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Essi hanno vissuto molti anni in esilio.

Essi hanno vissuto molti anni in esilio.
They lived many years in exile.
From Lesson 429:Literary subject pronouns (egli, ella, essi)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Essi hanno vissuto molti anni in esilio.

Why use essi instead of loro for "they"?
Essi is the formal or literary subject pronoun for "they" (referring to a masculine or mixed group). While loro is what you will hear and use in everyday conversation, essi is common in literature, historical texts, and formal writing.
I thought vivere used essere in the past tense. Why is it hanno vissuto here?
Vivere is one of a few verbs that can take either avere or essere in compound tenses. Using avere (hanno vissuto) often emphasizes the active process or duration of living, which fits perfectly here with molti anni. Using essere is also grammatically correct but tends to emphasize the state of existence.
If I chose to use essere with vivere, how would this sentence change?
If you used the auxiliary essere, the past participle would have to agree in gender and number with the subject, essi (masculine plural). The sentence would become: Essi sono vissuti molti anni in esilio.
Can I say per molti anni instead of just molti anni?
Yes, you can. However, Italian often drops the preposition per (for) when talking about the duration of an action, especially with verbs like vivere (to live), lavorare (to work), or studiare (to study). Both are completely natural, but leaving it out is very common.

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