P4+Guelfs

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In the epic poem, //Inferno// by Dante Alighieri, one of the two arguing parties, the Guelphs, are put into the story in order to show what exactly was going on during Dante’s lifetime. According to a biography on Dante himself, “ Born into Florence’s aristocracy, Dante was involved in city politics from 1295-1300 and held several municipal offices. This was the turbulent period of the “Guelph and Ghibelline” controversy.” (Badertscher). The Guelphs were not only the enemies of the Ghibellines, but they were also enemies of themselves. Within the Guelphs were the Black Guelphs and the White Guelphs. The White Guelphs supported government based on papacy while the Black Guelphs supported a government without the papacy. Dante Alighieri was not only a poet but also a politician of his time. He was ultimately “...put on trial in Florence for taking bribes, and when he failed to show up to answer the charges he was condemned to be burnt at the stake. He went into exile and never saw his native city again.” (Popham). Undoubtedly, Dante’s view on the Guelph vs. Ghibelline controversy was shown in his Divine Comedy. =====

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Badertscher, Eric. "Dante Alighieri." //Ebsco Host//. Ebsco Industries, Inc., n.d. Web. 29 Aug. 2012. =====

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Popham, Peter. "Return of Dante: The Guelphs and the Ghibellines." //The Independent//. Independent Digital News and Media, 19 June 2008. Web. 30 Aug. 2012. =====

Logan McCarty: Culture:

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====The Guelphs played a major role in //The Inferno// by Dante Alighieri. The Guelphs were a religious and political party in Italy during the 12th and 13th centuries. The culture of the Guelphs greatly influenced by the Renaissance of the 12th century. According to Steven Kreis, “Overall improvement continued throughout the 12th century at an accelerated rate. The people who inhabited western Europe showed tremendous energy and persistence in all of their activities whether religious, political, economic or cultural.” (Kreis). Specifically religion was very important during this time period. The more dominant religion of the time was the Roman Catholic religion. A strong belief in Roman Catholicism is Hell. Considering the Guelphs were heavily involved in the Roman Catholic religion, much of their culture was based around that of their religion. Hell was feared and people would take precautions to avoid it. The people involved in the Guelphs most likely had morals that if followed, kept them from going to Hell.====

In the story of //Inferno// by Dante Alighieri, the Guelphs (or commonly spelled guelfs) are a religious political party. Within the party, its members were divided amongst the Bianchi and Neri, or the whites and blacks. One believed that Florence should be independent from the pope and Holy Roman Empire, while the other sought to compromise with the Pope for power. Overall, they were a religious based political power during the 12th and 13th century. In an bibliography on the life of Dante by Eric Badertscher, “In Florence, the Guelphs represented an alliance of the old nobility and rich merchants. The Ghibellines represented the new middle-class.” (Badertscher). The Ghibellines, which were the political counterpart to the Guelphs, believed and supported the Emperor. Overtime, the Guelphs defeated the Ghibellines, seizing control of the Italian city-states. The audience are the Italian citizens who were affected by the shifts of power from one party to another.

Badertscher, Eric. "Dante Alighieri." Literary Reference Center. EBSCO, 14 Dec. 2004. Web. 30 Aug. 2012.


 * Kathleen Kunz: History **

In Dante’s Inferno, the Guelphs play an important role during the time era. The Guelphs were a political party in the 12th and 13th centuries who supported the Pope. They did not only have an adversary of a different group, The Ghibellines, but they also had inner enemies in their own party. The Guelphs were divided into 2 sub groups: the Black Guelphs and the White Guelphs. It says in a study from the University of Texas on Dante Alighieri “The Black Guelphs were more favorable to the interests of the old noble class, the whites more aligned with the rising merchant class...” These specific political parties mostly had to do with the major figures in power at the time. The Guelphs and the Ghibellines in particular were rivals because each was based off of the views of 2 wealthy German families. They were the Welfs, who were dukes of Saxony and Bavaria, and the Hohenstaufen. The views of these families spread out and reached other people and eventually the Guelphs were formed out of the Welf family views. They thought that the Pope was very important but should not be brought into political affairs. The Ghibellines did not agree however, and their rivalry was born.

Browning, Guelphs and Ghibellines (1894); T. F. Tout, The Empire and the Papacy, 918–1273 (8th ed. 1924, repr. 1965); R. E. Herzstein, ed., The Holy Roman Empire in the Middle Ages (1966). "Dante's Inferno - Circle 6 - Canto 10." Dante's Inferno - Circle 6 - Canto 10. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2012. . "Digital Dante: Students' Work: The Role of the Church." Digital Dante: Students' Work: The Role of the Church. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2012. .