Where was the world's first patent office and when was it established?

Question

Was the US one the world's first?

Answer 1

The US patent office was not the world's first.

It appears that patents were issued for a long time before they were regulated by law.

"The first recorded patent for an industrial invention was granted in 1421 in Florence … It appears that such privileged grants to inventors spread from Italy to other European countries during the next two centuries. … the sentiment slowly grew that the English crown was abusing its authority to grant such rights, and the Privy Council and then the common-law courts began to scrutinize patents more carefully. Finally, in 1623 Parliament enacted the Statute of Monopolies. Although the statute prohibited most royal monopolies, it specifically preserved the right to grant “letters patent” for inventions of new manufactures for up to 14 years."