Republic of Florence

The dominant Tuscan Guelph (pro-papal) city republic, home to the Medici banking dynasty and the Renaissance's cultural epicentre, whose rivalry with Ghibelline Siena and whose 15th-16th century politics -- including Cesare Borgia's threat to its independence -- shaped the political theory of its most famous citizen, Niccolo Machiavelli.

• Existed: 1115 CE – 1532 CE
• Type: City State
• Government: City Republic
• Capital: Florence