List of rulers 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.

Margraves of Tuscany">March of Tuscany">Margraves of Tuscany, 812–1197

House of Boniface

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, Arezzo, Pisa, and Siena. Lucca was an independent republic until the Napoleonic period in the 19th century.

Rulers of Florence, 1434–1569

De facto rulers of the House of Medici">Medici">House of Medici, 1434–1494

Republic of Florence (1494-1512)

PortraitNameFromToNote
Girolamo Savonarola14941498Inspired reform around Florence, was condemned a heretic and hanged and simultaneously burned at the stake in the middle of the piazza.
Piero Soderini15021512was declared Standard Bearer for life, fled Florence after the Medici conquest.

Rulers of the House of Medici">Medici">House of Medici (1512-1532)

PortraitNameFromToNote
Cardinal Giovanni de' Medici15121513Son of Lorenzo, later became Pope Leo X
Giuliano II, Duke of Nemours15131516Son of Lorenzo
Lorenzo II de Medici15161519Son of Piero the Unfortunate. Duke of Urbino during the same period.
Cardinal Giulio de' Medici15191523son of Giuliano de Medici, later became Pope Clement VII
Ippolito de' Medici15231527Son of Giuliano de Medici
Alessandro de' Medici15271530son of Lorenzo II de Medici, ruled in exile, returned and became Duke of Florence, where he was assassinated.

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.
PortraitNameFromToNote
Alessandro de' Medici15311532son of Lorenzo II de Medici, ruled in exile, returned and became Duke of Florence, where he was assassinated.

Medici">House of Medici">Medici dukes of Florence">Duchy of Florence">dukes of Florence, 1532–1569

PortraitNameFromToNote
Alessandro de' Medici15321537son of Lorenzo II de Medici, ruled in exile, returned and became Duke of Florence, where he was assassinated.
Cosimo I de' Medici15371569son of Giovanni dalle Bande Nere, later became the first Grand Duke of Tuscany.

Medici grand dukes of Tuscany">Grand Duchy of Tuscany">grand dukes of Tuscany, 1569–1737

PortraitNameFromToNote
Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany15691574son of Giovanni dalle Bande Nere, maternal great-grandson of Lorenzo the Magnificent.
Francesco I de' Medici15741587son of Cosimo I
Ferdinando I de' Medici15871609son of Cosimo I
Cosimo II de' Medici16091621son of Ferdinando I
Ferdinando II de' Medici16211670son of Cosimo II
Cosimo III de' Medici16701723son of Ferdinando II
Gian Gastone de' Medici17231737son of Cosimo III, was the last Medici Grand Duke of Tuscany.

[Habsburg-Lorraine] grand dukes of Tuscany, 1737–1801

PortraitNameFromToNote
Francesco II Stefano17371765a great-great-great-grandson of Francesco I, later became Holy Roman Emperor.
Pietro Leopoldo I17651790second son of Francis I, also became Holy Roman Emperor.
Ferdinando III17901801second son of Leopold I

Bourbon-Parma">House of Bourbon-Parma">Bourbon-Parma [kings of Etruria], 1801–1807

PortraitNameFromToNote
Lodovico I18011803Grandson of Francisco II Stefano
Lodovico II18031807son of Lodovico I

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.

[Habsburg-Lorraine] grand dukes of Tuscany, 1814–1860

PortraitNameFromToNote
Ferdinando III18141824Restored
Leopoldo II18241859son of Ferdinando III
Ferdinando IV18591860son of Leopoldo II

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.

Titular Habsburg-Lorraine claimants, 1860–present