Grand Duke of Tuscany
| Grand Duke of Tuscany | |
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| Details | |
| Style | His/her Imperial and Royal Highness |
| First monarch | Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany |
| Last monarch |
Leopold II (de jure) Ferdinand IV (de facto/titular) |
| Formation | 27 August 1569 |
| Abolition | 16 August 1859 |
| Pretender(s) | Archduke Sigismund, Grand Duke of Tuscany |
The rulers of Tuscany have varied over time, sometimes being margraves, the rulers of handfuls of border counties and sometimes the heads of the most important family of the region.
After this, Tuscany was splintered between the competing republics of Florence, Pisa, Siena, Arezzo, Pistoia and Lucca. Since the 14th century, Florence gained dominance over Pistoia (1306, officially annexed 1530), Arezzo (1384), Pisa (1406), and Siena (1559). Lucca was an independent republic until the Napoleonic period in the 19th century.
After the Sack of Rome, Florence overthrew the Medicis once More and became a Republic, until Pope Clement VII, signed a peace treaty with Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor who then invaded Florence and restored the Medicis.
Tuscany was annexed by France, 1807–1814. Napoleon's sister Elisa Bonaparte was given the honorary title of Grand Duchess of Tuscany, but did not actually rule over the region.
Leopoldo II was driven from Tuscany by revolution from 21 February to 12 April 1849, and again on 27 April 1859. He abdicated in favor of his son, Ferdinando IV, on 21 July 1859, but Ferdinando IV was never recognized in Tuscany, and was deposed by the provisional government on 16 August. Tuscany was annexed by Piedmont-Sardinia, on 22 March 1860.
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