Piombino

Piombino stands on the Tuscan coast facing Elba. In 1399 Gherardo Appiani ceded Pisa to the Visconti of Milan but retained Piombino and other lands and islands, creating a small lordship centred on the coastal town. Its territories included part of Elba, linking Piombino to the island across the strait.

The lordship was contested during the Italian wars: Cesare Borgia occupied Piombino between 1501 and 1503. In 1594 Emperor Rudolf II raised it to a principality. Later it passed through the Ludovisi and Boncompagni families. During the Napoleonic era it was joined to Lucca, and in 1815 it was absorbed into the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.