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123-524: The Ciompi Revolt developed in three stages: reform in May and June, the violent "revolution" of the revolt and fighting in mid-July, and the fall of the Ciompi government – the "reaction", at the end of August 1378. These workers' underrepresentation led to their exploitation, low wages, and political impotence. In June 1378 the city's fourteen minor guilds demanded greater representation in civic office from elites –

246-415: A maritime nation began to grow and reached its apex in the 11th century, when it acquired traditional fame as one of the four main historical maritime republics of Italy ( Repubbliche Marinare ). At that time, the city was a very important commercial centre and controlled a significant Mediterranean merchant fleet and navy. It expanded its powers in 1005 through the sack of Reggio Calabria in

369-478: A patriciate could be identified by the presence of a family name. On the other side of the spectrum were the popolo minuto , or the labouring classes of Florence, which also had no set boundaries. For example, an artisan could be considered elite if he was wealthy and successful. The majority of the popolo minuto , however, consisted of poor labourers flocking from villages to the city for work. Forced loans, high taxes and an even higher incidence of indebtedness kept

492-507: A combined fleet of Pisan and Sicilian ships, led by the emperor's son Enzo , attacked a Genoese convoy carrying prelates from northern Italy and France, next to the isle of Giglio ( Battle of Giglio ), in front of Tuscany ; the Genoese lost 25 ships, while about a thousand sailors, two cardinals, and one bishop were taken prisoner. After this major victory, the council in Rome failed, but Pisa

615-540: A dominant position in the markets of southern France. The war began in 1165 on the Rhône , when an attack on a convoy, directed to some Pisan trade centres on the river, by the Genoese and their ally, the count of Toulouse , failed. Pisa, though, was allied to Provence. The war continued until 1175 without significant victories. Another point of attrition was Sicily , where both the cities had privileges granted by Henry VI . In 1192, Pisa managed to conquer Messina. This episode

738-535: A feudal family who had strong influences over the peasants living in the Alpi Fiorentine, and Florence wished to break these ties for control in the north. Adding to the need for more military forces was the increased crime and attacks directed at merchants and at pilgrims passing through Florence that developed after the Black Death. To pay these militias, however, Florence was getting deeper in debt, and

861-401: A half years (1378–1382). Yet, it not only reflected the long-existing social issue of late 14th-century Florence, but also constituted a long-lasting impact on many generations to come. It greatly influenced Florentine society in the 15th century, and became a memorable moment of Florentine history, which historians of later centuries all showed great interest in, but interpreted the same event in

984-561: A membership of about 4000 to 5000 between them. After the incorporation of these new guilds, almost every man in Florence was able to participate in city government. Considering the militancy with which the Ciompi had seized power, their demands both politically and socially, were modest. Their main concerns included the formation of a guild for wool workers and they also wished to tackle unemployment by increasing wool production. The Ciompi in fact did not demand ownership of cloth production or

1107-527: A revolt. This eventually gave rise to the Medici family, the most powerful banking family of Florence, whose power outweighed Salvestro de' Medici 's bad reputation, and became the de facto ruler of Florence in the 15th century, drastically changing the character of the Florentine communal government. In the 15th century, it would not be surprising for Florentine scholars, who were part of the elite, to view

1230-555: A third of Florence's population. Many of the issues leading to the revolt of the Ciompi involved the politics and relations between guild and non-guild members, as well as the ruling elites of the city (the Signoria ). Guild members and the guild system were important aspects of Florence's politics by 1378, where they acted as political intermediaries between the individuals in their guild and the state. Guilds enforced industrial, fiscal , and monetary policy which benefited their trades and

1353-472: A variety of different ways. Late 14th-century Florence was not a harmonious city, but one that had long been filled with tensions. The two major tensions were social and political, accumulating since Florence's commercial revolution 150 years prior to the rebellion. Social tension existed between the poor Ciompi and wealthy merchants who dominated the lucrative wool industry, and the Florentine government, which continued to increase taxation. The political tension

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1476-541: A very small role during the actual Ciompi Revolt. The "Eight Saints" of the Popolo Minuto created itself as a shadow government to Michele di Lando's government they forcefully obtained the right to veto communal legislation. Di Lando's government defeated these radical challengers on 31 August 1378. There is very little recorded history about who Michele di Lando was before the Ciompi Revolt, because men of

1599-500: Is based on a driverless "horizontal funicular " that travels the distance in 5 minutes, with a 5-minute frequency, having an intermediate stop at parking station San Giusto/Aurelia. Consorzio Pisano Trasporti , also known as CPT , was a Società consortile a responsabilità limitata (Scarl) that operated since 2005 the local public transport in Pisa and in the province . Became subsidiary of Compagnia Toscana Trasporti Nord in 2012 and

1722-415: Is characterized by cool to mild winters and hot summers. This transitional climate allows Pisa to have summers with moderate rainfall . Rainfall peaks in autumn. Snow is rare. The highest officially recorded temperature was 39.5 °C (103.1 °F) on 22 August 2011 and the lowest was −13.8 °C (7.2 °F) on 12 January 1985. In Pisa there was a festival and game fr:Gioco del Ponte (Game of

1845-466: Is not known if he saw active service at that time, but the fact that he was trained in command and with arms, he was likely less docile than simple workers in his industry). His ascension to the position of Signore and Gonfaloniere was literally a story about a man who went from rags to riches. He walked into the Palace barefooted and took control at the people's request. This scene inspired awe even in

1968-587: Is still the seat of an archbishopric . Besides its educational institutions, it has become a light industrial centre and a railway hub. It suffered repeated destruction during World War II . Since the early 1950s, the US Army has maintained Camp Darby just outside Pisa, which is used by many US military personnel as a base for vacations in the area. Pisa has a borderline humid subtropical climate ( Köppen climate classification : Cfa ) and Mediterranean climate ( Köppen climate classification : Csa ). The city

2091-469: Is the main railway station and is located along the Tyrrhenic railway line . It connects Pisa directly with several other important Italian cities such as Rome , Florence , Genoa , Turin , Naples , Livorno , and Grosseto . Pisa San Rossore links the city with Lucca (20 minutes north-east of Pisa) and Viareggio and is also reachable from Pisa Centrale . It is a minor railway station located near

2214-571: The Campo Santo (the monumental cemetery). The medieval complex includes the above-mentioned four sacred buildings, the hospital and few palaces. All the complex is kept by the Opera (fabrica ecclesiae) della Primaziale Pisana , an old non profit foundation that has operated since the building of the Cathedral in 1063 to maintain the sacred buildings. The area is framed by medieval walls kept by

2337-685: The Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea . It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa . Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower , the city contains more than twenty other historic churches, several medieval palaces, and bridges across the Arno. Much of the city's architecture was financed from its history as one of the Italian maritime republics . The city is also home to

2460-690: The Bargello , the palace of the podestà . On this day, thousands of armed wool workers (the Ciompi) and those from the Sotto posti, besieged the Signoria and pointedly hanged the public executioner by his feet in front of the Palazzo Vecchio . The Ciompi then compelled the governing body, the Signoria , to establish three additional guilds in order to grant them access to political office. In demanding

2583-612: The Byzantine Emperor Alexius I Comnenus granted them special mooring and trading rights. In all these cities, the Pisans were granted privileges and immunity from taxation, but had to contribute to the defence in case of attack. In the 12th century, the Pisan quarter in the eastern part of Constantinople had grown to 1,000 people. For some years of that century, Pisa was the most prominent commercial and military ally of

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2706-705: The Byzantines of Ravenna (what "military expedition by Pope Gregory against the Byzantine Empire" ): Pisa was the sole Byzantine centre of Tuscia to fall peacefully in Lombard hands, through assimilation with the neighbouring region where their trading interests were prevalent. Pisa began in this way its rise to the role of main port of the Upper Tyrrhenian Sea and became the main trading centre between Tuscany and Corsica , Sardinia , and

2829-469: The Guelph Party to justify their patriciate status, while the gente nuova appealed to the middle and lower classes for support. In 1375 the gente nuova seriously challenged the privileges of the oligarchy, sparking concerns from the latter of their possible collapse. In addition, war broke out against the papacy in the same year, increasing the costly burdens on the city. In late 1377 to early 1378,

2952-402: The Signoria . These guildsmen still wanted to keep the Sotto posti, who were low wage textile workers with no guild representation, from forming their own guilds and being able to gain increased political power. To prevent this, the Signoria quadrupled the fee for admittance to the system. This action sparked indignation and turned the Sotto posti into opponents of the Signoria, aligning them with

3075-512: The Tuscan state of Pisa offered the signoria to Charles VIII of France in the hope that he would protect the independence of Pisa from its long term enemy Florence . Similarly, Siena offered the signoria to Cesare Borgia . The composition and specific functions of the signoria varied from city to city. In some states (such as Verona under the Della Scala family or Florence in

3198-603: The Tyrrhenian Sea . When the Pisans subsequently ousted the Genoese from Sardinia, a new conflict and rivalry was born between these major marine republics. Between 1030 and 1035, Pisa went on to defeat several rival towns in Sicily and conquer Carthage in North Africa . In 1051–1052, the admiral Jacopo Ciurini conquered Corsica , provoking more resentment from the Genoese. In 1063, Admiral Giovanni Orlandi, coming to

3321-615: The University of Pisa , which has a history going back to the 12th century, the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa , founded by Napoleon in 1810, and its offshoot, the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies . Most believe the hypothesis that the origin of the name Pisa comes from Etruscan and means 'mouth', as Pisa is at the mouth of the Arno river. Although throughout history there have been several uncertainties about

3444-573: The bell tower of the cathedral , known as "the leaning Tower of Pisa", is the most famous image of the city, it is one of many works of art and architecture in the city's Piazza del Duomo , also known, since the 20th century, as Piazza dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles), to the north of the old town center. The Piazza del Duomo also houses the Duomo (the Cathedral), the Baptistry and

3567-482: The ciompi and the Arti Minori took over the government beginning in 1378. In becoming the ciompi , the word derives from the florentine word for ‘cardare la lana’ or ‘ciompare’ as the wool workers were the most representative and numerous group of people involved in the revolt although it included also other groups. Records of condemned ciompi rebels show, in fact, that tavern owners were also found to be part of

3690-451: The ciompi impoverished. In 1355, the miserabiles , defined as having no property, whose possessions were worth less than 100 lire and had no trade or profession, accounted for 22% of households in Florence. The most important aspect of this class is that they had no representation in the Florentine government, which would be one of the main changes implemented by the ciompi later on. These artisans and labourers were not part of guilds until

3813-642: The "Eight Saints", also known as the Eight of Santa Maria Novella ) and suggests that they may be commonly confused with the more influential and better known otto della guerra (or the "Eight of War") who represented Florence and opposed Gregory XI and the Catholic Church in 1375 (in the War of the Eight Saints ). The "Eight of War" were very much in power at the time of the Ciompi Revolt, however they played

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3936-560: The "Eight of War" (who thought themselves as effective rulers of Florence) wanted to appoint replacements for the Signory. Di Lando dismissed them, wanting to show that he could govern without their assistance, and chose the electoral candidates himself. Once he secured his power, di Lando's government allied with the Popolo di Firenze , infuriating radical members of the Popolo Minuto (who elected their "Eight Saints" to oppose di Lando). After

4059-608: The 15th century, access to the sea became more difficult, as the port was silting up and was cut off from the sea. When in 1494, Charles VIII of France invaded the Italian states to claim the Kingdom of Naples , Pisa reclaimed its independence as the Second Pisan Republic. The new freedom did not last long; 15 years of battles and sieges by the Florentine troops led by Antonio da Filicaja , Averardo Salviati and Niccolò Capponi were made, but they failed to conquer

4182-431: The 15th century, but was a flashpoint in Florentine history, which continued to intrigue historians. Interpretations of the events evolved across the centuries. In the years preceding the 1378 revolt, certain aspects of Florentine society set the stage for the uprising. Tensions within the oligarchy were already present decades before the revolt occurred. The Arti Minori, or minor guilds, were constantly in contention with

4305-527: The 1980s and the 1990s, featuring several world-class players such as Diego Simeone , Christian Vieri and Dunga during this time. The club play at the Arena Garibaldi – Stadio Romeo Anconetani , opened in 1919 and with a capacity of 25,000. Shooting was one of the first sports to have their own association in Pisa. The Società del Tiro a Segno di Pisa was founded on July 9, 1862. In 1885, they acquired their own training field. The shooting range

4428-491: The 9 October 1343 revolt by wool workers led by the Sienese Aldobrando di Ciecharino , who lived in Florence. The Revolt of the Ciompi was a popular revolt in Florence in 1378 spearheaded by wool carders known as Ciompi ( Italian pronunciation: [ˈtʃompi] ) and other non-guilded workers who rose up to demand a voice in the commune's ordering in addition to enacting debt and tax reforms. The revolt

4551-528: The Arti Maggiori, or the seven major guilds. Between the years of 1339 to 1349, wealthy houses went bankrupt and markets were reduced. The economy never peaked nor declined sharply again, aside from minor political and military disputes familiar to Florence. Economic grievances had drawn artisans and wage-labourers into Florentine politics from the mid-fourteenth century. These workers, however, were forbidden from associating by city government. The oligarchy

4674-511: The Bridge) which was celebrated (in some form) in Pisa from perhaps the 1200s down to 1807. From the end of the 1400s the game took the form of a mock battle fought upon Pisa's central bridge ( Ponte di Mezzo ). The participants wore quilted armor and the only offensive weapon allowed was the targone , a shield-shaped, stout board with precisely specified dimensions. Hitting below the belt was not allowed. Two opposing teams started at opposite ends of

4797-582: The Byzantine Empire, overcoming Venice itself. In 1113, Pisa and Pope Paschal II set up, together with the count of Barcelona and other contingents from Provence and Italy (Genoese excluded), a war to free the Balearic Islands from the Moors ; the queen and the king of Majorca were brought in chains to Tuscany. Though the Almoravides soon reconquered the island, the booty taken helped

4920-487: The Ciompi artisans, viewing them as the early proletariat , who tried to overthrow the oppressive bourgeoisies. Recent histories treat the conflict as a lens reflecting the issues of Florentine society in the late 14th century, and also as a catalyst for Florence's period politics. Moreover, to them, the rebellion is a lens that reflects history as an ever changing entity, as historians living in different times have different "presents", and one's present dictates how one views

5043-422: The Ciompi guildless and without power or representation in government. The procrastination of the Signoria and half measures adopted therefore is perhaps what contributed to the second phase of the revolt. On 21 July, the lower classes forcibly took over the government, placing the wool carder Michele di Lando in the executive office of gonfaloniere of justice , and showing their banner, the blacksmith's flag, at

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5166-405: The Ciompi revolt consisted of complex social, economic and political factors, as well as the involvement of more than one group of workers such as the Ciompi. The hierarchical guild system played an important part in the conflict, as did guild members who were key in turning on the government and ending its short reign over the city. Although often portrayed as radical today, the demands and wishes of

5289-414: The Eight Saints who were attempting to challenge his power in government. This day has been named one of the bloodiest in Florentine history. On 1 September citizens assembled in the piazza and approved the dissolution of the Ciompi guild. Nevertheless, the government continued to enact Ciompi-led reforms, such as the establishment of the estimo —a direct tax on household wealth on 29 October 1378. Overall,

5412-494: The Genoese attacked several galleys on their way home to the motherland, and lasted until 1133. The two cities fought each other on land and at sea, but hostilities were limited to raids and pirate-like assaults. In June 1135, Bernard of Clairvaux took a leading part in the Council of Pisa , asserting the claims of Pope Innocent II against those of Pope Anacletus II , who had been elected pope in 1130 with Norman support, but

5535-697: The Genoese predominance in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Pisa strengthened its relationship with its traditional Spanish and French bases (Marseille, Narbonne , Barcelona , etc.) and tried to defy the Venetian rule of the Adriatic Sea . In 1180, the two cities agreed to a nonaggression treaty in the Tyrrhenian and the Adriatic, but the death of Emperor Manuel Comnenus in Constantinople changed

5658-487: The Mediterranean and the prominence of the merchant class urged a modification in the city's institutes. The system with consuls was abandoned, and in 1230, the new city rulers named a capitano del popolo ("people's chieftain") as civil and military leader. Despite these reforms, the conquered lands and the city itself were harassed by the rivalry between the two families of Della Gherardesca and Visconti . In 1237

5781-816: The Pisan crusaders were led by their archbishop Daibert , the future patriarch of Jerusalem . Pisa and the other Repubbliche Marinare took advantage of the crusade to establish trading posts and colonies in the Eastern coastal cities of the Levant . In particular, the Pisans founded colonies in Antiochia , Acre, Jaffa , Tripoli , Tyre , Latakia , and Accone. They also had other possessions in Jerusalem and Caesarea , plus smaller colonies (with lesser autonomy) in Cairo , Alexandria , and of course Constantinople , where

5904-774: The Pisans in their magnificent programme of buildings, especially the cathedral , and Pisa gained a role of pre-eminence in the Western Mediterranean . In the following years, the powerful Pisan fleet, led by archbishop Pietro Moriconi , drove away the Saracens after ferocious battles. Though short-lived, this Pisan success in Spain increased the rivalry with Genoa. Pisa's trade with Languedoc , Provence ( Noli , Savona , Fréjus , and Montpellier ) were an obstacle to Genoese interests in cities such as Hyères , Fos , Antibes , and Marseille . The war began in 1119 when

6027-553: The Pisans violated it by blockading the port of Brindisi in Apulia . In the following naval battle, they were defeated by the Venetians. The war that followed ended in 1206 with a treaty in which Pisa gave up all its hopes to expand in the Adriatic, though it maintained the trading posts it had established in the area. From that point on, the two cities were united against the rising power of Genoa and sometimes collaborated to increase

6150-422: The Sotto posti from forming guilds and thereby being able to gain a political position. However, the Sotto posti soon submitted their own demands and hoped to have them met. The Signoria had no intention of granting the un-guilded Sotto posti these liberties however and instead, feeling threatened, made it more difficult to obtain office and quadrupled the fee for admittance. This action sparked indignation and turned

6273-415: The Sotto posti who were designated ineligible for entry to the guild system or for creating a guild for their own benefit. The exclusion of the Ciompi from this system reinforced unequal power relations within the city, reducing the rights and protections available for these workers unlike those assigned to members in other guilds. It was a highly unequal society allowing Florence's wool trade to thrive and set

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6396-420: The Sotto posti, who were previously hopeful for better rights and social/professional advances, into opponents of the Signoria, aligning their aims and ailments with those of the lower class Ciompi. Salvestro de Medici was one of the individuals assigned the blame by many in the lower classes, and later also faced accusation from his peers for letting the situation with the Ciompi get out of hand. On 22 June 1378,

6519-487: The Visconti family from Milan and eventually to Florence again. Livorno took over the role of the main port of Tuscany. Pisa acquired a mainly cultural role spurred by the presence of the University of Pisa , created in 1343, and later reinforced by the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa (1810) and Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies (1987). Pisa was the birthplace of the important early physicist Galileo Galilei . It

6642-606: The aid of the Norman Roger I , took Palermo from the Saracen pirates. The gold treasure taken from the Saracens in Palermo allowed the Pisans to start the building of their cathedral and the other monuments which constitute the famous Piazza del Duomo . In 1060, Pisa engaged in its first battle with Genoa . The Pisan victory helped to consolidate its position in the Mediterranean. Pope Gregory VII recognised in 1077

6765-435: The ancient authorities ascribed to it the invention of the naval ram . Pisa took advantage of being the only port along the western coast between Genoa (then a small village) and Ostia . Pisa served as a base for Roman naval expeditions against Ligurians and Gauls . In 180 BC, it became a Roman colony under Roman law, as Portus Pisanus . In 89 BC, Portus Pisanus became a municipium . Emperor Augustus fortified

6888-549: The apex of Pisa's power, but also spurred the resentment of other cities such as Lucca , Massa , Volterra , and Florence , thwarting their aim to expand towards the sea. The clash with Lucca also concerned the possession of the castle of Montignoso and mainly the control of the Via Francigena , the main trade route between Rome and France. Last, but not least, such a sudden and large increase of power by Pisa could only lead to another war with Genoa. Genoa had acquired

7011-554: The archbishop and the Emperor Frederick II intervened to reconcile the two rivals, but the strains continued. In 1254, the people rebelled and imposed 12 Anziani del Popolo ("People's Elders") as their political representatives in the commune. They also supplemented the legislative councils, formed of noblemen, with new People's Councils, composed by the main guilds and by the chiefs of the People's Companies. These had

7134-461: The bridge fight there. The fighters arrived fully armored, wearing helmets, each carrying their banner, which was planted at both ends of the bridge, which is quite wide and long. The battle is fought with certain wooden implements made for this purpose, which they wear over their arms and are attached to them, with which they pummel each other so intensely that I saw several of them carried away with bloody and crushed heads. Victory consists of capturing

7257-577: The bridge, in the same way as the fistfights in Venice between the it:Castellani and the Nicolotti ." In 1927 the tradition was revived by college students as an elaborate costume parade. In 1935 Vittorio Emanuele III with the royal family witnessed the first revival of a modern version of the game, which has been pursued in the 20th and 21st centuries with some interruptions and varying degrees of enthusiasm by Pisans and their civic institutions. While

7380-574: The bridge. The object of the two opposing teams was to penetrate, drive back, and disperse the opponents' ranks and to thereby drive them backwards off the bridge. The struggle was limited to forty-five minutes. Victory or defeat was immensely important to the team players and their partisans, but sometimes the game was fought to a draw and both sides celebrated. In 1677 the battle was witnessed by Dutch travelling artist Cornelis de Bruijn . He wrote: "While I stayed in Livorno , I went to Pisa to witness

7503-458: The city. Vitellozzo Vitelli with his brother Paolo were the only ones who actually managed to break the strong defences of Pisa and make a breach in the Stampace bastion in the southern west part of the walls, but he did not enter the city. For that, they were suspected of treachery and Paolo was put to death. However, the resources of Pisa were getting low, and at the end, the city was sold to

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7626-413: The cloth factories and their ideals were still based around the traditional guild idea, wishing to protect their economic interests and the situation of their workers. However the new Ciompi government, once they had pushed out the Signoria, experienced early problems. While they made demands such as the right to elect three of their own priors, the reduction of judicial corporal punishment , and reform of

7749-525: The coast. However, it was a maritime city, with ships sailing up the Arno. In the 90s AD, a baths complex was built in the city. During the last years of the Western Roman Empire , Pisa did not decline as much as the other cities of Italy, probably due to the complexity of its river system and its consequent ease of defence. In the seventh century, Pisa helped Pope Gregory I by supplying numerous ships in his military expedition against

7872-473: The colony into an important port and changed the name to Colonia Iulia obsequens . Pisa supposedly was founded on the shore, but due to the alluvial sediments from the Arno and the Serchio, whose mouth lies about 11 km (7 mi) north of the Arno's, the shore moved west. Strabo states that the city was 4.0 km (2.5 mi) away from the coast. Currently, it is located 9.7 km (6 mi) from

7995-460: The command of Uguccione della Faggiuola . Eventually, however, after a long siege, Pisa was occupied by Florentines in 1405. Florentines corrupted the capitano del popolo ("people's chieftain"), Giovanni Gambacorta, who at night opened the city gate of San Marco. Pisa was never conquered by an army. In 1409, Pisa was the seat of a council trying to set the question of the Great Schism . In

8118-408: The creation of an arte del pololo minuto , the Ciompi requests were not especially radical: they were simply demanding the same rights the other minor guilds currently had. Most of the Ciompi (and Sotto Posti involved) aimed for reform rather than radical or revolutionary innovation. The total membership of the three new guilds was roughly 13,000 men whereas the twenty-one previously existing guilds had

8241-588: The days of Cosimo de Medici and Lorenzo the Magnificent ), the polity was what we would term today a one-party state in which the dominant party had vested the signoria of the state in a single family or dynasty. In Florence, the arrangement was unofficial, as it was not constitutionally formalized before the Medici were expelled from the city in 1494. In other states (such as the Visconti of Milan ),

8364-402: The decline of labour unrest in Florence's cloth industry in the years following and lack of political power that these sections of society continued to have. As "a man of a noble house, great and rich", Salvestro de' Medici was a lesser known cousin to the famous House of Medici banking family. He was blamed for causing the rebellion of the Ciompi by his peers (such as Alamanno Acciaioli, who

8487-587: The dynasty's right to the signoria was a formally recognized part of the commune's constitution, which had been "ratified" by the people and recognized by the pope or the Holy Roman Empire. The term is also used to refer to certain small feudal holdings in Sicily similar to manorial lordships and, like them, were established in Norman times. With the abolition of feudalism in Sicily in 1812, some of

8610-430: The elite families on behalf of a disintegrating government. Delegitimizing the new established guilds and removing them from constitutional functions became a main objective of the post-1382 regime that repealed the guild government's reforms. City government engaged in a concerted campaign to depict the non-guilded workers as criminal and heretical. The Ciompi Rebellion was not particularly long, lasting only for three and

8733-430: The end came when the Arno started to change course, preventing the galleys from reaching the city's port up the river. The nearby area also likely became infested with malaria . The true end came in 1324, when Sardinia was entirely lost to the Aragonese . Always Ghibelline, Pisa tried to build up its power in the course of the 14th century, and even managed to defeat Florence in the Battle of Montecatini (1315), under

8856-522: The evil and good, and this applied to the Ciompi Rebellion. Romantic historians regarded Michele di Lando, the leader of the rebellion, as a hero to the people who fought against their ruthless oppressors. In the late nineteenth century, a sculpture of the popular leader Michele di Lando was placed in a niche on the façade of the Loggia del Mercato Nuovo . Marxist historians also sympathized with

8979-474: The eyes of some of the Signory (despite their compromised position). Alamanno Acciaioli was quoted saying, "... He [di Lando] was given the Signory and they [the people] wished him to be Standard-Bearer of Justice and lord (signore)... this Michele di Lando, wool comber, was lord of Florence for twenty-eight hours and more. This is the result of quarrelsomeness and innovation! O dear Lord, what great miracles you show us!..." Upon Michele di Lando's ascension to power,

9102-405: The failure of the comuni to maintain law-and-order and suppress party strife and civil discord. In the anarchic conditions that often prevailed in medieval Italian city-states , people looked to strong men to restore order and disarm the feuding elites. In times of anarchy or crisis, cities sometimes offered the signoria to individuals perceived as strong enough to save the state. For example,

9225-429: The final clash with the radicals, the Signory retook office at the end of Michele di Lando's term. This regime did not last long, it was overthrown again in 1382 and di Lando was sent into exile as a collaborator with the Signory. The city of Florence was governed by the Ciompi until 1382 when fear of foreign incursion and a prolonged dispute between the wool merchants and the dyers was used to justify an intervention by

9348-401: The first outbreak of violence occurred when the un-guilded wool-workers took up arms and attacked government buildings, monasteries and a number of Palazzi whilst also releasing inmates from city prisons. Nevertheless, it was yet to become a full blown revolt. The Signoria attempted to appease the lower classes through talks and petitions, although ultimately suggested little change and still left

9471-407: The guild system. The consequent revolt of 1378 marked the high point of labour agitation in Florence. The Ciompi revolt occurred in three phases. These consisted a stage of reform in the months of May and June, the " revolution ", or violent outburst of the revolt occurring in mid-July, and the fall of the temporary Ciompi government – the "reaction", which occurred at the end of August. In June 1378,

9594-648: The holdings became baronies. More often, a barony consisted of several signorie. In a few states, the word was sometimes used to refer to the constitutional government of a republic rather than the power exercised by an individual monarch or noble family. For example, the word was sometimes used in Renaissance times to refer to the government of the Republics of Florence or of Venice , as in Shakespeare's Othello in which Othello says: Occasionally,

9717-443: The jurisdiction over the Pisan countryside, the Pisans were granted freedom of trade in the whole empire, the coast from Civitavecchia to Portovenere , a half of Palermo , Messina , Salerno and Naples , the whole of Gaeta , Mazara , and Trapani , and a street with houses for its merchants in every city of the Kingdom of Sicily . Some of these grants were later confirmed by Henry VI , Otto IV , and Frederick II . They marked

9840-569: The lives of their workers in addition to representing them politically, regulating their industries, and controlling who could become a member. As mentioned previously the guild system involved a hierarchy between the seven major and fourteen minor guild associations; the former represented those who had become a class of prosperous cloth merchants and bankers/financiers, and the latter consisting of various artisans , craftsmen and skilled labourers including, but not limited to, shoemakers, tailors and wine merchants. The 21 guilds, however, did not include

9963-399: The lower class Ciompi. On 22 June the Ciompi took up arms for the first time but it was not until 21 July that they violently took over the city's government and forced the Signoria to create three new guilds and grant them political office. Historians commonly highlight a few individuals as central to the events. Representing the middle and upper class was Salvestro de' Medici . Representing

10086-435: The lower class was the mysterious group known as "The Eight (Saints)". Finally caught in the middle of these two groups is Michele di Lando . He was "separated from his social superior due to inferior birth, but he was also separated by his peers by his superior vision". Although the Ciompi Revolt was brief, it left an impact on future generations. The three-and-a-half-year revolt not only affected Florentine society throughout

10209-441: The lower working class did not leave behind major documents. What is known is that he was a woolcomber, his mother was a washerwoman, and his wife ran a pork butcher's shop. Within his industry, di Lando was the foreman of all the menial workers and made enough money to show up in tax records as paying small sums. He was also a caporale during the war of Papal States, he shared command over twenty-eight men with another caporale (It

10332-519: The maritime power of Pisa and the town never fully recovered; in 1290, the Genoese destroyed forever the Porto Pisano (Pisa's port), and covered the land with salt . The region around Pisa did not permit the city to recover from the loss of thousands of sailors from the Meloria, while Liguria guaranteed enough sailors to Genoa. Goods, however, continued to be traded, albeit in reduced quantity, but

10455-451: The mob, the rabbles, preoccupied by fear and hatred, he was more favorable than Bruni in viewing the event as a whole. According to Machiavelli, the revolt was a social phenomenon between one group of people, who were determined to obtain freedom, while the other determined to abolish it. In the 19th century, however, historians began to show sympathy to the Ciompi. Romantic historians had a tendency to interpret history as an epic tale between

10578-561: The municipal administration. Other sights include: San Pietro in Vinculis . Known as San Pierino , it is an 11th-century church with a crypt and a cosmatesque mosaic on the floor of the main nave. Football is the main sport in Pisa; the local team, A.C. Pisa , currently plays in the Serie B (the second highest football division in Italy), and has had a top flight history throughout

10701-407: The new "Laws and customs of the sea" instituted by the Pisans, and emperor Henry IV granted them the right to name their own consuls, advised by a council of elders. This was simply a confirmation of the present situation, because in those years, the marquis had already been excluded from power. In 1092, Pope Urban II awarded Pisa the supremacy over Corsica and Sardinia, and at the same time raising

10824-515: The ninth century, the emergence of the Saracen pirates prompted the city to expand its fleet. In the following years, this fleet gave the town an opportunity for more expansion. In 828, Pisan ships assaulted the coast of North Africa . In 871, they took part in the defence of Salerno from the Saracens. In 970, they gave also strong support to Otto I's expedition, defeating a Byzantine fleet in front of Calabrese coasts. The power of Pisa as

10947-457: The oligarchy and the gente nuova formed a truce, only to be broken by the oligarchy in June, the month of the revolt. Tensions between the upper and lower classes were a major factor in bringing about the revolt. It is unclear who exactly qualified as belonging to the Florentine upper class, unlike in Venice , where the class hierarchy was solidly entrenched. For the most part of the 14th century,

11070-406: The oligarchy burdened those living in the countryside with increasing taxation. As taxes kept on increasing, the highlanders chose to flee, worsening a labour shortage, already present after the Black Death. Furthermore, there were increasing differences in wealth between the popolo minuto and the patriciates. In fact, before the ciompi , there were already rebellions organized by labourers, such as

11193-494: The origin of the city of Pisa, excavations made in the 1980s and 1990s found numerous archaeological remains, including the fifth century BC tomb of an Etruscan prince, proving the Etruscan origin of the city, and its role as a maritime city, showing that it also maintained trade relations with other Mediterranean civilizations. Ancient Roman authors referred to Pisa as an old city. Virgil , in his Aeneid , states that Pisa

11316-558: The past. Signoria A signoria ( Italian: [siɲɲoˈriːa] ) was the governing authority in many of the Italian city-states during the Medieval and Renaissance periods. The word signoria comes from signore ( Italian: [siɲˈɲoːre] ), or " lord ", an abstract noun meaning (roughly) "government", "governing authority", de facto "sovereignty", "lordship"; pl. : signorie . In Italian history

11439-472: The popolo minuto" and demanding the resignation of di Lando's government. The workers' militia returned and a battle for the Piazza della Signoria broke out between the Ciompi and the forces of the major and minor guilds led by the guild of butchers. The Ciompi and Sotto posti were slaughtered that day by the other guilds alongside the reformist forces under previous Ciompi leader di Lando, who also acted to crush

11562-522: The port, assaulted the castles in the surrounding areas, and drove back an army sent by Roger from Aversa . This victory brought Pisa to the peak of its power and to a standing equal to Venice. Two years later, its soldiers sacked Salerno . In the following years, Pisa was one of the staunchest supporters of the Ghibelline party. This was much appreciated by Frederick I . He issued in 1162 and 1165 two important documents, with these grants: Apart from

11685-525: The power to ratify the laws of the Major General Council and the Senate. The decline is said to have begun on August 6, 1284, when the numerically superior fleet of Pisa, under the command of Albertino Morosini , was defeated by the brilliant tactics of the Genoese fleet, under the command of Benedetto Zaccaria and Oberto Doria , in the dramatic naval Battle of Meloria . This defeat ended

11808-468: The rebellion left a permanent scar in the Florentine elites' mind (both the new and the old nobility) and created their everlasting fear and hatred toward the Ciompi. This scar built a tension between the new nobility and the lower labouring class greater than that prior to the uprising, as the elites constantly feared the rabble's secret plots. The elites thus began to favour a more authoritative government, which may be more centralized and stronger in crushing

11931-465: The revolt. In Florence in 1371, unequal taxation was the norm; in particular, the highlanders paid three times more in taxes than plain dwellers. This increase in taxation was not due to Florence's wars with Pisa from 1362–1364, or to the revolt of San Miniato from 1369–1370, but from the need to pay for increased military forces to push back against the Ubaldini and their allies. The Ubaldini were

12054-401: The rise of the signoria is a phase often associated with the decline of the medieval commune system of government and the rise of the dynastic state. In this context the word signoria (here to be understood as "lordly power") is used in opposition to the institution of the commune or city republic. Contemporary observers and modern historians see the rise of the signoria as a reaction to

12177-411: The series of events began with the fourteen minor guilds of Florence demanding greater representation in civic office. Initially the Ciompi were not violently involved and the early stages of the revolt were as much a power struggle between the guilds as it was between Florence's Signoria and the exploited lower class. The guildsmen who demanded this greater representation in government still sought to keep

12300-465: The situation. Soon, attacks on Venetian convoys were made. Pisa signed trade and political pacts with Ancona , Pula , Zara , Split , and Brindisi ; in 1195, a Pisan fleet reached Pola to defend its independence from Venice, but the Serenissima soon reconquered the rebel sea town. One year later, the two cities signed a peace treaty, which resulted in favourable conditions for Pisa, but in 1199,

12423-552: The south of Italy. Pisa was in continuous conflict with some ' Saracens ' - a medieval term to refer to Arab Muslims - who had their bases in Corsica, for control of the Mediterranean. In 1017, Sardinian Giudicati were militarily supported by Pisa, in alliance with Genoa, to defeat the Saracen King Mugahid, who had settled a logistic base in the north of Sardinia the year before. This victory gave Pisa supremacy in

12546-482: The southern coasts of France and Spain. After Charlemagne had defeated the Lombards under the command of Desiderius in 774, Pisa went through a crisis, but soon recovered. Politically, it became part of the duchy of Lucca . In 860, Pisa was captured by vikings led by Björn Ironside . In 930, Pisa became the county centre (status it maintained until the arrival of Otto I ) within the mark of Tuscia . Lucca

12669-456: The stage for the revolt. The Ciompi resented the controlling power that was centred in the Arte della Lana —the textile-manufacturing establishment which guided the economic engine of Florence's prosperity—and was supported by the other major guilds as well as the limitations they faced in influencing politics, and the lower wages and exploitation they experienced as a result of their exclusion from

12792-422: The tax system, the new government was rather weak and lacked strong bargaining skills. An analysis of those within the newly appointed Balia suggests that only half were actually Ciompi, the rest being of middle class and other professions. The clash of interests and resulting struggle and sense of betrayal experienced by the Ciompi when their leader Michele di Lando turned against them, ignoring their demands, led to

12915-402: The third stage of the revolt. At the end of August 1378, factionalism among the Ciompi and the radical persecution of enemies of the revolution, led di Lando to arrest two Ciompi leaders who had demanded constitutional reform. The next day, di Lando rode out of the palace with the standard bearer of justice and cleared the piazza of a militia from the three new guilds who were shouting "Long live

13038-614: The town to the rank of archbishopric. Pisa sacked the Tunisian city of Mahdia in 1088. Four years later, Pisan and Genoese ships helped Alfonso VI of Castilla to push El Cid out of Valencia . A Pisan fleet of 120 ships also took part in the First Crusade , and the Pisans were instrumental in the taking of Jerusalem in 1099. On their way to the Holy Land , the ships did not miss the occasion to sack some Byzantine islands;

13161-601: The trading benefits in Constantinople. In 1209 in Lerici , two councils for a final resolution of the rivalry with Genoa were held. A 20-year peace treaty was signed, but when in 1220, the emperor Frederick II confirmed his supremacy over the Tyrrhenian coast from Civitavecchia to Portovenere , the Genoese and Tuscan resentment against Pisa grew again. In the following years, Pisa clashed with Lucca in Garfagnana and

13284-462: The uprising negatively. Leonardo Bruni regarded the uprising as a mob out of control, whose members viciously looted and murdered the innocent. He viewed this event as a historical cautionary tale, which presented the horrendous consequence when rabbles managed to seize control from the ruling class. In the 16th century, Niccolò Machiavelli harbored a somewhat different view than Bruni. Although he echoed Bruni's perspective, also referring to them as

13407-404: The whole of Florence's working population and many people were excluded from the system, thus limiting their protection from exploitation and ability to be involved in city politics. Few of those in the textile industry, including the Ciompi wool workers, were eligible for guild membership, with around only 200 of the approximately 14,000 people in wool manufacture qualifying, and the remainder named

13530-435: The wool workers and others involved were fairly modest and reform did not take the shape of a societal overhaul. The idea that the Ciompi could live harmoniously with all the other groups and guilds in society after they assumed government, however, was idealistic. Furthermore, the disillusionment experienced when the conflict continued especially after the collapse of the regime and the guilds dissolution certainly contributed to

13653-544: The word referred to specific organs or functions of the state. The signoria in the Republic of Florence was the highest executive organ, and the Signoria of the Republic of Venice was mainly a judicial body. Pisa Pisa ( / ˈ p iː z ə / PEE -zə ; Italian: [ˈpiːza] or [ˈpiːsa] ) is a city and comune (municipality) in Tuscany , central Italy, straddling

13776-607: Was almost completely destroyed during World War II. Pisa has an international airport known as Pisa International Airport or normally Galileo Galilei located in San Giusto neighbourhood in Pisa. It is served by twenty-one airlines connecting eleven domestic and sixty-one international destinations (seasonal included). The airport is connected to Pisa Centrale railway station by a people mover system 2 km (1.2 mi) long, called Pisamover inaugurated in March 2017. It

13899-561: Was already a great center by the times described; and gives the epithet of Alphēae to the city because it was said to have been founded by colonists from Pisa in Elis , near which the Alpheius river flowed. The Virgilian commentator Servius wrote that the Teuti founded the town 13 centuries before the start of the common era. The maritime role of Pisa should have been already prominent if

14022-565: Was an outburst of proletarian unrest in the city of Florence that began in June 1378 and consisted of three phases ending in August of the same year. It was the result of a power struggle between Florence's ruling elites, the established artisan guilds of Florence, and Sotto posti (or un-guilded) which included the Ciompi; mainly a group of low-wage textile workers employed in Florence's thriving wool industry. At its height, this trade sold fabrics throughout Italy as well as overseas and employed up to

14145-486: Was between the Ciompi, gente nuova, and the oligarchy , with the former two challenging the latter for more participation in government. The Ciompi Rebellion was the eruption of these long-existing tensions, which could no longer be contained. After the Ciompi Uprising, the restored Florentine government did attempt to alleviate the plight of Ciompi artisans, such as a reform to lessen the burden of taxation. Yet,

14268-714: Was defeated by the Florentines at Castel del Bosco. The strong Ghibelline position of Pisa brought this town diametrically against the Pope, who was in a dispute with the Holy Roman Empire , and indeed the pope tried to deprive Pisa of its dominions in northern Sardinia . In 1238, Pope Gregory IX formed an alliance between Genoa and Venice against the empire, and consequently against Pisa, too. One year later, he excommunicated Frederick II and called for an anti-Empire council to be held in Rome in 1241. On May 3, 1241,

14391-512: Was excommunicated. This extreme measure was only removed in 1257. Anyway, the Tuscan city tried to take advantage of the favourable situation to conquer the Corsican city of Aleria and even lay siege to Genoa itself in 1243. The Ligurian republic of Genoa, however, recovered fast from this blow and won back Lerici , conquered by the Pisans some years earlier, in 1256. The great expansion in

14514-507: Was followed by a series of battles culminating in the Genoese conquest of Syracuse in 1204. Later, the trading posts in Sicily were lost when the new Pope Innocent III , though removing the excommunication cast over Pisa by his predecessor Celestine III , allied himself with the Guelph League of Tuscany, led by Florence. Soon, he stipulated a pact with Genoa, too, further weakening the Pisan presence in southern Italy. To counter

14637-400: Was not recognised outside Rome. Innocent II resolved the conflict with Genoa, establishing Pisan and Genoese spheres of influence. Pisa could then, unhindered by Genoa, participate in the conflict of Innocent II against king Roger II of Sicily . Amalfi , one of the maritime republics (though already declining under Norman rule), was conquered on August 6, 1136; the Pisans destroyed the ships in

14760-516: Was one the companies of the consortium ONE Scarl to accomplish the contract stipulated with the Regione Toscana for the public transport in the 2018-2019 period. The fleet consisted of 70 urban, 15 suburban and 260 intercity buses. Since 1 November 2021 the public local transport is managed by Autolinee Toscane . The city is served by two railway stations available for passengers: Pisa Centrale and Pisa San Rossore . Pisa Centrale

14883-474: Was part of the Signory that brought the papal war to an end). Salvestro made an error in his struggle against the Guelf party, thus spoiling his family image as well as others of similar rank, "subjecting them to the rashness of the excited multitude". Very little is actually known about "The Eight (Saints)" and who the members were. Trexler calls the radical Ciompi rebel group Gli Otto Santi del Popolo di Dio (or

15006-478: Was the capital but Pisa was the most important city, as in the middle of tenth century Liutprand of Cremona , bishop of Cremona , called Pisa Tusciae provinciae caput ("capital of the province of Tuscia"), and a century later, the marquis of Tuscia was commonly referred to as "marquis of Pisa". In 1003, Pisa was the protagonist of the first communal war in Italy, against Lucca. From the naval point of view, since

15129-400: Was unstable, as many either died from the plague or fled to safer territories. From these turbulent times emerged the gente nuova ('new men') a class of mainly immigrants with no aristocratic background who grew their wealth from trade. Together, the gente nuova and Arti Minori bonded over their dislike of the oligarchy. Each side sought to gain control over the other, as the oligarchy used

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