Inhabitants in 1991: 1.614
The
municipal territory of Chianni is situated in Val d’Era and extends
for 62,09 square kilometres on the slopes of the spur which divides the
valley of the river Era from that of the river Fine. It is a municipality
with Leopoldina origins.
Castle on the borders between Pisa and Volterra, important for
its position dominating the Vallata dell’Era, Chianni was contested
between the Volterrano Episcopate, which drew its rights of possession
from a certificate emanating from Enrico VI in 1186 as “King of
the Romans”, and the Tirreno republic to whom it had been conceded
in a certificate by the same Enrico, who had become Emperor and by other
successors. In 1288 with the Fiorentino arbitration, the controversy
seemed to have been resolved in favour of the Bishop, who received
the vow of the population. But it was occupied in the same year by
the Pisane troops by order of Guido da Montefeltro, Chianni remained
under the dominion of Pisa, not withstanding repeated attempts of the
Volterrani and Fiorentini and not withstanding a rebellion bloodily suppressed
in 1345, until the second half of the XIV century when two successive
certificates of Carlo IV restored it to the Bishop of Volterra. In
1406, at the fall of Pisa the community subjected itself to the Fiorentina
republic, which in 1515 agreed to special statutes renewed in 1576
by Cosimo I. In 1629 Ferdinando II conceded it in feudal, with the title
of Marquisate to the Fiorentina family dei Riccardi, who maintained the
Lordship until 1776.
Historical info reproduced upon authorization of Regione Toscana - Dipartimento della Presidenza E Affari Legislativi e Giuridici
Translated by Ann Mountford |