History Origins-1399 | 1400-1499 | 1500-1699 | Since 1700

The History of Florence in Italy: Since 1700


1718: Under the Treaty of London, the empire, France, England, and Holland appointed Charles of Bourbon as Grand Duke of Tuscany. Cosme III contests the treaty.

October 31, 1723: Cosimo III died. His son Gian Gastone succeeded him.

July 9, 1737: Gian Gastone's death and the Medici dynasty's extinction with him. The Grand Duchy of Tuscany passes into the hands of François Étienne de Lorraine.

1745: Florence has 73,500 inhabitants.

1749-1762: Construction of the first suitable road for vehicles between Florence and Bologna.

August 18, 1765: Death of François Étienne de Lorraine. Pietro Leopoldo succeeds Pietro Leopoldo as Grand Duke.

1769: Opening to the public of the Uffizi Gallery (Galleria degli Uffizi) by Pietro Leopoldo.

July 27, 1790: Pietro Leopoldo renounces the Grand Duchy of Tuscany in favour of his youngest Ferdinand III of Lorraine.

1794: The population of Florence is 81,000 inhabitants.

March 27, 1799: The French occupy Florence. Ferdinand III of Lorraine takes refuge in Vienna in Austria. Three days later, the Austrians occupied Florence. On July 5, the French left Florence after taking 72 paintings from the Pitti Palace Gallery to France.

February 9, 1801: Treaty of Lunéville, under which Grand Duke Ferdinand III of Lorraine renounced his title and ceded it to Ludovic de Bourbon, hereditary prince of Parma.

May 27, 1803: Death of Ludovic I of Bourbon. His son Charles Ludovic succeeded him under the regency of his mother, Marie-Louise de Bourbon.

1808: Tuscany is attached to the French Empire.

1809: Princess Élisa Baciocchi, Napoleon's sister, born Maria-Anna on January 3, 1777, in Ajaccio and died on August 6, 1820, was awarded the title of Grand Duchess of Tuscany and also became governor of the departments of Tuscany.

September 18, 1814: Grand Duke Ferdinand III of Lorraine returns to Florence, but he is again forced into exile due to the occupation of Florence by the troops of Imperial Marshal Joachim Murat.

1816: The works of art stolen by the French are returned to Florence.

June 18, 1824: Grand Duke Ferdinand III of Lorraine died in Florence. He was succeeded by his son Leopold II.

1841-1848: Construction of the railway line connecting Florence to Pisa and Livorno. It was Italy's first long-distance railway line.

1847: First Italian telegraph line between Florence and Pisa, along the railway line.

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1848-1849: Leopold II leaves Florence after establishing a democratic government.

1854: The Alinari brothers opened a photographic laboratory in Florence.

April 27, 1859: Leopold II definitively renounces the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.

March 11 and 12, 1860: A plebiscite sanctioned the attachment of Florence and Tuscany to the reign of Sardinia.

1861: Florence has 114,568 inhabitants.

1865-1870: Florence became the capital of Italy. In 1870, the population of Florence was 194,000, but this figure fell to 167,000 when Rome was then designated as the new capital of Italy.

1901: The population of Florence is 205,500 inhabitants.

1933-1935: Construction of the Santa Maria Novella station.

August 3, 1944: Upon their retreat, German troops mine the bridges over the Arno. The city was liberated eight days later.

1951: The city of Florence has 374,000 inhabitants.

November 4, 1966: Serious and terrible Arno river flood and damage to numerous houses, museums, churches and monuments.

1971: Florence has 457,803 inhabitants.

2001: The population of Florence is 356,118 inhabitants, and that of the entire province is 927,835 inhabitants.

2011: The population of the city of Florence is 358,079 inhabitants.

February 22 2014: The future president of the Italian council, Matteo Renzi, becomes mayor of Florence.

History Origins-1399 | 1400-1499 | 1500-1699 | Since 1700


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