March of Tuscany

Part of the medieval Kingdom of Italy

Not to be confused with Duchy of Tuscia.

March of Tuscany

Marchiae Tusciae (Latin)

846–1197

Coat of arms of the House of Canossa

The March of Tuscany in the political context of Italy in the 900s AD

Status| March of the Kingdom of Italy
Capital|

* Lucca (to 1057)
* Florence (1057–1116)
* San Miniato

43°51′00″N 10°31′00″E﻿ / ﻿43.85°N 10.5166°E﻿ / 43.85; 10.5166
Official languages| Latin
Religion

| Chalcedonian Christianity
(846–1054)
Roman Catholicism
(1054–1197)
Government| Feudal monarchy
Margrave of Tuscany|

• 812–813

| Boniface I (first)

• 847–884

| Adalbert I

• 931–936

| Boso of Arles

• 1076–1115

| Matilda
Historical era| Early Middle Ages

• Adalbert I granted margraviate

| 846

• Granted to Boso

| 931

• Rainier deposed in favour of House of Canossa

| 1027

• Formation of Tuscan League

| 1197

• Claimed by Papacy

| 1198

Preceded by | Succeeded by

|

|  | Middle Francia

|

| Commune of Arezzo |

|

Republic of Florence |
Republic of Lucca |
Commune of Pistoia |
Republic of Pisa |
Poggibonsi |
Commune of Prato |
Republic of Siena |
Volterra |
Today part of| Italy

The March of Tuscany (Latin: Marchiae Tusciae; Modern Italian: Marca di Tuscia [ˈmarka di ˈtuʃʃa])[a] was a march of the Kingdom of Italy and the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages. Located in northwestern central Italy, it bordered the Papal States to the south, the Ligurian Sea to the west and Lombardy to the north. It comprised a collection of counties, largely in the valley of the River Arno, originally centered on Lucca.

## History

[edit]

The march was a Carolingian creation, a successor of the Lombard Duchy of Tuscia. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Tuscia from 568 had been part of the Italian Kingdom of the Lombards (Langobardia Major) until, in 754, the Frankish kings intervened in the conflict with Pope Stephen II. By the Donation of Pepin, the southern part of Tuscia around Viterbo became part of the newly established Papal States, while the northern part (or Lombard Tuscany) developed into the Imperial March of Tuscany after Charlemagne had finally conquered the Lombard kingdom in 773/74. Lombardy proper became the nucleus of the Imperial kingdom of Italy, together with the marches of Tuscany and Verona.

The first Tuscan margrave was Adalbert I, who was granted that title in 846. Before him, his father and grandfather, Count Boniface I of Lucca and Boniface II, probably of Bavarian origin, had controlled most of the counties of the region and had held higher titles as well, such as prefect of Corsica or duke of Lucca. The Bonifacii held the march until 931. During the late ninth and early tenth century, the support of the margraves of Tuscany was instrumental for any candidate intent on becoming king of Italy.

In 931, Hugh of Arles, who had made himself king of Italy, dispossessed the Bonifacii in an attempt to consolidate all the important fiefs of Italy in his relatives' hands. He granted Tuscany to his brother Boso. It remained in the hands of members of the family known as the Bosonids down to 1001. It also retained its influence regarding royal elections. As late as 1027, Rainier was deposed from the march by Holy Roman Emperor Conrad II for opposing him as king.

In 1027, the duchy was granted to the counts of Canossa. Boniface III used the title dux et marchio: duke and margrave. He was an ally of the Holy Roman emperors, but his power was so great that he threatened that of the emperors in Italy. He united the Canossa inheritance, which was largely in the Emilia, to Tuscany and passed it on to his daughter Matilda. Besides her vast Emilian allods, her greatest possession was Tuscany, held in feudal tenure, and she wielded it to the benefit of the Papacy in the Investiture Controversy. With Matilda's death in 1115, the era of the feudal princes had passed in northern Italy, to be replaced by the dominance of the city-states, maritime republics and communes.

## Margraves of Tuscany, 812–1197

[edit]

### House of Boniface

[edit]

These were originally counts of Lucca who extended their power over the neighbouring counties.

* Boniface I, 812–823
* Boniface II, 828–834
* Aganus, 835–845
* Adalbert I, 847–886
* Adalbert II the Rich, 886–915
* Guy, 915–929
* Lambert, 929–931≠≠≠≠≠≠≠

### House of Boso

[edit]

These were the (mostly illegitimate) relatives of Hugh of Arles, King of Italy, whom he appointed to their post after removing the dynasty of Boniface

* Boso, 931–936
* Humbert, 936–961
* Hugh the Great, 961–1001

### House of Hucpold

[edit]

* Boniface (III), 1004–1011

### Nondynastic

[edit]

* Rainier, 1014–1027

### House of Canossa

[edit]

These were the descendants of the Counts of Canossa.

* Boniface III, 1027–1052
* Frederick, 1052–1055
* Matilda, 1055–1115
* Beatrice of Bar, 1052–1069 (regent as mother of Frederick and Mathilda)
* Godfrey the Bearded, Duke of Lower Lorraine, 1053–1069 (regent as husband of Beatrice and step-father to Frederick and Matilda)
* Godfrey the Hunchback, Duke of Lower Lorraine, 1069–1076 (co-ruler as husband of Matilda)
* Welf II, 1089–1095 (co-ruler as husband of Matilda)

### Nondynastic

[edit]

* Rabodo, 1116–1119
* Conrad, 1119/20–1129/31
* Rampret, c. 1131
* Engelbert, 1134/5–1137
* Henry the Proud, 1137–1139
* Ulrich of Attems, 1139–1152 (imperial vicar)
* Welf VI, 1152–1160
* Welf VII, 1160–1167
* Rainald of Dassel, Archbishop of Cologne, 1160–1163 (imperial vicar)
* Christian of Buch, Archbishop of Mainz 1163–1173 (imperial vicar)
* Welf VI, 1167–1173
* Philip, 1195–1197

In 1197 Philip was elected King of Germany and the majority of the Tuscan nobility, cities and bishops formed the Tuscan League with Papal backing.

* Frederick of Antioch, 1246–51 (imperial vicar and King of Tuscany)

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.

## See also

[edit]

* List of rulers of Tuscany
* Italian city-states

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Also called a margrav(i)ate or marquisate (Italian: marchesato). The terms are synonymous with "march" (Latin: marca) and derive from the title of the Tuscan rulers: margrave (from German Markgraf), or marquis, which became a mere rank of nobility, even used as sinecure (themselves from Latin marchio).

## Sources

[edit]

* Wickham, Chris. Early Medieval Italy: Central Power and Local Society 400–1000. MacMillan Press: 1981.

* v
* t
* e

List of historic states of Italy

Pre-Roman period|

* Etruscan civilization
* Etruria
* Samnites
* Latins
* Osci
* Celts
* Cisalpine Gaul
* Veneti
* Ligures
* Nuragic civilization
* Umbri
* Magna Graecia
* Iapygians
* Picentes

Ancient Rome|

* Roman Kingdom (753 BC–509 BC)
* Roman Republic (509 BC–27 BC)
* Roman Empire (27 BC–395 AD)
* Western Roman Empire (395–476 AD)

Medieval
and
Early Modern
states|

| Barbarian kingdoms
(476–774)|

* Odoacer's rule (476–493)
* Ostrogothic rule (493–553)
* Vandal rule (435–534)
* Lombard rule (568–774)
* Duchy of Benevento
* Duchy of Friuli
* Duchy of Ivrea
* Duchy of Spoleto
* Duchy of Tridentum
* Duchy of Tuscia

|

Byzantine Empire (584–751)|

* Exarchate of Ravenna (584–751)
* Duchy of Rome (533–751)
* Duchy of Perugia (554–752)
* Duchy of the Pentapolis (554–752)
* Exarchate of Africa (585–698)

Papal States
(754–1870)|

* Patrimony of Saint Peter
* Campagna e Marittima Province
* Holy See
* Commune of Rome
* Duchy of Castro
* Duchy of Ferrara
* Duchy of Parma and Piacenza
* Duchy of Urbino

Holy Roman Empire
and other
independent
states|

* Bishopric of Bressanone
* Corsican Republic
* City of Fiume and its District
* County of Gorizia
* Princely County of Gorizia and Gradisca
* County of Guastalla
* County of Santa Fiora
* Duchy of Guastalla
* Kingdom of Italy
* Ancona
* Ceva
* Finale
* March of Friuli
* Patria del Friuli (Patriarchate of Aquileia)
* Ivrea
* Istria
* Mantua
* Milan
* March of Montferrat
* Duchy of Montferrat
* Trieste
* Turin
* Tuscany
* Verona
* Duchy of Ivrea
* Duchy of Milan
* Duchy of Mantua
* Duchy of Massa and Carrara
* Duchy of Merania
* Duchy of Mirandola
* Duchy of Modena and Reggio
* County of Novellara and Bagnolo
* Principality of Piombino
* Duchy of Reggio
* Marquisate of Saluzzo
* Duchy of Spoleto
* Bishopric of Tarantasia
* Prince-Bishopric of Trento
* Grand Duchy of Tuscany
* Savoyard state
* Savoy
* County of Savoy
* Piedmont
* Duchy of Aosta
* County of Nice
* County of Tenda

Republic of Venice
(697–1797)|

* Dogado
* Domini di Terraferma
* Stato da Màr

Other Republics
(c. 1000–1797)|

* Republic of Cospaia
* Republic of Florence
* Republic of Lucca
* Republic of Massa
* Republic of Siena
* Republic of Genoa
* Republic of Noli
* Republic of Pisa
* Republic of Ancona

Southern Italy
(774–1139)|

| Byzantine|

* Duchy of Amalfi
* Duchy of Gaeta
* Catepanate of Italy
* Longobardia
* Theme of Lucania
* Duchy of Naples
* Theme of Sicily and Byzantine Sicily
* Duchy of Sorrento

|

Arab|

* Emirate of Bari
* Muslim Sicily

Lombard|

* Principality of Benevento
* Principality of Salerno
* Principality of Capua

Norman|

* County of Apulia and Calabria
* County of Aversa
* County of Sicily
* Principality of Taranto

Sardinia
(from the 9th century)|

* Judicates
* Agugliastra
* Arborea
* Cagliari
* Gallura
* Logudoro
* Oristano
* Republic of Sassari
* Kingdom of Sardinia (1324–1861)

Kingdom of Sicily
(1130–1816) and
Kingdom of Naples
(1282–1816)|

* State of the Presidi
* Duke of San Donato
* Duchy of Sora
* Duchy of Bari
* County of Lecce
* Principality of Taranto
* Terra Sancti Benedicti
* Neapolitan Republic (1647–1648)
* Hospitaller Malta
* Gozo
* Malta Protectorate
* Crown Colony of Malta

French Revolutionary
and Napoleonic eras
(1792–1815)|

| Republics|

* Cisalpinia
* Cispadania
* Italy
* Liguria
* Lucca
* Parthenopea
* Piedmont
* Rome
* Subalpinia
* Transpadania

|

Monarchies|

* Benevento
* Etruria
* Guastalla
* Italy
* Lucca and Piombino
* Massa and Carrara
* Naples
* Pontecorvo
* Benevento
* Tuscany
* Elba
* Corsica

Post-Napoleonic
states|

* Duchy of Genoa (1815–1848)
* Duchy of Lucca (1815–1847)
* Duchy of Massa and Carrara (1814–1829)
* Duchy of Modena and Reggio (1814–1859)
* Duchy of Parma and Piacenza (1814–1859)
* Grand Duchy of Tuscany (1815–1859)
* Italian United Provinces (1831)
* Provisional Government of Milan (1848)
* Republic of San Marco (1848–1849)
* Roman Republic (1849–1850)
* United Provinces of Central Italy (1859–1860)
* Kingdom of Sardinia (1814–1860)
* Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (1816–1861)
* Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia (1815–1866)
* Papal States (1814–1870)

| Post-unification|

* Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
* Italian Empire (1882–1960)
* Free State of Fiume (1920–1924)
* Italian Social Republic (1943–1945)
* Free Territory of Trieste (1947–1954)

|

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