Originally an Etruscan colony founded in around 200BC, Florence was taken over by the Romans and became a garrison town called Florentia.
By the 12th century, the city was a free commune within Italy, ruled by 12 consuls although because none of them could agree on things, in 1207, they found themselves replaced by the podesta, an "unbiased" foreign governor.
By the end of the 13th century, the city was practically a democracy, run by the merchant Guelphs, and the noble families had been sidelined.
After the decimation of the great plague, the Medicis began to consolidate their power and Cosimo Medici became de facto ruler of the city, beginning a history of artistic patronage that passed through his family, and led to intractable links between the city and the names of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Brunelleschi and others, who produced much of their best works for the family.
Of course all this spending couldn't go on for long, and in 1494 the family went broke, and lost their power and the city, although not long after, with money from emperor Charles V, the family were back in their palace until 1860, when Florence became the capital of Italy only to be replaced by Rome 15 years later.
The city suffered many pains in the 20th century, including the destruction of many bridges by retreating Germans in the Second World War, and terrible floods that covered the city in slimy mud in 1966. Which were a blessing in disguise, as it meant that restoration techniques were developed to save the paintings, and ensured that they would remain available for much longer.
