The birth and growth of Florence
Geologic Formation
The end of the Cambrian period found the area that would one day be Florence covered by a lake. The Ordovician period saw this lake drain away to the sea forming the Arno River and the surrounding valley floor. As the lake drained, depositing silt on the flat valley floor, it formed a shallow depression that was sheltered from the coast by the undulating hills surrounding it. The sheltering effect of this geologic barrier from the Tyrrhenian Sea only fifty miles away, created Florence's unique climate.
Florence endures extremes of temperature. In an average year there are fourteen days of frost and four days of snow despite it having a predominantly Mediterranean climate. Winter finds low mists hanging over the valley, with prevailing winds blowing from the east in the morning and reversing from the west in the evening. In March each year the winds come from the north over the Apennines and are cold and cruel. In spring and throughout the summer, breezes from the sea dominate and give Florence warmer temperatures than other areas further south - 86 F/30 C. Late summer brings violent storms to the area.
Roman Empire
Archeological evidence shows that the area that would become Florence was occupied in prehistoric times, but it's true foundations lay in it being a colony under Caesar's Roman Empire. Named 'Florentia', the exact site was chosen as a tactical defensive position at the confluence of the Arno and the Mugone rivers. Originally rectangular in design, the town was enclosed by a wall 1800 meters (5900 feet) in length. Two main trade roads led to four gates and at it's crossroads lay the Curia and the Temple dedicated to Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva. At this time, Florence also had a river port to the Arno that allowed for river traffic to bear trade goods. The first bridge at Florence was built in the first century just north of where the Ponte Vecchio crosses today. The fortifications and trade routes by land and water gave Florence a favourable advantage over other colonies in these early years.
The placement of Florence is unique in the area. Where almost all neighbouring towns were located atop hills to afford better defenses, Florence lay at a valley bottom. The location of Florence on the banks of the Arno river was both fortuitous and perilous; Seasonal floods played havoc with the city throughout its history, but the constant supply of water would prove to be a boon to the city as time went on. The lucrative wool trade that would set Florence on the course to become the financial centre of its age, required plentiful water to operate. The foundations for Florence's growth were in place, but it would be religion that would bring it to the world stage.
From nearby Pisa in the first century came the cult of Isis and later in the second century, Christianity. The first recorded bishop was San Felice who participated in a Roman synod in 313. San Lorenzo, the oldest church in Florence was consecrated by Saint Ambrose in 393.
Byzantine
Florence's strategic importance as a main crossroads and bridgehead for the Arno river and as a stopover on the communication route between Rome and Padania, made it a key point on contest during the Barbarian invasions. In 405, Florence halted the Radagaisus hordes at its city gates, but became involved in a tug-of-war in the Gotho-Byzantine war. By 544 new walls were built to defend it, but the war had its effect; Florence's population dropped to less than 1000 souls.
Lombard
Florence fell under the dominance of the Lombards during the latter days of the 6th century. The Lombards abandoned the trade routes that gave Florence its importance, feeling that the Bologna-Pistoia-Florence road was too exposed to the Byzantines who still controlled eastern Italy. Instead they made Lucca the capital of the duchy of Tuscany. Thus began the darkest period on Florentine history.
Despite this turn of events, after Queen Theodolinda had been converted to Christianity, Florence continued to build a number of religious buildings including the Baptistery of San Giovanni.
Carolingian
The 8th century saw Florence become a county of the Holy Roman Empire and fall under a feudal system. This heralded a revival in Florence. In the 9th century a public ecclesiastic school was founded and new city walls were built.
The Early Middle Age
Near the end of the 10th century, the widow of the Marquis of Tuscany, Countess Willa founded a Benedictine abbey in memory of the Marquis called the 'Badia Fiorentina'. Her son Hugo contributed to the growth of the city by leaving Lucca and moving his home to the banks of the Arno in Florence. This gave Florence the place as the administrative centre of the region.
By the middle of the 11th century, Florence grew in importance in the movement to reform the church. When San Giovanni Gualberta - the son of a Florentine knight - founded the order of Vallombrosa, he became a leading representative in the struggle to eliminate secular interference in ecclesiastic affairs. This led Florence to play host to a council under Pope Victor II in 1055 with 120 bishops and Emperor Henry III in attendance.
In 1078, Florence completed new expanded city walls and for the first time divided the city into quarters named after the four main gates of the city; Porta San Piero on the east; Porta del vescovo to the north; Porta San Pancrazio to the west, and; Porta Santa Maria to the south.
With the deaths of her mother and husband, Matilda (daughter of Countess Beatrice) became the Countess of Tuscany. A reformer and supporter of the policies of San Giovanni Gualberto, Matilda gave open support to Hildebrand of Savona and so found herself at odds with Emperor Henry IV. In 1081, Henry IV deposed Matilda as Countess who found herself abandoned by all of Tuscany with the exception of Florence. Infuriated, Henry IV lay Florence under siege in July of 1082. The siege failed. Florence proved itself to be a force of self determination.
The Communes
By the time 1115 saw the death of Countess Matilda, Florence was already acting as a commune. The successful resistance to Henry IV's siege and Matilda's subsequent encouragement for the populace of Florence to organize autonomously set the tone for the city to become a leading force in resisting imperial powers. Upon the death of Emperor Henry V, Florence attacked and annexed the rival city of Fiesole.
In 1138, having officially constituted itself as a Commune, Florence became part of a League to resist Henry the Proud. At that time the Florentine community was made up of three distinct factions; The grande [noble families]; The Merchants; and the Soldiery. During the 12th century, the grande held most of the power, clinging to the old feudal ways. But is was the Merchants, particularly the wool manufacturers who were responsible for the growth and wealth of the city.
In 1172, after populous suburbs grew outside the city walls, the Commune decided to enlarge the walls to include these new districts. It was during this time that walls began to appear on the other side of the Arno, thus making the river part of the infrastructure of Florence - now not only a trade route, but a power source and somewhat manageable water supply for industry.
Within the city itself in 1180, thirty-five towers were documented but more than that number surely existed. These towers, originally built for military purposes, generated the phenomenon of the Societas militum - [Tower Societies] within Florence - Associations of various groups and families that controlled sections of the city. With these factions came an abundance of churches. The latter days of the 12th century saw over 48 churches throughout the city.
Town and Country
Despite the political struggles within the city, the relationship between urban and rural Florence became strong. Italy was unique in medieval Europe, in that urban centers such as Florence not only tapped the resources of its rural areas of influence, but also injected capital to improve agricultural production. The aristocratic groups who ruled Florence in the 12th and 13th centuries all had close ties with the surrounding countryside. The typical agricultural property in Tuscany was known as the podere - owned and developed by landlords and tended by mezzadria [sharecropper] families.
This partnership between landowner and tenant farmer provided prosperity for both parties, creating a milieu of cooperation between the wealthy and the working middle-class that would set the tone for the government of Florence in the future. This cooperative gave rise to the creation of two 'watch-dog' government bodies - the Consiglio del Popolo - [council of the people], and the Consiglio del Commune - [council of the commune].
The 13th Century
In the opening years of the 13th century, Florence was a vital city of 30,000 souls. An influx of citizens from the countryside and a prolonged period of peace gave Florence the chance to grow as the economic centre of Tuscany. Based on the Society of Knights, the Merchants of Florence had organized into the Arte dei Mercanti - a system of guilds that would see subgroups of greater and lesser guilds form over the years - who now began building their guild halls. One of the first being the Arte della Lana - the wool merchants - who restructured an existing tower to suit their needs. Thus began the replacement of the Societas militum.
The expansion of the city over the Arno also saw more bridges being built including one to the north of the Ponte Vecchio, that was later named the Ponte alle Grazi after a small church built on one of its piers in the 14th century.
The new religious orders - Franciscan, Dominican, Augustinian, Servite, and Carmelite orders all contributed to the structuring of the city. The Franciscans built Santa Croce, the Agostinians built Santo Spirito, but it was the project to build the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore begun in 1294 that would become both Florence's shame, and its eventual triumph on the Christian world stage.
Guelfs and Ghibellines
The period that would become known as the Primo Popolo began in 1244 when Ghibelline grande families attempted to broaden their political power by obtaining the favour of the merchant middle class. The Parte Ghibelline supported an imperial style of governance and ties to the Germanic thrones. But by 1250, the merchants of the city had united and usurped the powers of the grande and created a new political party in Florence - the Parte Guelfa who favoured ties to the papacy and with Naples. The first order of business for the Parte Guelfa was to abolish the Societas militum. To this end it was decreed that all towers had to be cut down to the height of 29 meters.
This resulted in another period of peace allowing prosperity to grow unimpeded. It was during this time that the Florin d'Oro - the gold Florin - was first minted. Issued for the first time in 1252, the Florin weighed 72 grains and was 24 carats fine. On one side it bore a likeness of San Giovanni - Saint John the Baptist - and the Lily of Florence on the other. It would gain popularity and become the standard gold coin used in Europe.
As the population of Florence grew during the time of Primo Popolo, new public buildings were constructed by the Guelfs. In 1255 construction began on the Palazzo del Popolo which was erected to house the Councils of the Commune. The initial Guelf leadership was to be short lived, however, for in 1260, at the battle of Montaperti, Florentine troops were defeated by the Sienese. In the political out fall of this defeat, the Ghibellines resumed power in Florence and set out to obliterate everything the merchant class had built. The Ghibellines decreed the destruction of the palaces, towers and houses owned by Parte Guelf members. By the time this purge was complete, Florence was covered in rubble - 103 palaces, 580 houses, and 85 towers had been destroyed. For six years, the people of Florence endured the outrages of the Ghibellines.
It was fear of the the growing anger and power of the people of Florence who began to back the Guelfs that forced the Ghibellines to enlist the services of Pope Clement IV to negotiate a peace between the vying factions. Clement IV favoured the Guelfs who quickly took up power in Florence once more.
But as these two factions battled each other, two other political factions began to take shape; the Magnati - entrepreneurs who profited by trade, and the Popolani - the workers, whose guilds were subcategorized into the grassi - greater, and minuti - lesser guilds. In 1293 it was decreed that the Magnati would be excluded from taking part in the political stage of the city. The powers of the Arte dei Mercanti grew.
It was during this time that great architectural projects were undertaken and town planning was first addressed to make Florence the real city it would become. In response to a larger population, the city walls were once more expanded - a curtain wall of 8,500 meters (5.3 miles) in length enclosing 430 hectares (1,063 acres) - growing the city of Florence to five times its previous size.
The Trecento
In opening days of the Trecento, Florence took its rightful place as the main city of the west. Arnolfo di Cambio had been commissioned to build the Palazzo della Signoria - the seat of government. New palaces of the merchant class were springing up all over the city, heralding a golden age of prosperity.
New guilds were constituted and accepted into the political fold of the republic. Yet the political struggles of Parte Guelfa and Parte Ghibelline continued. Split into two camps - the Neri ]blacks] and the Bianchi [whites] and vied for political control of the city. Their political infighting grew to such a degree that the Signoria exiled the heads of both factions. The Neri called upon the Pope for intervention, who sent Charles of Valois, brother to Philip le Belle, King of France. Charles favoured the Neri and had the heads of the Bianchi arrested and exiled, including one Dante Alighieri.
Along with the seeming endless political problems, Florence suffered from natural set backs during the Trecento also; In 1333 a disastrous flood swept away all the bridges in Florence with the exception of the Rubeconte. In 1348, the plague swept through the city decimating 30% of the population
But despite political friction and natural forces, Florence continued to mature into the vibrant city that would soon become the birthplace of the Renascimento; Taddio Gaddi rebuilt the Ponte Vecchio; Town planning shaped city streets and piazzas; The new curtain walls were completed; Work continued on the cathedral.
Toward the Quattrocento
For over a thousand years, Florence had grown - shaped by nature, war, political experimentation, and an unwavering determination. The struggles of the past millennium culminated in a city with the wealth and resources to pave the way to a new age. As the final years of the Trecento wound down, for the first time in its history, the prosperity of Florence afforded its people the luxury of time; Time to participate in government; Time to embrace new ideas, new philosophies; Time to explore their world. The first wave of exploration was of the past - To rediscover the ancient knowledge that had been lost a century before when barbarians from the north had swept through the land and laid waste to the glory of Rome. The dark ages were over. It was time for the Renascimento - the rebirth, and nowhere was it pursued with such passion as it was in Florence.
Sevrin de Savage
April 18, Anno Societatis XXXIX