Principality of Lucca and Piombino

The Principality of Lucca and Piombino was created in July 1805 by Napoleon I for his sister Elisa Bonaparte. It was a state located on the central Italian Peninsula (present-day Italy) and was a client state of Napoleonic France.

Principality of Lucca and Piombino Principauté de Lucques et Piombino (French) Principato di Lucca e Piombino (Italian)
1805–1814
Flag Coat of arms
Principality of Lucca and Piombino
Status	Client state of the French Empire
Capital	Lucca
Common languages	Italian, French
Religion	Roman Catholic
Government	Principality
Princess
• 1805–1809	Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi
Historical era	Napoleonic Wars
• Treaty of Pressburg	23 June 1805
• Congress of Vienna	3 March 1814
Currency	French Franc
Preceded by Succeeded by Republic of Lucca Principality of Piombino Duchy of Massa and Carrara Duchy of Lucca Grand Duchy of Tuscany

Formation

The state was the result of the annexation of the Principality of Lucca (est. 22 June 1805), the former Republic of Lucca and occupied by France since late 1799, and the ancient Principality of Piombino, with Elisa the Princess of Piombino since that March. The combined principalities then were ruled as a single monarchy. Elisa was the ruling princess of Piombino and Lucca. Her husband Felice Pasquale Baciocchi became the titular prince of Piombino.

Rule

Silver coin: 5 Franchi of Principality of Lucca and Piombino, 1805, with the front side is the portrait of the couple Prince Felix and Elisa Bonaparte

The Constitution of the principality was written by Napoleon on 22 June (1805), establishing a Council of State to assist the princess and a legislative Senate.

The principality adopted the French franc as its currency, though few special local coins were minted.

On 3 March 1809, as part of the Treaty of Fontainebleau, her brother Napoleon created the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, with Elisa ruling as Grand Duchess of all Tuscany from Florence. The region had been annexed to the French Empire two years before, from the former Kingdom of Etruria (1801-1807). Henceforth the Principality of Lucca and Piombino became part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, and consequently a territory of the First French Empire. It did have special status, and a prefect was appointed (Antoine-Marie-Pierre de Hautmesnil). However, the territory was never named a Department of France.

End

In 1814, the Imperial Austrian Army occupied Lucca, ending French control with the fall of Napoleon. Under the Congress of Vienna Piombino was given to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, and Elba to the exiled Napoleon.

Lucca was restored to separate state status as the Duchy of Lucca (1815–1847). The Congress of Vienna (1814–1815) bestowed the duchy upon the Infanta of Spain Maria Louisa, erstwhile Queen of Etruria and the matriarch of the House of Bourbon-Parma. This was a form of compensation for not having returned their Duchy of Parma to them and instead having granted it to Napoleon's wife, Marie-Louise of Habsburg-Lorraine. Initially the Infanta stubbornly opposed, refusing to move from Rome where she was in exile, and accepted the new duchy only after the 1817 Treaty of Paris awarded her, her son Charles Louis and his male successors the right of reversion over their eponymous duchy upon the death of Marie-Louise of Habsburg-Lorraine.

See also

• Villa Reale di Marlia — royal estate of Elisa Bonaparte in the Principality.

Bibliography

• Claude Drigon, Nouveau traité historique et archéologique de la vraie et parfaite science des armoiries [1]
• L'Univers, histoire et description de tous les peuples [2]
• Marie Nicolas Bouillet, Dictionnaire universel d'histoire et de géographie, [3]
• Gérard Hubert, La sculpture dans l'Italie napoléonienne, [4]

External links

• Flags of Lucca
• Constitution of Lucca (in Italian)