Siena - Italy
A Very Brief History

The site where Siena is located was originally an Etruscan settlement. After the Rome defeated the Etruscans they began extending their influence throughout the Italian peninsula. The original Etruscan settlement was renamed by the Romans as Sena Jula.

Until the 12th century this town was not terribly important. However under the Lombard kings Siena flourished and eventually became a self governing city-state.

Economic rivalry and territorial conflict with neighboring Florence, made Siena the center of pro imperial Ghibellinism in Tuscany. The Sienese reached the peak of political power, when their army crushed the Florentines at the Battle of Montaperti on September 4, 1260.

Following this battle, Siena continued to grow as an economic power in the region. However Florence regrouped and over time Siena found itself unable to compete with its stronger rival. At a certain point the Papacy imposed economic sanctions against Siena's Ghibelline merchants and the Ghibelline nobility soon lost its share of power. The city suffered from wars, natural disasters and the general economic decline that affected the whole of Italy in the early 14th century.

Between 1350 and 1560 Siena endured the two most troubled centuries in its history. This was a period of economic decline, social conflict, and of instability and tension in political life. The city's constitution was changed time and again to accommodate the unstable regimes that came to power. Siena was constantly torn by strife and civic turmoil and the inability to create successful coalitions with other cities accelerated the economic decline of Siena.

The French began to profit from this political vacuum in the center of Italy. The Spanish responding to this French threat started taking an interest in the city and Spanish influence in Siena became increasingly strong. Siena rebelled against the Spanish and drove them from the city in 1552. For the next 3 years, with the help of the French, Siena struggled against the combined forces of the Spanish and Cosimo I de' Medici of Florence. In 1555 Siena was forced to surrender and by 1557 was firmly under the control of Florence.

It was only in 1861 that Siena along with the rest of the Tuscany region was absorbed into the newly formed Kingdom of Italy.