You are here: > >

Historical Timeline

Leaning Tower of Pisa

Michelangelo's David

Date	Event
753 BC	Romulus founded Rome
700 BC	The first evidence of the Etruscans in Central Italy in late 8th Century BC
650 BC	Occupation of the Latin country by the Etruscans
500 BC	Rome governed by sovereigns from Etruria (Tarquin dynasty)
509 BC	Beginning of the decline of Tuscan power and the founding of the Roman Republic
500 BC	The growth of an Etruscan colony at Fiesole in the hills above Florence
295 BC	Volterra conquered by the Romans
265 BC	Fall of Volsinii (now Orvieto) marks the end of Etruscan independence
205 BC	The Romans establish control over Tuscany
59 BC	Florence is established as a colony for retired Roman army veterans following laws made by Julius Caesar
20 BC	Siena is founded as a Roman military outpost
AD 250	Eastern monks and merchants bring Christianity to Florence
AD 552	Totila the Goth leads a Barbarian army against Florence
AD 568	The Lombards from northern Europe conquer much of northern Italy and establish a base in Lucca
AD 800	Charlemagne defeats the Lombards and is crowned Holy Roman Emperor. Tuscany is ruled from Lucca by imperial princes known as Margraves
AD 1115	Matilda, the last Margrave, leaves her territories to the Papacy with the exception of Lucca, Florence and Siena
AD 1125	Florence defeats and absorbs Fiesole
AD 1215	There are conflicts between the Holy Roman Empire and the Papacy (Ghibellines and Guelphs)
AD 1252	Florence becomes prosperous through the textile trade and mints the first gold Florin (Fiorino)
AD 1260	Siena defeats Florence at the Battle of Montaperti
AD 1302	Dante is exiled form Florence and begins writing ‘The Divine Comedy’
AD 1348	The Black detah ravages Tuscany and leads to economic collapse
AD 1350	The Leaning Tower of Pisa is completed
AD 1360	Birth of Giovanni di Bicci de’ Medici, founder of the Medici banking empire
AD 1389	Birth of Cosimo de’ Medici, the greatest and best known member of the Medici dynasty
AD 1406	Florence defeats Pisa and gains access to the sea
AD 1434	Beginning of the Medici oligarchy in Florence, and the arrival of Cosimo the Elder in power
AD 1436	Brunelleschi completes work on Florence’s cathedral dome
AD 1469	Birth of Machiavelli
AD 1475	Birth of Michelangelo. Donatello sculpts 'David'
AD 1485	Botticelli paints 'The birth of Venus'
AD 1494	Florence surrenders to Charles VIII of France and Savonarola, a zealous monk, seizes control of the city
AD 1498	Savonarola is burned at the stake for heresy and Florence briefly becomes a republic
AD 1504	Michelangelo sculpts 'David'
AD 1512	Combined Papal an Spanish armies defeat Florence and return the Medici to power
AD 1537	Cosimo I, a Medici, rules Florence as a Spanish and Austrian puppet
AD 1569	Cosimo I founds the Grand Duchy of Tuscany
AD 1743	The death of the last Medici sees Florence and the Grand Duchy pass to Austrian control
AD 1799	Napoleon defeats Austria and occupies Florence
AD 1815	After Napoleon’s defeat, most of Tuscany is returned by treaty to the Austrians
AD 1860	The Austrians are defeated and Tuscany joins a united Italy
AD 1861	Victor Emmanuel II of Savoy proclaimed king of Italy with the capital in Turin
AD 1865	Florence is the capital of the united Italy until 1871, when Rome is freed from French and Papal rule
AD 1944	Much of the Florentine and Tuscan towns and art treasures are damaged by the retreating Nazis and by Allied bombing. Florence liberated by the Allies on 12^th August 1944
AD 1946	2nd June Italy became a Republic with Tuscany voting massively in favour
AD 1948	Italy divided into 20 self-governing administrative regions. Tuscany sub-divided into 9 provinces; Arezzo, Florence, Grosseto, Livorno, Lucca, Massa-Carrara, Pisa, Pistoia and Siena
AD 1966	Following 40 days of rain the river Arno bursts its banks and much of Florence is flooded
AD 1994	Province of Prato added to the nine existing provinces
AD 1996	Florence hosts the G7 summit