Grand Ducal Crown of Tuscany
The Grand Ducal Crown of Tuscany (Italian: corona del Granducato di Toscana) was a ducal crown created by the Medicean Grand Dukes of Tuscany. The old crown Cosimo I de' Medici, duke of Florence, sought to achieve a title which removed him from his status as a feudatory of the Holy Roman Emperor and gave him more political independence. Getting nothing from the Emperor, he turned to the Papacy. Already he had attempted to get Paul IV to give him the title of king or archduke with no success. Finally in 1569, after many favours and dealings of differing levels of legitimacy, Pope Pius V released a Papal bull which conferred the style of Altezza Serenissima and the title of Grand Duke, a very rare title that placed the Sovereign of Tuscany above a Duke, but below a Prince. In January 1570 Cosimo I was crowned by Pius himself at Rome, though by rights such an act was the prerogative of the Emperor. For this reason, Spain and Austria refused to acknowledge the new title, though France and England immediately acknowledged its validity. With time all Europe came around. The crown of the Grand Duke of Tuscany was clearly distinct