Lucques

Lucques ( Lucca in Italian) is a Italian city of approximately 85  000 inhabitants, chief town of the province of the same name, located in Tuscan. It was formerly, before the realization of the Italian Unité, the capital of the sovereign Duchy of Lucques (1815 - 1847). It is not far from the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Lucques is a city strengthened with a great number of historic buildings, mainly of the churches, but also of the villas and palates like the Palais Pfanner and its famous garden. Geography -->

History

Antiquity

Lucques was founded by the Étrusques and became a colony in 180 av. J. - C.. Jules César, Pumped and Crassus renewed there to them triumvirate in 56 av. J.C.

The squaring of the streets of the historical center preserves the Roman plan, the Piazza San Michele occupies old the forum and the Piazza dell' anfiteatro occupies old the Roman amphitheater of Lucques.

Early middle ages

Plundered by Odoacre, Lucques is a prosperous city at the time of the Byzantine reconquest of Narsès, which takes it after a three month old seat in 553. Under the Lombards, a duke struck his own currency there.

The Middle Ages

The city draws its prosperity from trade of the Soie, which becomes flourishing as from the 11th century and competes with Byzantine silks. The city is also the capital of the Toscane.

After the death of Mathilde of Tuscany, the city sets up in free commune, with the charter of 1160. It becomes an independent republic for more than five centuries. Dante passes there part of its life in exile.

The ceaseless wars in central Italy give the opportunity to Uguccione della Faggiuola to be made main of Lucques in 1314, but Lucquois expel it afterwards two years, and deliver the city to the Condottiere Castruccio Castracani. This tyrant gives of Lucques the most powerful A report on central Italy, rival of Florence, until his death in 1328. Machiavel makes his biography in the life of Castruccio Castracani da Lucca Lucques became again a republic in 1372. The legislative power belongs to the General advice made up at the origin by the whole of the citizens, then reduced with 180 elected members (90 by terziere - district with knowing San-Martino, San-Paolino and San-Salvatore). The General advice delegates to the Council of Thirty-six (12 representatives per district) which it indicated certain capacities. The executive power is ensured by the “Consiglio dei Anziani” - the council of Old the compound of 9 people (three for each district) and by the Gonfalonier, first magistrate of the commune which keeps the keys of the doors of the city, the Treasury and the Currency. The Council is imperial Vicaire in recognition of the supreme authority which he exerts in the name of the emperor of the Saint Worsens Roman Germanic. He is elected following a complex procedure.

In 1392 the fight to be able it between the families Forteguerra and Guinigi will involve the assassinations of the gonfalonier Bartolomeo Forteguerra and into 1400 of Lazzaro Guinigi, chief of the fraction which controlled the city. After a skilful operation the son of Lazzaro Guinigi, Paolo was elected lord of Lucques. He restores civil peace, supports the return of the emigrants, started again the economy and reformed the tax system. He followed a foreign policy of prudence while trying to remain apart from the events which ensanglantaient Italy once more all while being opposed to the expansionist policy of Florence.

His wife Ilaria del Carreto died in 1405, and it made him build a monument always famous for its beauty for the Sienan Jacopo della Quercia, work major of the Gothic sculpture rebirth in Italy which is in the Dôme of Lucques.

The republic was restored. Lucques continued the war with Florence. Thanks to alliance with Visconti, dukes of Milan, it resisted successfully and obtained peace in 1438 but its territory was amputee.

In 1494, Lucques accommodated the king of France Charles VIII which carried out its army against Naples. It granted to him a loan of ten thousand ducats gold. It invited the merchants lucquois to settle in France and to come to the fairs from Lyon where many companies lucquoises settled which brought the industry of silk there. Lucques took again its policy against Florence supporting the revolt of Pisa but had to give up its francophile policy.

Lucques had always to show skill to preserve its independence vis-a-vis the Emperor, at sovereign pontiff and in particular during the Wars of Italy undertaken by the kings of France.

In the first part of the 16th century, the merchants of Lucques reported their frequent voyages abroad books of Luther causing the indignation of the local ecclesiastical authorities.

Religious agitation took a double form: on the one hand in May 1538 a popular revolt with the speech on the poverty of Bernardini Ochino and on the other hand a movement which more close to the spirit of Erasme was based on the return to the study and the meditation of the Gospels, which touched primarily the aristocracy and the middle-class of Lucques.

Several preachers came in Lucques and progress of the Reform was important there. The famous theologist Pier Martire Vermigli (1499-1562) itself remained in Lucques as from 1541 with the convent of San-Frediano. It is from 1536 that the exodus of the first noble families of the Republic started towards Geneva or other places like Antwerp or Lyon.

July 21st, 1542, the pope Paul III by the bubble ab.initio Licet created the congregation of the Holy Office (enquiry) intended to fight against the heresy. The cardinal lucquois Guidiccioni, member of the Holy Office showed the government and the clergy to facilitate the propagation of the heresy and four admonitions were addressed to the government. The threat of an direct action of the enquiry led the republic to take all the more urgent measures as ran of the rumors on an agreement between the emperor and Cosme Ier de Médicis on the annexation of Lucques by the duchy of Tuscany.

In 1546, seat the conspiracy of Francesco Burlamacchi takes which aimed at being opposed to carried out Cosme I {{er}} of Tuscany to preserve its freedom at Lucques.

In the following years, persecutions multiplied and the Republic created an Office of the Religion which was in responsibility of supervise the religious behavior of the citizens. Lucques was one of the Italian cities where the population adhered more to the Reform.

Lucques owes its success at its banks and the trade of fabrics. She manages to maintain her independence in spite of the wars who devastate Italy regularly.

The principal families of Lucques were: Arnolfini whose Jan van Eyck will make a table celebrates the Husbands Arnolfini , Micheli, Cenami, Calandrini, Burlamacchi, Sbarra, Balbani, among most active in the trade of silk in France and Flandres, whose members were Masters of the currency of Paris with under the name of Isbarre; Diversi, Guidiccioni, Trenta, Diodati, Buonvisi, Guinigi, Rapondi from which Dino Rapondi is resulting, known under the name of Dyne Raponde, banker of Philippe the Bold one.

In 1408, Lucques accommodates the synod which must solve the Schisme papacy.

The republic of Lucques

After 1628, the democracy lucquoise is moulted in Oligarchie.

Lucques remains an independent republic until the conquest by the French in 1799. Napoleon i made of it a principality for his/her sister Élisa. The principality was moulted in duchy, allotted to Bourbon-Parma, in 1815, and attached to the Toscane in 1847.

The successive sovereigns of the duchy are:

  • Marie Louise of Spain (1782-1824),
  • his/her son Charles Louis (1799-1883), until the treaty of Modena the October 5th 1847, signed with the large-duke of Tuscany Léopold II (1797-1870).
Economy

Culture

Commemorative event

Festivals, fairs -->

Monuments

  • the strengthened enclosure, Walled di Lucca and its pedestrian walks, the delle passeggiata Mura

Streets

  • Via Fillungo
  • Via Santa Croce
  • Via Guinigi

Museums

  • Museo Nazionale Guinigi
  • Museo E Pinacoteca Nazionale di Lucca with the palate Mnsi

Places

  • the pazza dell' anfiteatro which occupies old the Amphithéâtre of Lucques
  • the pazza Napoleone
  • the pazza San Martino
  • the pazza San Michele , old the Roman Forum

Churches

Palate

  • the Palate Pfanner and its Garden with Italian the inspired of that of Boboli
  • the Palazzo Ducal
  • the Palazzo Cenami
  • the palate, houses and the Torre Guinigi with its hanging garden at the top planted of holm oaks
  • the delle Torre Ore

Villas

  • Villa Buonvisi Oliva
Extra-muros
  • Villa Guinigi
  • Villa Bernardini
  • Villa Bottini O Buonvisi Al Giardino
  • Villa Grabau
  • Villa Mansi
  • Villa Oliva
  • Villa Paolina
  • Villa Reale di Marlia
  • Villa Torrigiani (Capannori)
  • Villa Rinaldi Nardi

Administration

Hamlets

Antraccoli, Aquileia, Arancio, Arliano, Arsina, Balbano, Cappella, Carignano, Castagnori, Castiglioncello, Cerasomma, Chiatri, Ciciana, Deccio di Brancoli, Fagnano, Farneta, Gattaiola, Gignano di Brancoli, Maggiano, Massed Pisana, Mastiano, Meati, Monte San Quirico, Montuolo, Mutigliano, Mugnano, Nave, Nozzano, Nozzano San Pietro, Nozzano Vecchia, Ombreglio di Brancoli, Palmata, Piaggione, Piazza di Brancoli, Piazzano, Picciorana, Pieve di Brancoli, Pieve Santo Stefano, Ponte has Moriano, Ponte del Giglio, Ponte San Pietro, Pontetetto, Saltocchio, San Cassiano has Vico, San Cassano di Moriano, San Concordio di Moriano, San Donato, San Filippo, San Gemegnano, San Giusto di Brancoli, San Lorenzo have Vaccoli, San Lorenzo di Moriano, San Macario in goes up, San Macario in piano, San Michele di Moriano, San Michele in Escheto, San Pancazio, San Pietro has Vico, San Quirico in Moriano, San Vito, Sant' Alessio, Sant' Angelo in Campo, Sant' Ilario di Brancoli, Santa Maria has adhesive, Santa Maria LED giudice, Santissima Annunziata, Santo Stefano di Moriano, Selve, Sesto di Moriano, Sorbano LED giudice, Sorbano LED vescovo, Stabbiano, Tempagnano di Lunata, Torre, Torre went Maddalena, Torre Alta, Tramonte, Tramonte di Brancoli, Vallebuia, Vecoli, Vicopelago, Vinchiana.

Communes bordering

Borgo has Mozzano, Camaiore, Capannori, Massarosa, Pescaglia, San Giuliano Terme (Pisa), Vecchiano (Pisa).

Twinnings

Caption of “Volto Santo di Lucca”

Or “Holy Voult” (literally the Holy Face de Lucques) which is with the Dôme of Lucques.

It is about a crucifix that Nicodème, disciple of Christ, would have carved of memory after the deposition of the tomb, according to the same features of Jesus. Thrown with the sea, on divine order, it would have ended up being failed the 8th century with Luni (Sarzane). Diffused with the Middle Ages by the merchants lucquois who installed furnace bridges or vaults of Volto Santo in the cities where they were established and where they could meet, its fame became immense. It was such as at the 13th century and 14th century, the kings of France lent oath “by Vaudeluc saint”. The patricians of Lucques belonged to the brotherhood of the Voult Saint.

Personalities born in Lucques

  • Holy Zita de Lucques, born in 1212 and died there in 1272, then canonized in 1696. Its momifié body naturally, found in 1580, is always exposed in the basilica San Frediano .
    It is the holy owner of the city, represented with a bunch of keys suspended with its belt and a jug.
  • the workshop of the Berlinghieri of the Gothic painters: Marco Berlinghieri, Baroness Berlinghieri, Bonaventura Berlinghieri born in Lucques
  • Francesco Burlamacchi (Lucques September 27th, 1498 - Milan February 24th, 1548) First hero of the Italian Unit
  • Castruccio Buonamici, Italian writer, one of the most elegant Latin writers of the 18th century, (Lucques 1710 - 1761)
  • Castruccio Castracani, condottiere (Lucques 1281 - Lucques 1328)
  • Di Vecchio Raffaello, painter
  • Filippo Buonamici, Italian writer (Lucques 1705 -? )
  • Pompeo Batoni, painter (Lucques, 1708 - Rome, 1787)
  • the pope Lucius III born Ubaldo Allucingoli, bishop of Ostie, cardinal, then pope (Lucques 1097 - Vérone 1185)
  • Mario Cipollini, racing cyclist (Lucques 1967 -)

Lucques is also the birthplace of the type-setters:

Personalities having lived with Lucques

  • Sainte Gemmated Galgani (1878 - 1903), mystical Christian woman in love with Christ, having had the grace of the marks
  • Lorenzo Nottolini, architect Italian (1787 - 1851)

Photograph gallery -->

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