c. 750 BC................Mythical foundation of Siena by Senius and Ascanus, sons of Remus, who left Rome after quarrelling with his brother Romulus. One brother rode a white horse and the other a black one, from which Siena is said to derive its black and white crest.

                   

c. 20 BC..................Foundation of Siena by Augustus as the Roman colony Saena Julia.

c. 550 AD................Tuscany is invaded by Goths and Ostrogoths.

c. 600 AD................The Lombards occupy Tuscany.

774..........................The Franks under Charlemagne conquer Tuscany. But their rule is slack and city states such as Siena start to develop. Siena is ruled by Counts.

                                Foundation of the abbey of San Antimo.

c. 1125.................... Siena becomes a free republic. Her merchant bankers begin their long-standing rivalry with Florence.

1186.........................Barbarossa besieges Siena unsuccessfully.                       

1260.........................Battle of Monteaperti, Siena's great victory over Florence. Siena at the time supported the Ghibellines (the party of the Holy Roman Emperor); Florence supported the Guelphs (the party of the Pope).

1236........................The Council of 24 is established in Siena, half nobles, half commoners, thus bringing the bourgeoisie into the government. This begins a long period of government by Councils of various sizes, usually multiples of three to give equal representation to each of the three self-governing Terzi - Citta, Camollia and S. Martino.

1269........................Siena defeated at the battle of Colle Val d'Elsa by the Guelphs under Charles d'Anjou.

1270........................The Council of Nine is established in Siena, an oligarchy of the main families, supported by the Guelphs. They rule from the Sala della Pace in the Palazzo Pubblico, and commissioned Simone Martini's great Maesta. This oligarchic regime, with various changes, remains in power until 1355. Theirs is the Good Government depicted in the frescoes by Lorenzetti in another room of the Palazzo Pubblico.

1348........................The Black Death kills three quarters of the population, including the Lorenzetti brothers. A period of confusion follows. The Nine are overthrown and rival factions fight it out for 100 years, during which time the great mystics St Catherine and St Bernardino find a ready audience.

1479.........................The Nine return briefly to power and are then replaced by 10 Priori.

1487.........................Pandolfo Panducci makes himself dictator.

1526.........................Siena achieves victory over the Florentines and fresh freedom.

1530.........................The Spaniards capture Siena.

1552.........................The Sienese expel the Spaniards.

1555.........................Siena finally surrenders to Florence. 700 leading families take refuge in Montalcino.

1559....................... The treaty of Cateau-Cambrensis gives the whole province of Siena to Florence, and from henceforth Siena is a part of Tuscany ruled from Florence.

1569........................Cosimo I is created the first Medici Grand Duke of Tuscany.

1737........................The Medicis die out and Tuscany is inherited by Austrian Habsbourgs.

1861........................Tuscany (and Siena) become part of a united Italy.