In 1808 Napoleon I. united Tuscany to the French empire, of which it formed three new departments, Arno, Ombrone, and Mediterrande. Napoleon's sister Eliza, the princess Baciocchi, was placed at the head of the administration, with the title of Grand-Duchess. In 1814 however Tuscany was occupied by the allied troope iu the name of Ferdinand Ill., who returned to Florence in September.
1815. The congress of Vienna confirmed the possession of Tuscany to the grand-duke Ferdinand and his successors, and annexed to it the whole of the inland of Elba, and some other territories. To Maria Luisa, ex-queen of Etruria, as guardian of her son, was assigned the duchy of Lucca, to revert to Tuscany on the death of the arch duchess Maria Louisa of Austria. This event took place in 1847, and Lucca has since been incorporated with Tuscany.
Ferdinand, after his restoration, applied himself to the internal improvement of his territories, especially by the drainage of the Val di Chian' and the Val di Nievole. Ito died in 1824, and was succeeded by his son Leopold IL The new grand-duke continued the system of progressive improvement by draining tho marsh of Castiglione and other marshes which corrupted the atmosphere of the Maremme, opening new roads, embanking rivers, extending the privileges of a free port to the suburbs of Leghorn, supplying that important town with wholesome water by means of an aqueduct, and by other measures of like utility. He also reformed the judiciary adminis
tration, established new tribunals, encouraged popular education as well as scientific instruction, and issued several useful legislative and economical enactments Tuscany, under his rule, continued to be the happiest, quietest, and most free country In Italy till 1848. In the anarchical tempest that followed the French revolution of 1848, the grand-duke was obliged to fly from his states, and a republic was established for a time in Florence. In the following year however Ferdinand was restored to his states by the Austrian army, which continued to occupy the country for several years. Sinco his restora tion, the grand-duke Leopold has greatly abridged the political privileges of his subjects.