Timeline of Florence

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Florence, Tuscany, Italy.

The earliest timeline of Florence, the Annales florentini, was created in the 12th century.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Prior to 14th century

• 59 BCE – Roman colony founded (approximate date).^[1]
• 1st century CE – Catholic Diocese of Florence established.
• 285 – Florence becomes seat of Tuscia region.^[2]
• 405 – Siege of Florence (405).^[2]
• 541 – Florence sacked by forces of Ostrogoth Totila.^[1]
• 1078 – City walls built.^[2]
• 1080 – Stone Ponte Vecchio (bridge) built.^[3]
• 1107 – Monte Orlandi and Prato become part of Florence.^[3]
• 1115–16 – Commune form of government adopted;^[2] Republic of Florence established.
• 1128 – Florence Baptistery built.
• 1138 – "City divided into six wards."^[3]
• 1182 – Arte di Calimala (cloth guild) first mentioned (approximate date).
• 1201 – Bankers' guild active (approximate date).^[3]
• 1222 – Monte comune (pawnshop) opens.^[3]
• 1230 – Eucharistic miracle of Florence [it] allegedly occurs.
• 1237 – Ponte alle Grazie (bridge) built.^[3]
• 1244 – Venerabile Arciconfraternita della Misericordia di Firenze founded.
• 1251 – First Capitano del popolo elected.^[3]
• 1252
  • Mint established;^[3] Florin (Italian coin) introduced.
  • Santa Trinita bridge built.^[3]
• 1258 – Bargello built.^[3]
• 1261 – Public prison established.^[3]
• 1267 – Charles of Anjou in power.^[2]
• 1269 – Flood.^[3]
• 1282 – "Florence adopts a new system of government by members of a guild."^[4][2]
• 1284 – Tertio Cerchio (wall) built.^[3]
• 1285 – Hospital of Santa Maria Nuova founded.^[5]
• 1289
  • Slavery abolished.^[3]
  • Fire.^[3]
• 1299 – Palazzo Vecchio construction begins.

14th–16th centuries

• 1312 – Siege of Florence (1312)
• 1321 – University of Florence founded.
• 1333 – November: Flood.^(it)
• 1345 – Ponte Vecchio rebuilt.
• 1348 – Black Death plague.^[3]
• 1353 – Public clock installed in Palazzo Vecchio tower.^[6]
• 1355 – Chiesa di Santa Maria del Fiore a Lapo [it] (church) built.
• 1360 – Cathedral Campanile built.^[7]
• 1375 – War of the Eight Saints
• 1377 – Medici in power.^[4]
• 1382 – Loggia dei Lanzi built.
• 1385 – Basilica of Santa Croce built.
• 1397 – Medici Bank established.^[8]
• 1415 – Bruni's History of Florence issued.^[4]
• 1427 – Catasto tax begins.^[3]
• 1432 – Ufficiali di Notte tribunal begins.^[8]
• 1434 – 6 October: Cosimo de' Medici in power.^[5]
• 1436 – Duomo consecrated.^[3]
• 1469 – Lorenzo de' Medici assumes power
• 1471 – Printing press in operation.^[3][9]
• 1478 – Pazzi conspiracy foiled.^[4]
• 1487 – Medici giraffe arrives.^[10]
• 1488 – Ancient Greek poet Homer first published in print.
• 1490 – Palazzo Cocchi-Serristori built.
• 1492 – Lorenzo the Magnificent dies and is succeeded by Piero the Unfortunate
• 1494
  • Charles VIII of France invades Italy
  • Piero II acquiesces to Charles VIII and is forced to flee Florence
  • Republic of Florence restored, ruled nominally by Girolamo Savonarola
  • 1494 – Salone dei Cinquecento built.
• 1497 – 7 February: Bonfire of the Vanities.
• 1498
  • Niccolò Machiavelli becomes secretary.^[4]
  • 23 May: Savonarola executed.^[2]
• 1504 – Michelangelo's David sculpture installed in the Piazza della Signoria.^[11]
• 1509 – Militia established.^[3]
• 1512
  • Florentine Republic dissolved after defeat by Papal forces under Medici control.
  • Piero Soderini and Niccolò Machiavelli exiled.
• 1513
  • Giulio de Medici becomes Archbishop of Florence.
  • Machiavelli publishes The Prince
• 1517 – Machiavelli publishes Discourses on Livy
• 1527 – 21 June: Machiavelli dies
• 1529 – 24 October: Siege of Florence (1529–30) begins.
• 1532 – Alessandro de Medici becomes duke of the Florentine Republic.^[3]
• 1536 – Charles V visits city.^[3]
• 1537 – Villani's Nuova Cronica published.
• 1545 – Orto Botanico di Firenze established.
• 1557 – September: Flood.^(it)
• 1559 – Palazzo Uguccioni built.
• 1562 – Accademia del Disegno established.^[12]
• 1564 – Vasari Corridor built.
• 1565 – Fountain of Neptune inaugurated.
• 1569 – Ponte Santa Trinita (bridge) rebuilt.
• 1574 – Florentine Camerata active.^[13]
• 1580 – Rules of Calcio Fiorentino sport published.^[14]
• 1581 – Uffizi art museum built.
• 1582 – State Archives of Tuscany established.^[5]
• 1592 – Theorbo musical instrument invented.^[13]
• 1598 – Premiere of Peri's opera Dafne.^[13]
• 1600
  • 5 October: Wedding of Maria de 'Medici and Henry IV of France [it].
  • Biblioteca Riccardiana founded (approximate date).^[5]
  • Premiere of Peri's opera Euridice.^[15]

17th–19th centuries

• 1625 – Premiere of Francesca Caccini's opera La liberazione di Ruggiero.^[16]
• 1656 – Teatro della Pergola built.
• 1700 – Fortepiano musical instrument prototyped.^[13]
• 1739 – Academia Botanica established.^[17]
• 1740 – Teatro di Santa Maria built.
• 1753 – Accademia dei Georgofili established.^[17]
• 1775 – Museo di Storia Naturale di Firenze established.
• 1784 – Galleria dell'Accademia established.
• 1799 – French occupation begins.^[2]
• 1814
  • French occupation ends.^[2]
  • Jewish ghetto abolished.^[18]
• 1817 – Teatro Goldoni opens.
• 1828 – Teatro Alfieri opens.
• 1844 – 3 November: Florence flood of 1844 [it].
• 1847 – Premiere of Verdi's opera Macbeth.^[15]
• 1848
  • Prato-Florence railway begins operating.
  • Firenze Santa Maria Novella railway station opens.
• 1852 – State Archives of Florence established.
• 1859 – La Nazione newspaper begins publication.^[19]
• 1861
  • National Library active.
  • Population: 150,864.
• 1862 – Politeama Fiorentino Vittorio Emanuele amphitheatre opens.
• 1864 – Florence becomes part of Italy.^[1]
• 1865 – Italian capital relocated to Florence from Turin.^[20]
• 1867 – Società Geografica Italiana headquartered in Florence.
• 1871
  • Palazzo delle Assicurazioni Generali built.
  • Population: 167,093.^[21]
• 1879 – Horse-drawn tram begins operating.
• 1882 – Great Synagogue of Florence built.
• 1891 – Cathedral Museum opens.^[5]
• 1896 – Firenze Campo di Marte railway station opens.
• 1897
  • Leo S. Olschki Editore in business.
  • Population: 209,540.^[22]

20th century

• 1901 – Population: 236,635.
• 1904 – Giardino Tropicale established.^[23]
• 1908 – La Voce magazine begins publication.
• 1922 – Cinema Teatro Savoia opens.^[24]
• 1925 – Non Mollare [it] newspaper begins publication.^[20]
• 1926 – Chiesa di Santa Maria a Ricorboli [it] (church) built.
• 1931 – Population: 304,160.
• 1933 – Maggio Musicale Fiorentino begins.
• 1934 – Bologna–Florence railway begins operating.^[2]
• 1936 – Cinema Vittoria built.^[24]
• 1943
  • German occupation begins.
  • 25 September: Aerial bombing by Allied forces.
• 1944
  • 3 August: Bridges bombed by German forces.^[2]
  • 11 August: German occupation ends.^[2]
• 1948 – Ponte alla Carraia (bridge) rebuilt.
• 1954 – 27 October: 1954 UFO sighting in Florence [it]
• 1957 – Ponte Amerigo Vespucci (bridge) built.
• 1959 – Giardino dell'Iris (garden) established.^[23]
• 1961 – Population: 436,516.
• 1966 – 4 November: 1966 Flood of the Arno River.^[2]
• 1968 – Ospedale Piero Palagi [it] (hospital) built.
• 1977 – Florence–Rome high-speed railway begins operating.
• 1978 – Indiano Bridge built.
• 1982 – Historic Centre of Florence designated an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• 1986 – Gran Caffè Doney closes.
• 1991 – Population: 403,294.
• 1993 – 27 May: Via dei Georgofili bombing.^[2]
• 1995 – European Rapid Operational Force headquartered in Florence.
• 1997 – City website online (approximate date).^[25]

21st century

• 2001 – Population: 356,118.
• 2002 – November: European Social Forum held in city.
• 2009
  • Bologna–Florence high-speed railway begins operating.
  • Matteo Renzi becomes mayor.
• 2011 – 13 December: 2011 Florence shootings.
• 2013 – Population: 366,039 city; 987,354 province.^[26]
• 2014 – Dario Nardella becomes mayor.
• 2015 – City becomes capital of the newly created Metropolitan City of Florence.

See also

• History of Florence
• List of mayors of Florence
• State Archives of Florence (state archives)

Other cities in the macroregion of Central Italy:^(it)

• Timeline of Ancona, Marche region
• Timeline of Arezzo, Tuscany region
• Timeline of Grosseto, Tuscany
• Timeline of Livorno, Tuscany
• Timeline of Lucca, Tuscany
• Timeline of Perugia, Umbria region
• Timeline of Pisa, Tuscany
• Timeline of Pistoia, Tuscany
• Timeline of Prato, Tuscany
• Timeline of Rome, Lazio region
• Timeline of Siena, Tuscany