The Siege of Florence 1530: Republican Defiance Against Empire

In 1529, the last independent republic of Renaissance Italy faced a brutal siege by Spanish and Imperial forces. This episode tells the story of Florence's desperate defense under Francesco Ferrucci, the betrayal of Malatesta Baglioni, and the fall of a city that had been the heart of the Renaissance. We explore the political turmoil after the Sack of Rome in 1527, the rise of the last Florentine Republic under Niccolò Capponi, and the military strategies that almost saved it. Michelangelo himself designed fortifications for the city. The siege ended with the Medici restoration and the end of republican Florence. But the spirit of liberty lived on in the writings of Machiavelli and Guicciardini. This is a story of courage, tragedy, and the price of freedom. #SiegeOfFlorence #FrancescoFerrucci #MalatestaBaglioni #LastFlorentineRepublic #MediciRestoration #Michelangelo #SackOfRome1527 #CharlesV #ClementVII #ItalianWars #Republicanism #Renaissance #Florence #Tuscany #Fortifications #Machiavelli #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo