Florence

Timeline

1. c. 1115–1250Florence · TuscanyFlorence broke free of direct imperial rule, guilds participated in municipal government, and wool, silk, and banking gradually became the pillars of the city's economy, with the Arno linking to the port of Pisa.
2. c. 1250–1300Florence · TuscanyThe city's population grew rapidly; the wool industry imported raw wool from England and Iberia, and money-changing and credit networks extended to the papal court and northern Europe, making it one of the largest cities on the Italian peninsula.
3. 1301–1310Florence · TuscanyBetween 1301 and 1310, the Florentine guild republic enjoyed stable governance, textile exports and bank bill-of-exchange business flourished, and trade with Bruges and Venetian merchants was close, though social tensions were already building on the eve of the Black Death.
4. c. 1400–1600Florence · TuscanyAfter the Medici family took power, Florence became a center of Renaissance art, humanism, and architectural innovation, with the city's image and its early commune-guild traditions together forming its historical identity.