republic · Italy

Republic of Cospaia

1440 CE – 1826 CE · capital Cospaia

A tiny Umbrian republic born of a surveying error in 1440 that lived for nearly four centuries largely on tax-free tobacco.

Origins

In 1440 Pope Eugene IV sold Borgo Sansepolcro to the Republic of Florence. The new border was set along a stream, but two streams had the same name, and a strip of land about two kilometres long between them was left out of both states. Its few hundred inhabitants declared themselves independent.

Rule and society

Cospaia had no army, no prisons and no written constitution; a council of elders and heads of families settled affairs in the church. Its motto, Perpetua et firma libertas, was carved over the church door. From the 16th century the villagers grew tobacco, which escaped the monopolies and taxes of the Papal States and the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, and the hamlet became a centre for smuggling.

Decline and legacy

In 1826 the Papal States and Tuscany agreed to divide the territory. The inhabitants accepted in return for a silver coin each and the right to keep growing tobacco.

Lineage

Papal States 754 CE – 1870 CERepublic of CospaiaPapal States 754 CE – 1870 CE

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻