History of Florence and Tuscany has a few thousand years. The first lived in Tuscany, the Etruscans. The people who probably came from Asia Minor and appeared in Italy in the 9th century BC Etruscans were founded many cities in Tuscany. For example, Cortona and Arezzo. But Florence was not founded by them, and who came to Tuscany later by the Romans.
The Etruscans also the place where Florence, reviewed, and built near the hills of Fiesole fortress. (Today, from the hills of Fiesole, just opened a magnificent view of Florence) Florence According to legend was founded by Julius Caesar. However, this is nothing more than a legend. Caesar's role in the development of the city was indirect. The thing is that Caesar in 59 BC was the so-called agrarian law, under which veterans of the Roman army was to be allocated land. Here under the Act and has been allocated land in a convenient location near the river Arno. But exactly when the colony was named Florence remains unknown. In any case, this colony was founded at a very convenient location along the path of the Via Beauty and roads connecting the cities of Rome and Northern Italy and beyond Gaul.
Convenient location in Florence led to the rapid prosperity of the city. Nearly 568 years after the fall of the Roman Empire, was captured by the Lombards Tuscany – Germanic tribes from northern Europe. In 774, the Lombards defeated by the Franks and the tribe came to Tuscany new conquerors. The leader of the Swiss franc was the famous emperor Charlemagne. Charles was, as they say, a good Christian and therefore he did not stint, and gave a great part of central Italy, the Holy See in Rome. In response, the Pope conferred the title of Emperor Charlemagne of the Holy Roman Empire.