Pisa is a Italian city of approximately: 87000 inhabitants, chief town of the of the same province name in Tuscan. It is famous in the world mainly for its leaning tower. It is crossed by the river Arno. Geography -->

History

Antiquity

The origins of Pisa are badly known. The city was located at the junction of the Arno and Auser (now disappeared). It was proposed that the city was founded by the Pélasges, the Greek , the Etrusques or the Ligures. Nevertheless, of the archaeological vestiges, dating from fifth century BC attest the presence of a city along the sea ligurienne, which made trade with the Greek Gaulois and . An Etruscan necropolis was discovered during the excavations of the Arena Garibaldi in 1991.

The authors of ancient Rome also speak about Pisa as being an old city. Servius wrote that the city would have been founded with, by Pelops, the king of Pisans. Strabon allotted the foundation of Pisa to the hero Nestor, king de Pylos, following the fall of Troy. As for Virgile, in its Énéide, he writes that Pisa was already, at the time, an important center.

The maritime role of Pisa must have been considerable, since the authorities of antiquity allotted to Pisa the invention Rostres. The city was to profit from the absence of port on the ligure coast, between Genoa, then a village, and Ostie, the wearing of Rome. Pisa was used as a basis naval, from which left the fleets which were to fight the Ligures, the Gaulois or the Carthaginois.

In -180, Pisa is seen allotting the statute of colony of Roman law, under the name of Portus Pisanus . In -89, one allots to him the statute of Municipe. The emperor Auguste strengthened the colony and made an important port of it, under the name of Colonia Iulia obsequens . Apartir of 313, the presence of a bishop in Pisa is attested.

Early middle ages

During the last centuries of the Roman Empire, Pisa does not certainly know the decline of the other towns of Italy, thanks to its position along river and with its defensive possibilities. At the 7th century, Pisa helps the pope Gregoire I {{er}} by providing him many vessels in its fight against the Byzantine of Ravenne. Pisa is the only Byzantine center of Ravenne to be returned without engagements in the bosom lombard, by an assimilation with the surrounding area where Pisans are carried by their commercial interests. Pisa then begins its rise towards the place of first port of the North of the Tyrrhenian Sea, by concentrating the trade between the Toscane and the Corsica , the Sardinia and the coasts of the Spain and the south of the France.

Following the victory of Charlemagne over the Lombards, under the command of Didier in 774, Pisa enters a short crisis. It becomes, on the political plan, part of the Duchy of Lucques. In 930, Pisa becomes the center of the county (what it remains until the arrival of Othon I {{er}}, within the walk of Tuscia. If Lucques is the capital, Pisa is the most important city, as testifies some, in the middle of Xe century, Liutprand de Crémone, bishop of Crémone, which calls Pisa Tusciae provinciae caput (" capital of the province of Tuscia"). Moreover, one century later, one calls the marquis de Tuscia, " marquis de Pise".

From a naval point of view, pressure exerted by the pirates Buckwheats starting from the force the city to obtain an important fleet, which will serve the expansion of the city. In 808, Pisans attack the coast of North Africa. In 871, they take part in the defense of Salerno against the Sarrasins. In 970, they bring their support to Othon I {{er}} to overcome the Byzantine fleet opposite the coasts of Calabria.

XIer century

Maritime expansion

The maritime power of Pisa increases and reaches its apogee at the 11th century, period whose of the four maritime Républiques dates the reputation to be one of Italy. At the same time, Pisa becomes a paramount shopping mall and controls most of the merchant navy and of war of the Mediterranean. This enables him to extend and plunder in 1005 Reggio of Calabria. She fights also continuously against the pirates Sarrasins, who have their bases in Corsica and Sardinia. In 1017, with the assistance of Genoa, the city captures the Sardinia, which gives him the control of the Tyrrhenian Sea, more especially as Pisans drive out quickly Génois of Sardinia (what was to give birth to the competition from the two republics). Between 1030 and 1035, Pisa demolishes successively many sicilian cities and conquers Carthage (then Mahdia in 1088). In 1051-1052, the admiral Jacopo Ciurini invades Corsica, accentuating the competition with Genoa. In 1063 the bag of Palermo takes place, under the direction of the admiral Giovanni Orlando and the Norman king of Sicily, Roger I {{er}}. It is this plundering of the sarrasine city which allows the beginning of the construction of the cathedral and the other monuments of the famous Champ of the miracles ( Campo dei Miracoli ) which will become then the Piazza del Duomo .
In 1060, Pisa beats Genoa and thus consolidates its supremacy in the Mediterranean.

Political autonomy

This expansion in the Mediterranean makes it possible Pisa diplomatically to radiate and to be seen recognizing the political autonomy. Indeed, in 1077, the pope Gregoire VII recognizes the " Laws and habits of the mer" created by Pisans. More important still, the emperor Henri IV endorses the political independence of the city by authorizing to appoint it his own consuls and a council of old, since, in any event, the marquis had lost any political prerogative. In 1092, the pope Urbain II recognizes in Pisa the suprémacie on the Corsica and the Sardinia and promotes the city with the row of archbishop's palace.

The maritime power of Pisa east then such as the sovereigns of Europe call upon it. It acts, in 1092 of king de Castille Alphonse VI, which wanted to drive out the Cid kingdom of Valence. In the same way, Pisa takes part in the first crusade while providing more than 120 ships, quantifies gigantic for the time. Before arriving at Jerusalem, Pisans does not miss the occasion besides, under the control of their archbishop Daimbert to plunder Byzantine islands.

Commercial empire

Pisa and the others maritime Républiques draw part of the crusade by constituting a network from commercial stations along the Syrian, Lebanese, and Palestinian coasts. Pisans found in particular colonies of merchants with Antioche, Acre, Jaffa, Tripoli, Tyr, or Lattaquié. They hold also grounds with Jerusalem and Césarée and small colonies (less autonomous) with the Cairo and with Alexandria. With Constantinople, Alexis Comnène grants commercial laws to them. The businesses are so prosperous there that the district pisan, located in the part Is of Constantinople comprises more than 1000 individuals at the 12th century. In all these cities, Pisans are exempted taxes but must provide of the assistance in the event of enemy attack.

At that time, Pisa is the most invaluable ally of the Byzantines, and their principal business partner, in front of Venice.

XIIe century

Conquests, plunderings, apogee

Because of its economic power and naval, Pisa is requested in 1113 when the pope Pascal III decides to carry out a forwarding against the Moors of the Balearic Islands. Other troops, like those of the count of Barcelona or those coming from Provence and Italy (except for Genoa). This attack leads to the capture of the king and the queen of Majorque, who are captured and taken along to Tuscany. Even if the Almoravides reconquer the island a little later the spoils carried out by Pisans on this occasion the realization of their monumental program facilitates them, namely, the Campo dei Miracoli . Pisa is affirmed like a major force of the Western Mediterranean.

In the years which follow, the powerful fleet pisane manages to drive out the Sarrasins after fierce combats. In spite of the hardness of the engagements, this success of Pisa in Spain accentuates the competition of the city with Genoa. This doubles of a commercial competition, since the big business of Pisa, with the Languedoc, the Provence, Savone, Fréjus and Montpellier gene the commercial interests of its rival in cities like Hyères, Fos, Antibes and Marseilles. The war bursts in 1119 when Génois attack gallères of return to Pisa and lasts up to 1133. The combat is at the same time naval and terrestrial but takes more the form of raids and piracy that of an arranged battle. Innocent II solves the crisis by delimiting the respective spheres of influence of Genoa and Pisa, which makes it possible Pisa to help Innocent II in its conflict against the king of Sicily Roger II. This is concretized by the catch of Amalfi, one of the maritime Républiques, on August 6th 1136. Pisans destroy the ships of Amalfi, attack the castles of the surroundings and push back an army sent by Roger II. Pisa is then with the apogee of its capacity. Two years later, its soldiers put Salerno at bag.

In the orbit gibeline

In the years which follow, Pisa is one of the pillars of the party Gibelin, for the greatest joy of Frederic I {{er}}, which grants two important acts thus, one in 1162 and the other in 1165. Those guarantee that apart from the control of the Contado pisan, the city has the privilege to trade freely with the whole empire and that it acquires the coast of Civitavecchia to Portovenere, half of Palermo, Messine, Salerno and Naples, Gaète, Mazzarri and Trapani ansi that a street in all the cities of the Royaume of Sicily. Some of these privileges are later confirmed by Henri VI, Otton IV and Frederic II. This marks the apogee of Pisa but involves also resentments on behalf of the close cities, which are seen prohibiting any inclination in a maritime expansion (in particular Lucques, Massa, Volterra and Florence) but also on behalf of Genoa. The competition with Lucques related to also the castle of Montignoso and the control of the Via Francigena, commercial main roads between France and Rome.

Genoa had acquired a dominant position on the markets of the south of France. The war between Pisa and Genoa started certainly in 1165 on the the Rhone when the attack of a convoy pisan (perhaps intended for the Provence, allied of Pisa) by Génois and the count of Toulouse their ally, failed. The war was prolonged until 1175 without decisive victory. The conflict also related to the Sicily where the two cities had privileges guaranteed by Henri VI. In 1192, Pisa conquers Messine, but Genoa seizes Syracuse in 1204. The counters of Pisa in Sicily will be withdrawn besides in Pisa by Innocent III (although it is him which withdraws the excommunication of the city pronounced by its predecessor Célestin III. Indeed, the pope had entered the Ligue guelfe of Tuscany, directed by Florence. He signed also a pact with Genoa, which was to put at evil the presence of Pisa in Italy of the South.

Competition with Genoa and Venice

To counter preeminence génoise in the south of the Tyrrhenian Sea, Pisa reinforces its commercial relations with its traditional allies in Spain and France (Marseilles, Narbonne, Barcelona,…) and is involved in the businesses in the Adriatic Sea, exclusive domain of Venice. In 1180, the two cities had concluded a non-aggression pact, but the death of Manuel I {{er}} Comnène with Constantinople changed gives it. Pisa then conducted attacks against the Venetian convoys and signed treaties of alliance with Ancone, Pula, Zadar, Split and Brindisi. In 1195, a fleet pisane defends Pola against Venice but the sérénissime reconquered the rebellious city quickly. One year after, the two cities sign a peace treaty with favorable conditions for Pisa. But in 1199, this one is broken on the initiative of Pisans, which founded a blockade in front of the port of Brindisi in Pouilles. Venice gained the victory and imposed on Pisa a treaty where it renonçait with all its ambition expansionist in the Adriatic, in spite of the counters which it had established in the zone. As from this moment, the two cities were allied against the rise to power of Genoa and collaborated sometimes to increase the trading profits carried out with Constantinople.

XIIIe century

Flow and military backward flow

In 1209 and 1217 two councils are held with Lerici to put an end to the competition with Genoa, which lead to the signature of a peace treaty for twenty years. But the hostility of Genoa towards Pisa is revived in 1220 when the emperor Frederic II confirms the supremacy of Pisa on the Tyrrhenian coast (since Civitavecchia until Portovenere). This imperial initiative reinforces also the mistrust of Tuscan towards Pisa. In the following years, Pisa fights Lucques with Garfagnana and is beaten by Florentins with Castel del Bosco of Montopoli in Valley of Arno.

In the same way, the position gibeline of the city, a context of confrontation enters the pope and the emperor, ammene the pope to try to deprive Pisa of its possessions of the North of the Sardinia. More generally, Pisa is taken in this conflict. It is the case when in 1238 Gregoire IX organizes an alliance between Genoa and Venice against the empire, and thus against Pisa. A big step of the combat takes place in 1241, when a fleet pisane and Sicilian, directed by the son of the emperor, Enzo attack a convoy génois transporting prelates of France and north of Italy in direction of Rome where the pope was to hold a council anti-Empire. The knack occurs opposite the island Giglio, the Toscane and makes it possible to take 25 ships génois, of the thousands of sailors, two cardinals and a bishop. This prevents the meeting of the council but involves the excommunication of Pisa (measurement raised in 1257). Pisa benefits from it to try to take Corsica Aléria in and to put the seat in front of Genoa itself in 1243, without success. The République of Genoa goes back quickly and takes again Lerici from there, lost a few years earlier, in 1256.

Demographic and economic situation

The apogee of Pisa is marked by the demographic trends of the city. Pisa counts in 1228 (date for which one has a list of Pisans swearing a peace treaty) approximately 15.000 inhabitants. But the Meloria, the population passed according to the estimates, with approximately 40.000 inhabitants (figure estimative thanks to the number of 9000 prisoners with the Meloria). This battle marks a drastic crushing argument for the demographic expansion pisane.

Pisa draws with the Middle Ages the essence of its resources of the maritime trade. The city also controls the mines of iron and money of the isle of Elba and Sardinia. So Pisa manages to very early constitute an important fleet of war. But the 13th century consitue a major change in the funding sources of the commune. The maritime trade decrease with the profit of Venice and Genoa. Nevertheless an textile industry develops, but she will never manage to compete with that of Florence. This phase of economic decline also marks a political and cultural decline. The large buildings of Pisa dates from the 11th century and 12th century.

The seizure of power by the Popolo

The birth of the Popolo in Pisa is late. Indeed, the sectors which one could describe as industrialists, like the textile, appear there only tardily. In addition, the maritime trade supports the maintenance with the capacity of the aristocracy (one needs important funds to arm a ship). It is thus only into 1222 that the Popolo appears for the first time in the pisanes sources. In 1237 the statutes of the Popolo are mentioned and Old. Lastly, it is for the 1248 qu year ' is attested the presence of a Capitaine of the people to the head of the commune, beside the Podestat. It directs the city as well on the civil level as on the military level.

The Popolo is organized in a traditional way, at the same time on a territorial basis and a professional basis (the Arts). Those appear indeed in 1235-7 and are with the most significant number of Sept. in numerical terms are those of iron (related to the isle of Elba), of leather (imported Black Sea, transformed and resold) and wool (the transformation of wool). But the richest citizens of Pisa belong to the major Arts which are called orders. It acts about the merchants, the consuls of the sea (ship-owners) and about the contractors in the sector of wool. These are the three orders which direct the city until the medium of XIIIe century. Then a mode of Popolo is formed, with members of seven Arts. Indeed, in 1254, the Popolo revolts and forces the installation of twelve Old of the People ( Anziani del Popolo ) to represent it in the communal institutions. In the same way, is set up a new council, the council of the Popolo, formed by members of various Arts which form the Popolo, to supplant the aristocratic councils. It had the capacity to ratify the laws of the Major Council and the Senate.

But this does not put a term at the competition between the two dominant families, the Della Gherardesca and the Visconti. In 1237, the archbishop and the emperor Frederic II try to reconcile them without success.

Decline

Méloria, end of the power pisane

The decline of Pisa is abrupt and resounding since the apogee of the city is closed on August 6th, 1284 at the time of the battles of Meloria. The fleet pisane, under the command of Albertino Morosini, however in numerical superiority, is beaten thanks to the clever operations of Benedetto Zaccaria, with the head of the fleet génoise. This defeat ends final at the maritime power pisane because the fleet is destroyed, more than ten thousand sailors pisans are prisoners and the Sardinia is lost. The human loss will prevent Pisa from finding its row in the Mediterranean.

The trade continued, but in less proportions. The death-blow was carried by the change of race of the Arno, which prevented the ships from reaching the port of the city by going up the river. It also seems that the surrounding zone was infested by the Malaria.

A city of the contado Florentin

Always gibeline, Pisa tries to be rectified in XIVe century and even manages to beat Florence in 1315 with the Bataille of Montecatini. But the internal struggles and the loss of its commercial power make that Pisa cannot resist Florence in 1406. The city falls definitively under its domination. It becomes only one city of the Contado Florentin. In 1409, Pisa accommodates a council to settle the question of the Great schism. During XVe century, its access to the sea is still restricted as the port envase and is cut sea. When in 1494 Charles VIII invades Italy to take Naples, Pisa benefits from it to claim its independence as a second republic of Pisa. But this new independence does not last a long time since after fifteen years of war and seats, Pisa is reconquered in 1509 by Florence. It loses its role of principal port of the Toscane to the profit of Leghorn but becomes a secondary arts center thanks to the presence of the Université of Pisa, created in 1343. An obvious proof of this decline can be given by demography, since the population of Pisa remained practically constant since the Middle Ages.

Pisa is the birthplace of Galileo. It always shelters one évêché. It became an industrial center and an important rail junction. She suffered from destruction during the Second world war.

Chronology

• Beginning of the 7th century, the city depends on the duchy lombard of Lucques.

• 1004, the town of Pisa is plundered by Arab pirates.
• 1011, put at bag of Pisa by the Arabs
• 1052, a fleet pisane ordered by the admiral Jacopo Ciurini and directed against the threat sarrasine heavy on Sardinia approaches the Corsican coast with Saint-Florent. Taking note of the tender of the island and after having planted their standards, Pisans take again the sea towards the Sardinia, by carrying the relics of Sainte Réparate.
• 1015, Pisans drive out the Arabs of Sardinia.
• 1063, beginning of the construction of the cathedral of Pisa thanks to the spoils drawn from the bag of Palermo the same year, from where the inscription on the frontage of the cathedral which indicates the funding source.
• 1077, the pope entrusts the administration of the Corsica to Pisa.
• 1087, Pisa and Genoa beat the Arabs with Mahdia in Tunisia who release their European slaves and seize the trade with the emirate Ziride of North Africa.
• 1121, the Byzantine emperor Jean II Comnène grants commercial privileges to Pisa.
• 1173, beginning the construction of the Bell-tower (the Tower of Pisa)

In XIIe and still at the 13th century, Pisa is dominated by great chalk-linings, and sees their confrontation. Arts (corporations) there are non-existent. So the people (Popolo) do not manage to organize themselves before the middle of the 13th century.

• 1284, the fleet génoise demolishes Pisa, with the battles of Meloria, and becomes dominant in the the Mediterranean. It is the end of the golden age pisan. In this respect, Pisa is in advance compared to the other towns of central Italy: she knows an earlier apogee.
• 1406, the City-State of Pisa is overcome by Florence.
• 1408, Council of Pisa.
• 1511, council profrançais of Pisa, whose objective is to deposit the pope Jules II.

Economy

Culture

Within sight of its remarkable medieval buildings, part of the town of Pisa was classified with the World heritage of humanity by UNESCO in 1982. It is about the place of Duomo (old Place of the Miracles) which includes/understands the church, the baptistry, the cemetery and the bell-tower (the leaning tower).

It is at the top of the tower of Pisa that Galileo (Galileo Galilei) would have tested his law of gravity and it is by looking at the candlesticks of the cathedral which it would have had his first intuitions on dynamics, at the 19 years age.

Personalities born in Pisa

• Andrea Bocelli, pop singer, born in 1958 in Pisa
• Antonio Pacinotti, Italian physicist (Pisa 1841 - Pisa 1912)
• Antonio Tabucchi, writer, translator and frontier runner of the work of Fernando Pessoa, of Portuguese to Italian, born in Pisa in 1943
• Aurelio Lomi, painter (Pisa, 1556 - 1622)
• Galileo Galilei, physicist and astronomer (Pisa 1564 - Florence 1642)
• Giovanni Pisano, sculptor and architect (Pisa 1248 - 1317)
• Leonardo Fibonacci, Leonardo Pisano (Léonard of Pisa), Leonardo Bigollo or Leonardo Guilielmi , mathematician of the famous continuation (Pisa ~ 1170 - ~ 1250)
• Nicola Pisano, architect and sculptor (Pisa 1220 -1278)
• Paolo Savi, geologist, ornithologist and entomologist (Pisa 1798 - Pisa 1871)
• Pisanello, painter, medaillist and miniaturist (Pisa 1380 - Rome 1455)
• Fabio Lioness, singer of the group Rhapsody off Fire, born in 1973 in Pisa

Monuments

• the Turn of Pisa or Torre pendente

• the cathedral or the Duomo
• the Baptistère
• the Camposanto
• the Piazza dei Cavalieri (the Place of the Riders) gathers notable monuments such as the Tour of the Clock or the Palazzo dei Cavalieri .

Commemorative event

Festivals, fairs -->

Administration

Hamlets

Marina di Pisa, Tirrenia, Calambrone, Barbaricina, Riglione, Oratoio, Putignano, San Piero have Grado, Coltano, Sant' Ermete, Ospedaletto

Communes bordering

Cascina, Collesalvetti (Leghorn), Leghorn (Leghorn), San Giuliano Term.

Twinnings

• 1982
• 1988
• 1991
• 1996

Photograph gallery

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