The County of

Santa Fiora Santa Fiora is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Grosseto, in the Italian region of Tuscany, located about southeast of Florence and about east of Grosseto. Santa Fiora borders the following municipalities: Abbadia San Salvatore, Arc ...

( it, Contea di Santa Fiora), also known as State of Santa Fiora ( it, Stato di Santa Fiora, links=no) was a small historical state of southern

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

, in central

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. Together with the county of Sovana, it was one of the two subdivisions into which the possessions of the

Aldobrandeschi The Aldobrandeschi were an Italian noble family from southern Tuscany. Overview Of probable Lombard origin, they appear in history as counts in the 9th century. The first known count was Hildebrand II (857). Their possession extended to what i ...

, then lords of much of southern Tuscany, were split in 1274. At the moments of its creation it included part of today's

province of Grosseto The province of Grosseto ( it, links=no, provincia di Grosseto) is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Grosseto. As of 2013 the province had a total population of 225,098 people. Geography The Province of Gros ...

, up to the

Isola del Giglio Isola del Giglio (; en, Giglio Island, lat, Igilium) is an Italian island and comune in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the coast of Tuscany, and is part of the Province of Grosseto. The island is one of seven that form the Tuscan Archipelago, lyin ...

, and Castiglione d'Orcia, in what is now the

province of Siena The province of Siena ( it, provincia di Siena, link=no, ) is a province in Tuscany, Italy. Its capital is the city of Siena. Geography The province is divided into seven historical areas: * Alta Val d'Elsa * Chianti senese * The urban area o ...

. In the 14th century the

Republic of Siena The Republic of Siena ( it, Repubblica di Siena, la, Respublica Senensis) was a historic state consisting of the city of Siena and its surrounding territory in Tuscany, central Italy. It existed for over 400 years, from 1125 to 1555. During its e ...

was able to capture Isola del Giglio,

Roccastrada Roccastrada is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Grosseto in the Italian region Tuscany, located about south of Florence and about north of Grosseto, between the Maremma plain and the Colline Metallifere. ''Frazioni'' The municipa ...

Istia d'Ombrone Istia d'Ombrone () is a small town in southern Tuscany, Italy, a ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' of Grosseto. History In the area surrounding the centre of Istia there have been found some ruins of ancient habitations dating back to the Etruscan e ...

Magliano in Toscana Magliano in Toscana is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Grosseto in the Italian region Tuscany, located about south of Florence and about southeast of Grosseto. Magliano in Toscana borders the following municipalities: Grosseto, M ...

Selvena Selvena is a small hill-town, population 578, Istat2001 census in southern Tuscany, Italy. It stands at an altitude of above sea level some west of Castell'Azzara; administratively it falls within the ''comune'' of Castell'Azzara. History The ...

Arcidosso Arcidosso is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Grosseto in the Italian region of Tuscany, located about south of Florence and about northeast of Grosseto and near the town of Montalcino. History The first certain documentation of ...

and Castiglione d'Orcia, reducing the county to its capital,

Castell'Azzara Castell'Azzara is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Grosseto in the Italian region Tuscany, located about southeast of Florence and about east of Grosseto. It occupies the slopes of the Monte Amiata and was once important for the ex ...

Semproniano Semproniano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Grosseto in the Italian region of Tuscany, about south of Florence and about east of Grosseto. Semproniano borders the following municipalities: Castell'Azzara, Manciano, Roccalbegna ...

and

Scansano Scansano is a town and comune, of medieval origin, in the province of Grosseto, Tuscany, central Italy. The area which Scansano lies within is called Maremma. Scansano area is home to the production of Morellino di Scansano, a type of wine. '' ...

. In 1439, after the marriage of Bosio I Sforza and the last Aldobrandeschi heir, Cecilia, the county was inherited by the

Sforza The House of Sforza () was a ruling family of Renaissance Italy, based in Milan. They acquired the Duchy of Milan following the extinction of the Visconti family in the mid-15th century, Sforza rule ending in Milan with the death of the last me ...

family, who would become ruler of the

Duchy of Milan The Duchy of Milan ( it, Ducato di Milano; lmo, Ducaa de Milan) was a state in northern Italy, created in 1395 by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, then the lord of Milan, and a member of the important Visconti family, which had been ruling the city sin ...

and owned also other possessions in Tuscany and the

Marche Marche ( , ) is one of the twenty regions of Italy. In English, the region is sometimes referred to as The Marches ( ). The region is located in the central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the ...

. The sovereignty of the county was ceded to the

Grand Duchy of Tuscany The Grand Duchy of Tuscany ( it, Granducato di Toscana; la, Magnus Ducatus Etruriae) was an Italian monarchy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1859, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In th ...

in 1633. 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.

References

* * {{Former monarchies Italian peninsula 1633 disestablishments

History of Tuscany States and territories established in 1274 Historic Jewish communities Santa Fiora