TheDuca della Repubblica Fiorentina,[1] rendered in English asDuke of the Florentine Republic orDuke of the Republic of Florence, was a title created in 1532 byPope Clement VII for theMedici family (his own family), which ruled theRepublic of Florence. There were effectively only two dukes of the Republic of Florence,Alessandro de' Medici andCosimo de' Medici, the second duke being elevated toGrand Duke of Tuscany, causing the Florentine title to become subordinate to the greater Tuscan title.[2]
In 1532,Pope Clement VII, who was born Giulio di Giuliano de' Medici, appointedAlessandro de' Medici as duke over theRepublic of Florence, the Medici family having acted asde facto rulers over the city of Florence since 1434 whenCosimo "the Elder" de' Medici (also known by his supporters asPater Patriae, or "Father of the Country"), returned to the city from his short-lived exile in theRepublic of Venice by theAlberti andStrozzi 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 byCharles V, Holy Roman Emperor afterpolitical 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 orLorenzo II de' Medici, Duke of Urbino.[2][3]
In 1535, a delegation of Florentine nobles, which included thePazzi family whopreviously conspired to assassinateLorenzo de' Medici and was headed by Alessandro’s cousinIppolito 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 daughterMargaret of Parma.[2]
Alessandro ruled as duke less than four years, being assassinated byLorenzino 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and administration of Florence, and, in 1542, the Imperial Armed Forces stationed in Florence by Charles V were withdrawn.[2]
On 17 April 1555, Florentine and Spanish forces occupied theRepublic of Siena after a brief conflict.Philip II of Spain bestowed the territory on Cosimo as a hereditary fiefdom in July 1557. In 1548, Cosimo purchasedElba from theRepublic of Genoa and based his new developing navy there. Cosimo founded the port city ofLivorno and allowed the city’s inhabitants to enjoy freedom of religion. The ducal family moved into thePalazzo Pitti in 1560. Cosimo commissioned the architectVasari to build theUffizi as offices for theMedici bank. Finally, Cosimo was elevated to The Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1569 byPope 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 ofGian Gastone de' Medici, who had no children.[2]
