The diocese was created by
Pope Pius VII in the bull "Militantis Ecclesiae" of 25 September 1806, at the urging of
Queen Maria Luisa, Regent of Tuscany. The town of Livorno was raised from the status of
oppidum to that of
civitas (city). The erection was opposed both by the Archdiocese of Pisa and the Canons of San Miniato, who would lose territory, power, and income from the change. In his bull, Pius VII cites statistics as a factor in his decision to create a new diocese: that there were about 26,000 Catholics, and in the suburbs over 46,000. In the same bull, the secular Collegiate Church of S. Francesco and its Chapter were suppressed, and the church was elevated to the status of a cathedral. A cathedral chapter was instituted, consisting of five dignities (the Provost, the Archpriest, the Archdeacon, the Dean, and the Primicerius) and fourteen Canons. The new diocese was composed of twenty-eight parishes, including eleven inside the city, four in the suburbs, two in the mountains of Livorno, five in the civil district of Colle-Salvetti, and two in Rosignano. ==Bishops==