The ''Duca della Repubblica Fiorentina'', rendered in English as Duke of the Florentine Republic or Duke of the Republic of Florence, was a title created in 1532 by

Pope Clement VII Pope Clement VII (; ; born Giulio di Giuliano de' Medici; 26 May 1478 – 25 September 1534) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 November 1523 to his death on 25 September 1534. Deemed "the most unfortunate o ...

for the Medici family (his own family), which ruled the Republic of Florence. There were effectively only two dukes of the Republic of Florence, Alessandro de' Medici and Cosimo de' Medici, the second duke being elevated to

Grand Duke of Tuscany Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor Places * Grand, Oklahoma, USA * Grand, Vosges, village and commune in France with Gallo-Roman amphitheatre * Grand County (disambiguation), se ...

, causing the Florentine title to become subordinate to the greater Tuscan title.Strathern, Paul. ''The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance''. Vintage Publishers: London.

History

In 1532,

, who was born Giulio di Giuliano de' Medici, appointed Alessandro de' Medici as duke over the Republic of Florence, the Medici family having acted as ''de facto'' rulers over the city of Florence since 1434 when Cosimo "the Elder" de' Medici (also known by his supporters as ''Pater Patriae'', or "Father of the Country"), returned to the city from his short-lived exile in the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

by the Alberti and Strozzi families who were also political rivals of the Medici family. The duchy would bolster Medici power and influence in the region, which had just a few years prior been restored by

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (as Charles I) from 1516 to 1556, and Lord of the Netherlands as titular Duke of Burgundy (as Charles II) ...

after political upheaval against the Medici pope and Medici rulers of Florence in 1527. Alessandro is also believed by historians to have been the illegitimate son of either Pope Clement VII or Lorenzo II de' Medici, Duke of Urbino. In 1535, a delegation of Florentine nobles, which included the

Pazzi The Pazzi were a powerful family in the Republic of Florence. Their main trade during the fifteenth century was banking. In the aftermath of the Pazzi conspiracy in 1478, members of the family were banished from Florence and their property was ...

family who previously conspired to assassinate

Lorenzo de' Medici Lorenzo di Piero de' Medici (), known as Lorenzo the Magnificent (; 1 January 1449 – 9 April 1492), was an Italian statesman, the ''de facto'' ruler of the Florentine Republic, and the most powerful patron of Renaissance culture in Italy. Lore ...

and was headed by Alessandro’s cousin Ippolito de' Medici, sought to gain the assistance of Emperor Charles V to depose Alessandro. Charles rejected the delegations’ appeals, as Alessandro had been wedded to the emperor's daughter Margaret of Parma. Alessandro ruled as duke less than four years, being assassinated by Lorenzino de' Medici on 6 January 1537. With no legitimate issue, Cosimo de' Medici was chosen to succeed his distant relative by Florentine officials. Cosimo completely overhauled the bureaucracy and administration of Florence, and, in 1542, the Imperial Armed Forces stationed in Florence by Charles V were withdrawn. On 17 April 1555, Florentine and Spanish forces occupied the

Republic of Siena The Republic of Siena (, ) was a historic state consisting of the city of Siena and its surrounding territory in Tuscany, Central Italy. It existed for over 400 years, from 1125 to 1555. During its existence, it gradually expanded throughout south ...

after a brief conflict.

Philip II of Spain Philip II (21 May 152713 September 1598), sometimes known in Spain as Philip the Prudent (), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from 1580, and King of Naples and List of Sicilian monarchs, Sicily from 1554 until his death in 1598. He ...

bestowed the territory on Cosimo as a hereditary fiefdom in July 1557. In 1548, Cosimo purchased Elba from the

Republic of Genoa The Republic of Genoa ( ; ; ) was a medieval and early modern Maritime republics, maritime republic from the years 1099 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italy, Italian coast. During the Late Middle Ages, it was a major commercial power in ...

and based his new developing navy there. Cosimo founded the port city of

Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 152,916 residents as of 2025. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn ...

and allowed the city’s inhabitants to enjoy freedom of religion. The ducal family moved into the Palazzo Pitti in 1560. Cosimo commissioned the architect Vasari to build the

Uffizi The Uffizi Gallery ( ; , ) is a prominent art museum adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria in the Historic Centre of Florence in the region of Tuscany, Italy. One of the most important Italian museums and the most visited, it is also one of th ...

as offices for the Medici bank. Finally, Cosimo was elevated to The Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1569 by Pope Pius V. This effectively ended the Duchy of Florence, which became subordinate to the more elevated grand ducal title. The Medici continued to rule over Florence and Tuscany until their extinction in 1737 after the death of Gian Gastone de' Medici, who had no children.

The Dukes

Alessandro de' Medici :Birth: 22 July 1510 :Death: 6 January 1537 :Reign: 1532 – 6 January 1537 :Created the first Duke of the Florentine Republic in 1532 and reigned until his assassination on 6 January 1537. Alessandro died without legitimate issue, causing Florentine officials to select the next duke. Cosimo de' Medici :Birth: 15 June 1519 :Death: 21 April 1574 :Reign: 1537–1574 :Selected to succeed as second Duke of the Florentine Republic in 1537, reigning until his abdication in early 1574 in favour of his son, Francesco I de' Medici. From 1569 on, he was known as Cosimo I and created the first Grand Duke of Tuscany, which became the ruling title used by his successors.

References

{{Reflist, 2 House of Medici Dukes of Florence

History

The Dukes

See also

References