Republic of Lucca
| Most Serene Republic of Lucca (en) | ||||||||||
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Serenissima Repubblica Lucense (it) Respublica Lucensis (la) |
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 Northern Italy in 1796
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| Capital | Lucca | |||||||||
| Languages | Italian | |||||||||
| Religion | Roman Catholic | |||||||||
| Government | Oligarchic republic | |||||||||
| Consuls of Justice | ||||||||||
| • | 1700 | Bartolomeo Conami | ||||||||
| • | 1799 | Nicolao Montecatini | ||||||||
| • | 1799 | Executive Directory | ||||||||
| • | 1805 | Francesco Belluomini | ||||||||
| History | ||||||||||
| • | Independence | 1160 | ||||||||
| • | Imperial immediacy | 1288 | ||||||||
| • | Pisan occupation | 1342–1368 | ||||||||
| • | French occupation | 4 February 1799 | ||||||||
| • | Austrian occupation | 17 July 1799 | ||||||||
| • | French occupation | 9 October 1800 | ||||||||
| • | Monarchy proclaimed; Duchy of Lucca | 23 June 1805 | ||||||||
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The Republic of Lucca was a historic state of Italy, which lasted from 1160 to 1805 on the central Italian peninsula.
Within the Imperial Kingdom of Italy, the city of Lucca had been the residence of the Margraves of Tuscany. A certain autonomy was granted by a 1084 diploma issued by Emperor Henry IV, while on his Italian campaign during the Investiture Controversy with Pope Gregory VII. After the death of Margravine Matilda of Tuscany in 1115, the city began to constitute itself an independent commune, with a charter officially acknowledged by Margrave Welf VI in 1160. For almost 500 years, Lucca remained as an independent republic.
There were many minor provinces in the region between southern Liguria and northern Tuscany dominated by the Malaspina family. Tuscany in this time was a part of feudal Europe. The Divine Comedy by Dante includes many references to the great feudal families who had huge jurisdictions with administrative and judicial rights. Dante spent some of his exile in Lucca.
In 1273 and again in 1277 Lucca was ruled by a Guelph capitano del popolo (captain of the people) named Luchetto Gattilusio. In 1314, internal discord allowed Uguccione della Faggiuola of Pisa to make himself lord of Lucca.
The Lucchesi expelled him two years later, and handed over the city to another condottiere Castruccio Castracani, under whose rule it became a leading state in central Italy. Lucca rivalled Florence until Castracani's death in 1328.
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Wikipedia