Edgardo Donati. La Toscana nell'impero napoleonico: L'imposizione del modello e il processo di integrazione (1807–1809). In two volumes. (Nuove ricerche di storia, second series, number 8.) Florence: Edizioni Polistampa. 2008. Pp. 601; 606-968. €45.00 the set

Tuscany, like the rest of the Italian peninsula, experienced major geopolitical changes and numerous reforms under Napoleonic rule. In 1801 Napoleon Bonaparte transformed the former Grand Duchy of Tuscany into the autonomous Kingdom of Etruria. In 1807, he abrogated that Kingdom and on May 1, 1808, he officially annexed Tuscany to his empire, where it remained until his fall in 1814.

Edgardo Donati's voluminous work presents a detailed analysis of the impact of the Napoleonic reforms, which were modeled on the French system, and the difficulties and opposition that prevented their smooth implementation during the first two years of French rule in Tuscany (1807–1809). He studies the creation of state and local administrations, military conscription, finances, and state-church relations. The study is based on very solid and meticulous research of wide array of documents in numerous Italian archives and...