Helmet of the Civic Guard Officer of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany Leopold II, 1848

Officer's helmet, supplied to the Civic Guard of the "Grand Duchy of Tuscany", under the reign of Leopold II.

With the revolutionary uprisings of 1848 (Unification of Italy) the use of these "Pre-unification" helmets declined.

The Grand Duchy of Tuscany was an independent state that existed from 1569 to 1859, first under the Medici dynasty and then the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty. During this period the Grand Duchy of Tuscany managed to maintain its independence and develop into one of the most prosperous and modern states in Europe. Until the second half of the 18th century it was a confederal state made up of the Duchy of Florence and the Duchy of Siena, in personal union of the Grand Duke.