Formation of the Florentine Commune

Timeline

1. 1131–1135Florence · TuscanyAfter Matilda's death in 1115, Florence did not accept her successor Rabodo (in office c. 1116–1119, died in conflict with the city). The exact year of the commune's formation is unknown; Rabodo's death is often seen as the turning point. Uguccione della Faggiuola is an early 14th-century figure and must not be placed in the 1130s.
2. 1138Florence · TuscanyThe Florentine Republic is first recorded in 1138: several Tuscan cities allied against Margrave of Tuscany and Duke of Bavaria Henry X. The first foreign podestà did not appear until 1207, so 1138 cannot be recorded as the beginning of the podestà system.
3. 1131–1140Arno River basin · TuscanyThe exact year of the commune's formation is unknown. After Matilda's death in 1115, Florence resisted Rabodo, who died c. 1119 in conflict with the city, often seen as a turning point. The Republic is first recorded in 1138, with Tuscan cities allied against Margrave Henry X. The dedicated article on the Florentine Republic does not record the 1130s wool industry or the 1172 city walls as necessary conditions for the commune's formation.