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Siena

Type Object Region Europe Time c. 1100–1555

Siena is a hill town in Tuscany, Italy, known in the Middle Ages for its wool trade, banking, and distinctive Gothic civic culture.…

Timeline

  1. c. 1150–1300Siena · TuscanyThe commune of Siena developed its textile industry on the wool resources of Chianti and the Maremma; embryonic financial institutions such as Monte dei Paschi appeared, and the city operated independently within the Tuscan political landscape.
  2. 1311–1320Campo square, Siena · TuscanyBetween 1311 and 1320 the Government of the Nine continued the city-imaging projects of the town hall and the fan-shaped Campo square; the Palio tradition and Gothic civic art made Siena an independent center in Tuscan cultural competition.
  3. c. 1260–1355Tuscan hinterland · TuscanyAfter the victory at Montaperti in 1260 Siena expanded for a time; in the early 14th century it still contested Chianti and the Val d'Elsa border with Florence, and in the 1310s military alliances and the use of mercenaries were frequent.
  4. 1348–1400Siena · TuscanyThe plague of 1348 devastated the population and wool-producing capacity; civic finances and artistic production slowed, and the city's relative advantage over Florence gradually eroded.

Sources