University of Florence

The university dates from 1859, when Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany lost power and a group of disparate higher-studies institutions were grouped together into the Istituto di Studi Superiori Pratici e di Perfezionamento. A year later, this was recognized as a fully-fledged university by the government of the Kingdom of Sardinia, when it annexed the United Provinces of Central Italy. In 1865, the new Kingdom of Italy chose Florence as its temporary capital, but it was replaced by Rome soon after the Capture of Rome in 1870.

In 1923, the Istituto was renamed as a University by the Italian Parliament.

An earlier university in Florence was the Studio Fiorentino [it], which was established by the Florentine Republic in 1321. The Studium was recognized by Pope Clement VI in 1349, and authorized to grant regular degrees. The Pope also established that the first Italian faculty of theology would be in Florence. The Studium became an imperial university (referring to the Holy Roman Empire) in 1364, but in 1473 it was moved to Pisa, when Lorenzo the Magnificent gained control of Florence. Charles VIII moved it back to Florence in 1497, but in 1515 it was moved to Pisa again when the Medici family returned to power.