A
Gran maestro was the unofficial head of state in the
Italian city-statesThe Italian city-states were a remarkable political phenomenon of small independent states in the northern Italian peninsula between the tenth and fifteenth centuries....
. The role could depend on holding a particular office, military power or a general subversion of the constitution.
A
Gran maestro was the unofficial head of state in the
Italian city-statesThe Italian city-states were a remarkable political phenomenon of small independent states in the northern Italian peninsula between the tenth and fifteenth centuries....
. The role could depend on holding a particular office, military power or a general subversion of the constitution.
The
ScaligerThe noble family of the Scaliger were Lords of Verona. When Ezzelino III was elected podestà of the commune in 1226, he was able to convert the office into a permanent lordship...
family in
VeronaVerona is a city in Veneto, northern Italy, one of the seven provincial capitals in the region. It is one of the main tourist destinations in north-eastern Italy, thanks to its artistic heritage, several annual fairs, shows and operas, such as the lyrical season in the Arena, the ancient...
converted their control of the office of
podestàPodestà is the name given to certain high officials in many Italian cities, since the later Middle Ages, mainly as Chief magistrate of a city state , but also as a local administrator, the representative of the Emperor.The term derives from the Latin word potestas, meaning power...
into a permanent lordship as early as 1226. The
Sforza dynastySforza was a ruling family of Renaissance Italy, based in Milan.-History:The dynasty was founded by Muzio Attendolo, called Sforza , a condottiero from Romagna serving the Angevin kings of Naples...
rose from
condottierithumb|280px|Depiction of [[Farinata degli Uberti]] by [[Andrea del Castagno]], showing a 15th century condottiero's typical attire.Condottieri were the mercenary soldier leaders of the professional, military Free companies contracted by the Italian city-states and the Papacy, from the late...
to be dukes of
MilanMilan in Italy, is the capital of the region of Lombardia and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while the urban area is the fifth largest in the E.U. with an estimated population of 4.3 million...
in 1447. The
MediciThe House of Medici was a political dynasty, banking family and later royal house who first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici in the Republic of Florence during the late 14th century. The family originated in the Mugello region of the Tuscan countryside, gradually rising until...
relied on financial power and control of the selection process for office to establish their own dominance in
FlorenceFlorence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence...
, although it took them until 1531 to acquire the formal title of
Grand DukeThe title grand duke is used in Western Europe and particularly in Germanic countries for provincial sovereigns. Grand duke is of a protocolary rank below a king but higher than a sovereign duke. Grand duke is also the usual and established translation of grand prince in languages which do not...
and abolish all vestiges of the
republicThe Republic of Florence , or the Florentine Republic, was a city-state that was centered on the city of Florence, located in modern Tuscany, Italy. The republic was founded in 1115, when the Florentine people rebelled against the Margraviate of Tuscany upon Margravine Matilda's death. The...
.