The rulers of Tuscany have varied over time, sometimes being margraves, the rulers of handfuls of border counties and sometimes the heads of the most important family of the region.
Various
House of Canossa
Various
After this, Tuscany was splintered between the competing republics of Florence, Pisa, Siena, Arezzo, Pistoia and Lucca. Since the 14th century, Florence gained dominance over Pistoia (1306, officially annexed 1530), Arezzo (1384), Pisa (1406), and Siena (1559). Lucca was an independent republic until the Napoleonic period in the 19th century.
| # | Name | Started | Ended | Relationship with predecessor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alessandro | 1 May 1532 | 6 Jan 1537 | |
| 2 | Cosimo I | 20 Sep 1537 | 21 Aug 1569 | fourth cousin of Alessandro |
| # | Name | Started | Ended | Relationship with predecessor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cosimo I | 21 Aug 1569 | 21 Apr 1574 | |
| 2 | Francesco I | 21 Apr 1574 | 19 Oct 1587 | son of Cosimo I |
| 3 | Ferdinando I | 19 Oct 1587 | 7 Feb 1609 | brother of Francesco I son of Cosimo I |
| 4 | Cosimo II | 7 Feb 1609 | 28 Feb 1621 | son of Ferdinando I |
| 5 | Ferdinando II | 28 Feb 1621 | 23 May 1670 | son of Cosimo II |
| 6 | Cosimo III | 23 May 1670 | 31 Oct 1723 | son of Ferdinando II |
| 7 | Gian Gastone | 31 Oct 1723 | 9 Jul 1737 | son of Cosimo III |
| # | Name | Started | Ended | Relationship with predecessor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Francesco II Stefano | 12 Jul 1737 | 18 Aug 1765 | great-great-great-grandson of Francesco I |
| 9 | Pietro Leopoldo I | 18 Aug 1765 | 22 Jul 1790 | second son of Francesco II Stefano |
| 10 | Ferdinando III | 22 Jul 1790 | 3 Aug 1801 | second son of Pietro Leopoldo I |
| # | Name | Started | Ended | Relationship with predecessor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lodovico I | 3 Aug 1801 | 27 May 1803 | Grandson of Francisco II Stefano |
| 2 | Carlo Lodovico II | 27 May 1803 | 10 Dec 1807 | son of Lodovico I |
Tuscany was annexed by France, 1807-1814. Napoleon's sister Elisa Bonaparte was given the honorary title of Grand Duchess of Tuscany, but did not actually rule over the region.
| # | Name | Started | Ended | Relationship with predecessor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Ferdinando III | 27 Apr 1814 | 18 Jun 1824 | (restored) |
| 11 | Leopoldo II | 18 Jun 1824 | 21 Jul 1859 | son of Ferdinando III |
| 12 | Ferdinando IV | 21 Jul 1859 | 22 Mar 1860 | son of Leopoldo II |
Leopoldo II was driven from Tuscany by revolution from 21 February to 12 April 1849, and again on 27 April 1859. He abdicated in favor of his son, Ferdinando IV, on 21 July 1859, but Ferdinando IV was never recognized in Tuscany, and was deposed by the provisional government on 16 August. Tuscany was annexed by Piedmont-Sardinia, on 22 March 1860.