County of Santa Fiora
Contea di Santa Fiora (Italian)
1274–1806
Coat of arms of Santa Fiora
Coat of arms
Italy in 1499
Italy in 1499
CapitalSanta Fiora
Common languages
Religion
Roman Catholicism
Minority: Judaism
GovernmentAbsolute Monarchy (County)
Count 
 1274–1283
Ildebrandino X Aldobrandeschi
 1631–1658
Mario II Sforza
History 
 Division of the lands of Aldobrandeschi family in two branches
1274
 The County is annexed by the Grand Duchy of Tuscany
1633
 Disestablished
1806
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Contado of the Aldobrandeschi
Grand Duchy of Tuscany

The County of Santa Fiora (Italian: Contea di Santa Fiora), also known as State of Santa Fiora (Italian: Stato di Santa Fiora)[1] was a small historical state of southern Tuscany, in central Italy. Together with the county of Sovana, it was one of the two subdivisions into which the possessions of the Aldobrandeschi, then lords of much of southern Tuscany, were split in 1274.

At the moments of its creation it included part of today's province of Grosseto, up to the Isola del Giglio, and Castiglione d'Orcia, in what is now the province of Siena. In the 14th century the Republic of Siena was able to capture Isola del Giglio, Roccastrada, Istia d'Ombrone, Magliano in Toscana, Selvena, Arcidosso and Castiglione d'Orcia, reducing the county to its capital, Castell'Azzara, Semproniano and Scansano.

In 1439, after the marriage of Bosio I Sforza and the last Aldobrandeschi heir, Cecilia, the county was inherited by the Sforza family, who would become ruler of the Duchy of Milan and owned also other possessions in Tuscany and the Marche.

The sovereignty of the county was ceded to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany in 1633.[2]

The Jewish presence in the County of Santa Fiora was significant, the first evidence dates back to the second half of the 15th century, while a jewish ghetto was established in 1714, when the state was already subject to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany for about 80 years.[3]

References

  1. "Sforza", in Nuova Enciclopedia Popolare Italiana, vol. XXI, Turin, 1865
  2. "Sforza", in Gaetano Moroni, Dizionario di erudizione storico-ecclesiastica da S. Pietro sino ai nostri, vol. LXV, Tipografia Emiliana, Venezia 1854
  3. Benocci, Carla. Gli Sforza e gli ebrei a Santa Fiora dal XV agli inizi del XIX secolo (in Italian). Regione Toscana, Consiglio regionale, 2019. ISBN 978-88-85617-35-3.
  • Guerrini, Giuseppe (1999). Torri e Castelli della Provincia di Grosseto. Siena: Nuova Immagine Editrice.
  • Monaci, Francesca (2010). Santa Fiora nella storia: La comunità e gli Sforza negli Statuti del 1613. Arcidosso (GR): Edizioni Effigi.

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