the Greek 'polis', and ruled over the surrounding regions. Because the relations between cities were usually bad, it was not difficult for the Romans to conquer these areas.
Symbolic of the triumph of Rome and the demotion of Etruria to one of the many Roman provinces was the construction of two military roads: the Via Aurelia on the coast ran to Luni, while the Via Cassia in the interior connected the cities of Bolsena, Chiusi and Arezzo and ended in Fiesole. A third road, the Via Clodia, reached deep into the Etruscan hinterland and also had a connection with the Via Aurelia. This road layout can still be found in present-day Tuscany. Far from these roads, the Romans built their military bases, which would later develop into major military and cultural centres.
The cities of Lucca, Pistoia, Florence and Pisa still have the structure of a Roman castrum, with the main roads laid out from north to south and from east to west. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476, Etruria was so weakened by the many invasions of Theodoric and the wars between the Ostrogoths and Byzantium that in the middle of the 2nd century the Lombards were able to invade this area without encountering much resistance. And it was precisely this decline that simultaneously meant the rebirth of Tuscany.
During the long rule of the Lombards, which only ended in 774, the city of Lucca in particular gained much influence, because the ducal seat was established here and a connection to the Po Valley was created by the construction of the Cisa Pass. It was during the same period that the city of Pisa developed into a trading power.
During the reign of Charlemagne, the power of the bishops, who often held both secular and spiritual power at the same time, was increased. The Carolingians were mainly responsible for the construction of fortresses in the area and after the year 1000 the region really came to a bloci. Churches sprang up like mushrooms during this period. A competition arose as to who could build the largest church, the most visited monastery or the most beautiful chapel. The small parishes also played an important role in this outside interference became almost impossible.
An important date is 1537, when Cosimo I became head of the family; he was the first of the family to receive the title of Grand Duke of Tuscany. This was a very important development politically, because for the first time the city states were no longer in charge, but one ruler had the say in the entire area. Cosimo I remained in power for almost forty years and ruled his Tuscany with an iron fist. The many reforms and the political unity contributed to his great power. However, he also ensured that the administrative apparatus was simplified and that all inhabitants were treated equally before the law.
A strong personality like Cosimo I makes all his successors pale in comparison. His son Francesco Maria was above all a great lover of the pleasures at court and pursued an extremely lenient policy towards Spain. His brother Ferdinand was first a cardinal but returned to the laity in order to be able to rule. He received much support from France.
Ferdinand was particularly important because of his contribution to the development of Livorno and because the draining of the Tuscan marshes began under his reign. The attempts to remove Tuscany from Spanish influence continued under Cosimo II, while the reign of Ferdinand II has gone down in history as a period of severe catastrophes: famine, plague and rapid economic decline.
Only Livorno Vorno was able to escape the malaise, because it was in the fortunate possession of a large, open port. The end of the Medici era was hastened by this misery. After the death of Grand Duke Gian Gastone in 1737, Tuscany became part of the Habsburg Empire, ruled by Emperor Francis I. With this the turbulent period of the Medici ended; the great prosperity of Tuscany was followed by a period of decline.
The period of the Grand Duchy under the rule of this family did not do Tuscany any good, even though some brilliant personalities were at power. Ferdinand II offered protection to Galileo after his condemnation, founded the Palatine Library and collected innumerable art treasures that can still be seen today in the Palazzo Pitti and the Uffizi.
During the reign of Cosimo I, the University of Pisa flourished and the universities of Florence and Siena produced great scholars. Under Archduke Leopold (1747-1792), the son of Francis I, the economy of Tuscany improved again. The only eighteen-year-old monarch had Cosimo I as a shining example.
He had gathered around him a select circle of advisors such as Pompeo Neri, Angelo Tavanti and Francesco Maria Gianni, who were partly responsible for the free market economy, which was able to fully develop under Leopold. In the Maremma, the Val di Chiana and the area around Pisa, large areas of land began to be cultivated; canals were dug and the port of Castiglione della Pescaia was restructured. It would be a great success for any Tuscan who dared to live and work in these newly developed areas, especially since financial aid was generously provided.
The infrastructure was modernized with the opening of new mountain passes in the Apennines, the judicial system and the administrative apparatus were reorganized and the death penalty was abolished. In this relatively short period of 25 years, Leopold tried to transform Tuscany into a modern region. During his reign, agriculture was also reorganized by the distribution of the Medici farmlands among small farmers. Tuscany became a country of many small landowners. While his attempts to abolish the guilds were successful, he failed to revive the ailing industrial branch of old crafts. The culmination of all reforms was the adoption of the new constitution, drawn up by Francesco Maria Gianni.
When Archduke Leopold became Emperor of Austria, his son Ferdinand III succeeded him in 1790 as ruler of Tuscany. In this turbulent time Ferdinand III tried to remain politically neutral, but he could not prevent Napoleon from conquering northern Italy and thus Tuscany in 1796. In 1799 French troops invaded the Grand Duchy of Lucca; the aristocratic republic ceased to exist and a provisional government was established.
After Ferdinand III's flight, the same happened in Florence. This was a dark period in Tuscan history in which the people spoke out in favor of a return to the old situation. In Siena, pyres were set up to burn Jacobin supporters. The revolt of the Sanfedists brought the Grand Duke back to the throne and shortly afterwards Austrian troops put an end to all the unrest.
After the Peace of Lunéville, however, Tuscany fell into the hands of the Bourbons of Parma. Napoleon carried out many economic and agricultural reforms in the new 'Kingdom of Etruria'; the province came completely under French influence. Some time later, Napoleon's rule came to an end and in 1815 the Congress of Vienna restored order in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.
Due to all sorts of complications with legacies and hereditary issues, this did not go smoothly. Ferdinand III returned to the throne. Due to his family ties with the Austrian court, he was bound by strict rules regarding foreign policy. Domestic policy ensured order and peace, through the good understanding between the sovereign prince and his subjects.
In these years, the Gabinetto Viessieux was also created, which, in addition to the Accademia dei Georgofili, had a great influence on the spiritual life in Italy. The Gabinet-to Viessieux was mainly concerned with innovations in the religious field.
The Palio in Siena in honor of Francis II and Maria Theresa, daughter of Charles VI. Francis ascended directly after expulsion the medicine of the throne in Florence.
Leopold II was grand duke from 1824 and developed into a mild and tolerant ruler; his grand duchy became a refuge for patriots in exile who in turn ensured peace and order in his country. Under Leopold II, the draining of marshes was tackled again, the iron mines were the island of Elba was reopened and the Duchy of Lucca joined Tuscany in 1847.
As freedom of the press was introduced, Tuscany was given an independent status and officially participated in the wars of independence, the borders of the Grand Duchy opened up more and more. However, domestic radicals and the revolt of Livorno forced Leopold to live in exile in Gaeta. The good understanding between the Grand Duke and his subjects was disrupted.
In 1859, Leopold officially abdicated and left Tuscany disillusioned. Under the royal house of Piedmont, the various states of the peninsula united into one Italy. In 1860, Tuscany joined the kingdom of Victor Emmanuel II. Florence was the capital of Italy from 1865 to 1871 the main city of Italy.
The Palio in Siena in honor of Francis II and Maria Theresa, daughter of Charles VI. Francis ascended directly after expulsion the medicine of the throne in Florence. He was a medium-long prince and for Tuscany he is really only important because Leopold I was his son.
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