Chiusi

Sister cities

• Neu-Isenburg

History

Clusium (Clevsin or Camars in Etruscan) was one of the more powerful cities in the Etruscan League of twelve peoples. Chiusi came under the influence of Rome in the 3rd century BC and was involved in the Social War. According to a Roman historical tradition Arruns of Clusium invited Gaul mercenaries from the Po Valley into Clusium to seek revenge for a domestic conflict concerning his wife. However the Gauls sacked the city instead and settled in the region. In 540 AD it was occupied by the Ostrogoths and was later seat of a Lombard duchy. From the 11th century it was under the rule of the local bishop, and was later contended for by Orvieto and, from 1231, Siena, belonging to the latter until 1556, when it was annexed to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. The region was devastated by malaria in the Middle Ages, and did not recover until the Valdichiana was drained in the 18th century.