Florence (Italian: Firenze) is the capital and most populous city of the Italian region of Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants as of 2025. It is also the capital of the eponymous metropolitan province, which counts 989,460 inhabitants. Florence was a centre of medieval European trade and finance and one of the wealthiest cities of that era. It is considered by many academics to have been the birthplace of the Renaissance, becoming a major artistic, cultural, commercial, political, economic and financial center. During this time, Florence rose to a position of enormous influence in Italy, Europe, and beyond. Its turbulent political history includes periods of rule by the powerful Medici family and numerous religious and republican revolutions.
Uprising against Piero de' Medici in Florence
Florence (Italian: Firenze) is the capital and most populous city of the Italian region of Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants as of 2025.
Historical Significance
Florence (Italian: Firenze) is the capital and most populous city of the Italian region of Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants as of 2025.
Events Before
Christopher Columbus returns to Spain after his first voyage to the New World
Christopher Columbus returns to Spain after his first voyage to the New World
Spanish Pope Alexander VI decrees in the papal bull "Inter caetera" that all lands west of a line 100 leagues west of an
Spanish Pope Alexander VI decrees in the papal bull "Inter caetera" that all lands west of a line 100 leagues west of any of the islands of the Azores or the Cape Verde Islands belong to Castile, ultimately dividing the Americas between Spain and Portugal
Christopher Columbus embarks on his second expedition to the New World, setting sail with a fleet of 17 ships
Christopher Columbus embarks on his second expedition to the New World, setting sail with a fleet of 17 ships
Christopher Columbus returns to the colony of La Navidad, finding it destroyed by the first Native American uprising aga
Christopher Columbus returns to the colony of La Navidad, finding it destroyed by the first Native American uprising against Spanish rule. Taíno Cacique Caonabo led his people to attack the settlement after the brutal treatment they received from the garrison who disobeyed Columbus's orders.
Last day for all Jews to leave Sicily
Jews, or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They traditionally adhere to Judaism.
Events After
First written record of Scotch whisky appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, Friar John Cor is listed as the distil
First written record of Scotch whisky appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, Friar John Cor is listed as the distiller
King Ferdinand II returns to Naples
King Ferdinand II returns to Naples
French viceroy of Naples Montpensier surrenders
French viceroy of Naples Montpensier surrenders
Leonardo da Vinci unsuccessfully tests a flying machine
Leonardo da Vinci unsuccessfully tests a flying machine
Joanna of Aragon marries Philip of Flanders, future King Philip I of Castile
Joanna of Aragon marries Philip of Flanders, future King Philip I of Castile
More from the 1490s
Muhammad XII, the last Emir of Granada, surrenders the city of Granada to Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Casti
Muhammad XII, the last Emir of Granada, surrenders the city of Granada to Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, ending the Reconquista and centuries of Muslim rule on the Iberian Peninsula
Juw Dekama is elected Potestaat of Frisia
Potestaat was the title of a supposed governor of medieval Friesland. According to the legendary Karelsprivilege, a 14th-century forgery, Charlemagne had first granted the title of potestaat to…
Leonardo da Vinci unsuccessfully tests a flying machine
Leonardo da Vinci unsuccessfully tests a flying machine
Louis XII of France after papal divorce marries Anne, Duchess of Brittany to keep duchy for the crown
Louis XII of France after papal divorce marries Anne, Duchess of Brittany to keep duchy for the crown
Frequently Asked Questions
- What happened on November 8, 1494?
- Florence (Italian: Firenze) is the capital and most populous city of the Italian region of Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants as of 2025. It is also the capital of the eponymous metropolitan province, which counts 989,460 inhabitants. Florence was a centre of medieval European trade and finance and one of the wealthiest cities of that era.
- Why is Uprising against Piero de' Medici in Florence significant?
- Florence (Italian: Firenze) is the capital and most populous city of the Italian region of Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants as of 2025.