Siena

A city of Tuscany in northern Italy that became an important rival of Florence during the Renaissance. Founded by the ancient Etruscans, Siena came under the control of the Lombards after the fall of the Roman Empire in the middle of the fifth century. The city won its independence in the twelfth century, and gradually expanded the surrounding territory that came under its control. Early in its history as a self-governing commune Siena was an important center of support for the Ghibelline faction that supported the authority of the Holy Roman Emperor in Italy. In 1260 the city defeated a force of Florentines at the Battle of Montaperti, which remains a rallying cry for modern Sienese in their sporting rivalries with the larger city of Florence. In 1270 the city was conquered by the king of Naples, Charles I. Siena joined an alliance of Guelph cities that supported the Papacy against the emperor, while growing wealthy as a center of banking and trade. The aristocratic Petrucci family ruled the city late in the fifteenth century; after this dynasty was overthrown in 1523 the wealthy city was fought over by the Spanish, French, and the Habsburg dynasty. In 1554 Cosimo de' Medici rallied an army and laid siege to the city, which was then under the control of a branch of the Strozzi dynasty. The Florentines defeated the Sienese at the Battle of Marciano in 1554. In 1555, it was invaded by Emperor Charles V, who passed control of the city to Cosimo de' Medici as Duke of Tuscany two years later.

Siena was an important center of painting, sculpture, and architecture, and has several notable works dating from the early Italian Renaissance. The Sienese School of painting flourished through the fourteenth century, with its leading artists Simone Martini, Guido of Siena, and Ambrogio Lorenzetti. On its oval main square, the Piazza del Campo, was built the Palazzo Pubblico, an imposing public building that contains a famous Lorenzetti fresco, Allegory of Good Government. The main square also became the site of several medieval palaces and mansions and the tall Torre del Mangia. The Fonte Gaia, an elaborate fountain, was designed for the square by Jacopo della Quercia. The cathedral of Siena was raised over a period of three centuries, and remains one of the most important examples of Gothic architecture in Italy. The neighboring Biblioteca Piccolomini was decorated with fresco paintings by Pinturicchio. The Campo remains the scene of a famous horse race, known as the Palio, that echoes festive contests of skill and strength that were common in the medieval era (although the Palio itself originated in the middleseventeenth century).

See Also: Florence