city state · Italy

Commune of Arezzo

1098 CE – 1384 CE (approx.) · capital Arezzo

A Ghibelline city-republic of eastern Tuscany whose defeat at Campaldino in 1289 began its long decline before the power of Florence.

Origins

Arezzo, an old Etruscan and Roman town, was dominated by its powerful bishops, but consuls appear by 1098. The commune grew in the 12th century, contesting control of the town and the rural castles with the bishops and with neighbouring Siena.

Rule and society

Governed by consuls, then a podestà and later priors, Arezzo was generally Ghibelline. Its bishops remained political leaders: Guglielmino degli Ubertini died fighting Florence at Campaldino in 1289, and Guido Tarlati, bishop from 1312 and lord of the city from 1321 until his death in 1327, expanded the city's territory and rebuilt its walls. The poet Petrarch was born in the city in 1304, his family having been exiled from Florence.

Decline and legacy

After Tarlati's death the city fell under outside lords and was racked by faction. In 1384 the French captain Enguerrand de Coucy sold it to the Republic of Florence, which ruled it for the rest of its history.

Connections (2)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Commune of Arezzo. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/commune-of-arezzo
MLA
“Commune of Arezzo.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/commune-of-arezzo. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Commune of Arezzo.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/commune-of-arezzo.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Commune of Arezzo’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/commune-of-arezzo (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻