Florence
Palazzo Vecchio in Florence (1299 AD):
the town hall of medieval Florence
Like nearby Genoa, Florence got its independence when the Holy Roman Empire lost power over Italy about 1000 AD. By 1059, Florence was able to rebuild its Christian baptistry in a beautiful Romanesque style. By 1115, Florence established a republican system of government where many men (though not women) had some voting rights.
Most of the 1200s in Florence saw intense fighting between two rival political groups, the Guelphs and the Ghibellines. The poet Dante was exiled from Florence for being a Guelph. In the late 1200s, Florence began building a big new cathedral.
Florence did even better after Genoa defeated Pisa, very near Florence and a major rival, in 1284 AD. In 1293, Florence's government passed new laws protecting the rights of the citizens.
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Like all the other cities in Eurasia, Florence suffered terribly from the bubonic plague of 1348. In 1406, with Genoa losing control of its possessions, Florence got control of Pisa.
High Medieval Italy
Early Medieval Italy
Late medieval Italy
Main medieval history page
