Florence casts a spell in the way that few cities can, perhaps because of its sublime art; perhaps because of the views at sunset over the Arno; perhaps because of the way Florentine food and wine delight the palate. Maybe it's because the city has not changed much since the 16th century. Though Florence was briefly the capital of a newly united Italy (1865-71), its place in the sun rests squarely on its illustrious, more distant past.
Though Florence can lay claim to a modest antique importance, it did not fully emerge into its own until the 11th century. In the early 1200s, Florence, like most of the rest of Italy, was rent by civic unrest. Two factions, the Guelphs and the Ghibellines, competed for power. The Guelphs supported the papacy, and the Ghibellines supported the Holy Roman Empire. Bloody battles tore Florence and other Italian cities apart. By the end of the 13th century the Guelphs ruled securely and Ghibellinism had been vanquished.
Local merchants had organized themselves into guilds by 1250, and in that year proclaimed themselves the "primo popolo." It was the first attempt at democratic, republican rule. Though the episode lasted only 10 years, it constituted a breakthrough in Western history. Such a daring stance by the merchant class can be attributed to its newfound power, as Florence was emerging as one of the economic powerhouses in 13th-century Europe. Florentines were papal bankers; they instituted the system of international letters of credit; and the gold florin became the international standard of currency. With this economic strength came a building boom. Public and private palaces, churches, and basilicas were built, enlarged, or restructured.
Though ostensibly a republic, Florence was blessed (or cursed, depending on point of view) with one very powerful family, the Medici, who came into power in the 1430s and became the de facto rulers of Florence for several hundred years. The Medici originally came from north of Florence, and it was not until the time of Cosimo il Vecchio (1389-1464) that the family's foothold in Florence was securely established. Florence's golden age occurred during the reign of his grandson Lorenzo de' Medici (1449-92). Lorenzo was not only an astute politician, but also a highly educated man and a great patron of the arts. Called "Il Magnifico" (the Magnificent), he gathered around him poets, artists, philosophers, architects, and musicians and organized all manner of cultural events, festivals, and tournaments.
Lorenzo's son, Piero (1471-1503), proved inept at handling the city's affairs. He was run out of town in 1494, and Florence briefly enjoyed its status as a republic while dominated by the demagogic Dominican friar Girolamo Savonarola (1452-98). Savonarola preached against perceived pagan abuses and persuaded his followers to destroy their books, art, women's wigs, and jewelry in public "bonfires of the vanities." Eventually, he so annoyed the pope that he was declared a heretic and hanged.
After a decade of internal unrest, the republic fell and the Medici were recalled to power. But even with the return of the Medici, Florence never regained its former prestige. By the 1530s most of the major artistic talent had left the city -- Michelangelo, for one, had settled in Rome. The now ineffectual Medici, eventually attaining the title of grand dukes, remained nominally in power until the line died out in 1737, after which time Florence passed from the Austrians to the French and back again until the unification of Italy (1865-70), when it briefly became the capital under King Vittorio Emanuele II (1820-78).
Florence was "discovered" in the 18th century by upper-class northerners making the grand tour. It became a mecca for travelers, particularly the Romantics, who were inspired by the elegance of its palazzi and its artistic wealth. Today, millions of visitors follow in their footsteps, and as the sun sets over the Arno it's hard not to fall under the city's spell.
