The County of Santa Fiora (Italian: Contea di Santa Fiora), also known as State of Santa Fiora (Italian: Stato di Santa Fiora)[1] was a small historical state of southern Tuscany, in central Italy. Together with the county of Sovana, it was one of the two subdivisions into which the possessions of the Aldobrandeschi, then lords of much of southern Tuscany, were split in 1274.

County of Santa Fiora
Contea di Santa Fiora (Italian)
1274–1806
Coat of arms of Santa Fiora
Coat of arms
15th and 16th centuries
15th and 16th centuries
Italy in 1499
Italy in 1499
CapitalSanta Fiora
Common languages
Religion
Roman Catholicism
Minority: Judaism
GovernmentAbsolute Monarchy (County)
Count 
• 1274–1283
Ildebrandino X Aldobrandeschi
• 1631–1658
Mario II Sforza
History 
• Division of the lands of Aldobrandeschi family in two branches
1274
• The County is annexed by the Grand Duchy of Tuscany
1633
• Disestablished
1806
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Contado
Contado of the Aldobrandeschi
Grand Duchy of Tuscany
Papal States

At the moments of its creation it included part of today's province of Grosseto, up to the Isola del Giglio, and Castiglione d'Orcia, in what is now the province of Siena. In the 14th century the Republic of Siena was able to capture Isola del Giglio, Roccastrada, Istia d'Ombrone, Magliano in Toscana, Selvena, Arcidosso and Castiglione d'Orcia, reducing the county to its capital, Castell'Azzara, Semproniano and Scansano.

In 1439, after the marriage of Bosio I Sforza and the last Aldobrandeschi heir, Cecilia, the county was inherited by the Sforza family, who would become ruler of the Duchy of Milan and owned also other possessions in Tuscany and the Marche.

The sovereignty of the county was ceded to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany in 1633.[2]

The Jewish presence in the County of Santa Fiora was significant, the first evidence dates back to the second half of the 15th century, while a jewish ghetto was established in 1714, when the state was already subject to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany for about 80 years.[3]

Ruling counts (1216-1806)

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[4]

# Title Name Start End Consort Notes
1 Count Bonifacio Aldobrandeschi 1216 1229 Ruling house of Aldobrandeschi
2 Count Ildebrandino (X) 1229 1283
3 Count Ildebrandino (XII) 1283 1331
4 Conte Stefano 1331 1346
5 Count Senese 1346 1386
6 Count Guido I Aldobrandeschi 1386 1438 Elisabetta Salimbeni
7 Countess Cecilia Aldobrandeschi 1438 1451 Bosio I Sforza, brother of Francesco I Sforza
8 Count Bosio I Sforza 1439 1476 Widower of countess Cecilia Aldobrandeschi Ruling house changes to Sforza
9 Count Guido II Sfora di Santa Fiora 1476 1508 Francesca Farnese
10 Count Federico I Sforza di Santa Fiora 1508 1517 Bartolomea Orsini di Pitigliano
11 Count Bosio II Sforza di Santa Fiora 1517 1535 Costanza Farnese
12 Count Sforza I Sforza 1535 1575 Luisa Pallavicino, Caterina Nobili
13 Count Mario I Sforza di Santa Fiora 1575 1591 Fulvia Conti
14 Count Alessandro I Sforza di Santa Fiora 1591 1631 Eleonora Orsini di Bracciano
15 Count Mario II Sforza di Santa Fiora 1631 1658 Renata di Lorena
16 Count Ludovico I di Santa Fiora 1658 1685 Artemisia Colonna, Adelaide di Thianges
17 Count Francesco I di Santa Fiora 1685 1707 Dorotea Tocco
18 Count Federico II Sforza di Santa Fiora 1707 1712 Livia Cesarini
19 Count Gaetano I Sforza-Cesarini 1712 1727 Vittoria Conti Ruling house changes to Sforza-Cesarini
20 Count Sforza Giuseppe I 1727 1744 Maria Francesca Giustiniani
21 Count Filippo I 1744 1764 Anna Maria Colonna Barberini
22 Count Gaetano II Sforza Cesarini 1764 1776 Teresa Caracciolo, Marianna Caetani
23 Count Francesco II Sforza Cesarini 1776 1806 Geltrude Conti; ultimo conte sovrano

References

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  1. ^ "Sforza", in Nuova Enciclopedia Popolare Italiana, vol. XXI, Turin, 1865
  2. ^ "Sforza", in Gaetano Moroni, Dizionario di erudizione storico-ecclesiastica da S. Pietro sino ai nostri, vol. LXV, Tipografia Emiliana, Venezia 1854
  3. ^ Benocci, Carla. Gli Sforza e gli ebrei a Santa Fiora dal XV agli inizi del XIX secolo (in Italian). Regione Toscana, Consiglio regionale, 2019. ISBN 978-88-85617-35-3.
  4. ^ Calzona, Lucia (1996). La Gloria de' Prencipi. Gli Sforza di Santafiora da Proceno a Segni [The Glory of Princes. The Sforza of Santafiora from Proceno to Segni] (in Italian). Rome: De Luca. p. 50.
  • Guerrini, Giuseppe (1999). Torri e Castelli della Provincia di Grosseto. Siena: Nuova Immagine Editrice.
  • Monaci, Francesca (2010). Santa Fiora nella storia: La comunità e gli Sforza negli Statuti del 1613. Arcidosso (GR): Edizioni Effigi.