History of Lucca

Lucca was first a Ligurian and then an Etruscan village and in 180 B.C. it became a Roman colony. Following the fall of the Roman empire, the Goths conquered Lucca and during the 6th century the town became the capital of the Lombard Duchy of Tuscia. When Duchy disappeared, Lucca became the capital of the Margraviate of Tuscany.

In 1119 Lucca constituted itself an independent commune, where the power was in the hand of the representatives of the new merchant class, which was beginning to develop in that period. Together with the silk industry, an active class of bankers developed, which made Lucca one of the most important European economic centres.

In the same period, thanks to the Via Francigena, Lucca became an important stopover in the pilgrimage that lead the Christian coming from north-western Europe to Rome.

After being involved in the war between Florence and Pisa and in the struggle between Guelphs and Gibellines, and after having been governed for some time by Uguccione della Faggiuola, Castruccio Castruccio Castracani and the Guinigi family, in 1430 Lucca constituted itself a republic and maintained its independence until 1799.

In 1805 Napoleon, upon request of Lucca senate, created the Principality of Lucca and Piombino, which he assigned to his sister Elisa and her husband Felice Baciocchi.

Following the Congress of Vienna and the Restoration, the Duchy of Lucca was created and assigned to the Bourbon-Parma. In 1824 Charles Louis succeeded to his mother Maria Louisa and governed Lucca until 1847, when it became part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.

In 1860 the Kingdom of Italy annexed Lucca and the Gran Duchy of Tuscany.