Republic of Siena

The Republic of Siena was a historic state consisting of the city of Siena and southern Tuscany in central Italy, existing for over four hundred years from 1125 to 1555. It gradually expanded throughout southern Tuscany and became one of the major economic powers of the Middle Ages, ranking among the most important commercial, financial and artistic centers in Europe; from 1287 to 1355, under the rule of the Noveschi, the republic experienced a period of great political and economic splendor. Plague driven economic collapse and political instability eventually led to its absorption into Florence, culminating in its surrender on 21 April 1555.