Florence began as a Roman garrison in 59 BC, established for veteran soldiers within an area previously occupied by an Etruscan settlement. The city was built in the style of an army camp along the Via Cassia, the main route connecting Rome to the north. It sat within the fertile valley of the Arno river, which quickly transformed the military outpost into a vital commercial center. By AD 285, Florence had become the capital of the Tuscia region. Centuries later, the population plummeted during periods of Ostrogoth and Byzantine rule, dropping to as few as 1,000 people due to constant warfare. Peace returned under Lombard rule in the 6th century, allowing commerce to prosper again. Charlemagne conquered the city in 774, making it part of the March of Tuscany centered on Lucca. Margrave Hugo chose Florence as his residency around 1000 AD instead of Lucca, marking the start of the Golden Age of Florentine art. In 1100, Florence became a commune, functioning as an independent city-state. The Arno river provided power for industry, particularly textiles, and access to the Mediterranean sea for international trade. This growth fostered an industrious merchant community that would eventually dominate European finance.
The Medici Dynasty And Renaissance Power
At its demographic peak around 1325, the urban population reached 120,000, with nearly 300,000 living in the surrounding countryside. The Black Death of 1348 reduced this number by over half, leaving only about 25,000 supported by the wool industry. A strike by wool combers occurred in 1345, followed by a brief revolt known as the Revolt of the Ciompi in 1378 against oligarchic rule. Cosimo de' Medici began controlling the city from behind the scenes, wielding power through a vast patronage network and alliances with new immigrants called the gente nuova. His grandson Lorenzo took control in 1469 and was known as Lorenzo the Magnificent. He commissioned works from Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Botticelli while bringing composers like Alexander Agricola and Heinrich Isaac to the city. After Lorenzo's death in 1492, his son Piero II faced the invasion of French king Charles VIII. Piero accepted humiliating conditions which caused the Florentines to rebel and expel him in 1494. Girolamo Savonarola became prior of the San Marco monastery in 1490 and led political reforms before being hanged and burned on the Piazza della Signoria on the 23rd of May 1498. The Medici family returned to power in 1512 with help from Spanish and Papal troops. Giovanni and Giulio de' Medici later became Popes Leo X and Clement VII. Florence officially became a monarchy in 1531 when Emperor Charles named Alessandro de' Medici Duke of the Florentine Republic. Cosimo I de' Medici was named Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1569, ruling until Gian Gastone died in 1737.