Dante Alighieri
1265–1321 |
Dante Alighieri was an Italian poet during the thirteenth century. His most famous work was the trilogy The Divine Comedy, consisting of Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradisio. They describe the journey of Dante’s main character, also named Dante, as he makes his way through Hell and Purgatory to reach Heaven.. The Divine Comedy is considered to be the greatest work written in the Italian as well as a masterpiece of literature, and Dante is often called the “Father of the Italian language.”
Dante was born into a prominent Florentine family and grew up as a member of the Guelphs, a political faction that supported the Papacy and opposed the Ghibellines. Dante’s mother died before his tenth birthday, and his father remarried soon after, wedding a woman who later gave birth to Dante’s two half-siblings. At twelve, Dante was promised in marriage to Gemma di Manetto Donati, but he had already fallen in love with another woman, Beatrice, who would later play a prominent role in his Comedy. He conducted his studies at home, becoming particularly captivated by Tuscan poetry as well as the writings of Virgil. His love for Beatrice inspired him to create a new style of literature that that emphasized passionate devotion as had not been done before, and which would later be echoed by others such as Petrarch.
Dante, like most Italians, was highly political. He fought against the Ghibellines in the battle of Campaldino, and he obtained a position as a pharmacist in an attempt to gain a career in public office. Although he would later hold several government positions over a number of years, he accomplished little. After the defeat of the Ghibellines, the Guelph party was split into two blocs: the White and the Black. Dante supported the White Guelphs, who pressed for more freedom from Rome. He was sent with several other delegates to the Vatican City, where he remained with the Pope even after his comrades had been dismissed. At the same time, the Black Guelfs descended on Florence and overtook the city, establishing a new government. Dante was forced into perpetual exile from Florence, a sentence that remained in place until it was finally rescinded in 2008. Disgusted by the political struggles that raged around him, Dante removed himself from the political scene and traveled throughout Italy. Sometime during his exile, he wrote and published The Divine Comedy, though the actual dates cannot be specified. He passed away while returning from a diplomatic mission to Venice and was buried in Ravenna at the Church of San Pier Maggiore.
Key events during the life of Dante Alighieri:
| Born | |
| Death of his mother | |
| Met and fell in love with Beatrice | |
| Promised in marriage to Gemma di Manetto Donati | |
| Battle of Campaldino | |
| Beatrice's death | |
| Escorted Charles Martel of Anjou into Florence | |
| Charles de Valois took control of Florence; Dante was exiled from the city | |
| Florence was forced to grant Dante amnesty but he remained in exile instead | |
| Visited Prince Guido II da Polenta in Ravenna | |
| Died |
Other Resources
| Dante's Great Poem in | The Discovery of New Worlds by M. B. Synge |
Image Links | ||
|---|---|---|
 Dante Mourning for the Death of Beatrice in Greatest Nations - Germany |
 A strange procession of Hypocrites in Stories from Dante |
 Before them they bore a little cloud of exceeding in Stories from Dante |
 For ever and for ever he must ply his bark from shore in Stories from Dante |
 He plunged into the gulf in Stories from Dante |
 The poets had reached the lowest circle in Stories from Dante |
 Brighter and yet more bright shone the Bird of God. in Stories from Dante |
 'May she prosper thy ascent,' said the angel in Stories from Dante |
They stood before the very throne of God in Stories from Dante |
| Pope Boniface VIII | Pope who advocated of papal supremacy against king Philip IV of France, and was ultimately defeated. |
| Prince Guido Novello da Polenta | Lord of Ravenna. Hosted Dante during his exile. |
| Charles Martel | King of Hungary. Makes an appearance in Dante's Paradisio |