ABSTRACT
In 1814 the Granduchy of Tuscany was restored to its former rulers, the Habsburg-Lothringen branch of the Austrian Habsburg dynasty, and life then began anew as if the previous decade and a half under French rule had not occurred. In this new world each segment of society found itself focused, intentionally or not, towards ensuring a single end, the re-establishment and maintenance of Enlightenment-oriented ideals in this special geo-political enclave. In 1799, three years after Napoleon made his one and only visit to the region in 1796, the French juggernaut swept into Florence and assumed control of Tuscany. In short order Grand Duke Ferdinando III found himself with only twenty-four hours' notice to leave his realm. Because Tuscany had been a central issue in the War of the Austrian Succession earlier in the eighteenth century, future governance of Tuscany remained an important consideration in Napoleon's negotiations with the Habsburgs.
