P3+Ghibellines


 * Aim -** Christian Jennings

In the late Middle Ages a few political parties emerged in Italy and Germany. One of these political parties was called the Ghibellines. The Ghibellines were the imperial party that supported the Holy Roman Emperor and were heavily Christian like their rivals, the Guelphs. An article in Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia reports, “In Rome the Ghibellines were represented by the pope's enemies, notably the Colonna family, and by the republicans” (“Guelphs and Ghibellines” 1). The Ghibellines were considered the “enemies” of the papacy due to their constant support of the Holy Roman Emperor’s right to power and jurisdiction over Italy more than the Pope’s. The Party was supportive of conservative ideals taking place in Northern Europe such as: Feudalism, a unified state, and a heavy influence of Christianity. Although Christianity was a major value in Italy at the time, Feudalism and a unified state were not due to the presence of Italian city-states and the Italian economy becoming more capitalist in nature. The overall goal of the Ghibellines was to gain political dominance in Italy’s city-states to allow the presence and ethics of Northern Europe’s politics and more specifically the Holy Roman Emperor’s influence over the Papacy’s influence to take place in Italy. Ghibellines often resorted to military support to gain their short-lived political dominance to promote the major ideal of Nationalism.

Works Cited: “Guelphs and Ghibellines.” //Infoplease.// Pearson Education, n.d. Web. 28 Aug. 2012. “Italian City-States.” //Wikipedia.// Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., n.d. Web. 29 Aug. 2012. “Guelphs and Ghibellines.” //Wikipedia.// Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., n.d. Web. 29 Aug. 2012. Salerno, Vincenzo. “Manfred of Sicily.” //Best of Sicily Magazine.// Best of Sicily Mag., n.d. Web. 28 Aug 2012. Salerno Vincenzo. “Sicilian Peoples: the Swabians.” //Best of Sicily Magazine.// Best of Sicily Mag., n.d. Web. 28 Aug 2012.

Austin (**audience**): The Ghibellines was a political group that was implameted to derve the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor. As the tensions grew between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines they spread further and further apart. In the 13th and 14th centuries the Ghibellines strictly supported the Roman Empire while the Guelphs were all for the Papacy. Oscar Browning says, " Whatever may have been the affect on the world at large, it definately was a larger crisis in the history of Italy" (Browning 1). The people that lived in Italy had to watch the two political parties go against each other and decide who they were going to support. It was just like modern day politics except the people back then weren't able to vote and often lead to fighting between the different people that supported the opposing sides. Most of the fights that were fought were between the people of the local cities and towns than the Empire and the Papacy. All the political groups really had to do was convince people who they needed to support and the locals took matters into their own hands from there. As time wore on many of the problems that came up between the two different groups were those that had to do with the local people and all the seperate groups had to do was say something that set on of the factions off and the fighting just went on from there.

Works Cited

1. Garner, Edmund. "Guelphs and Ghibellines." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 29 Aug. 2012 2. Browning, Oscar. Guelphs and Ghibellines. London: Methuen & Co, 1893. Print.

=**Culture**= Nida Hasan



The Ghibellines influenced and morphed the outcome of Italian culture in the 12th and 13th century. “ In the struggles over secular authority between the papacy and the Holy Roman Emperors, this party supported imperial claims although other ideas soon came to be associated with it…the Ghibelline view of structured aristocratic dominance sanctioned by imperial authority was more likely to be appreciated ” (//Italy City-States: Glossary// 1). The “struggles” the Ghibellines experienced in their attempt to have “dominance” in Italy was their fight against the pope-supporting Guelphs. The Ghibellines were a political party in favor of the Holy Roman Emperor which is an idea they encouraged especially in Northern Germany. The reason for this is that the Ghibellines were actually derived from a royal German house. Not only were they advocating political views for themselves, the Ghibellines, but they were also presenting German views into Italian states such as Florence and Siene. Jennifer Hutchinson, author at ABC-Clio writes “As a center for the Ghibelline political faction, the city became increasingly powerful in the region, and its territorial expansion and economic growth…” (Hutchinson 1). Their increase in power and “territorial expansion and economic growth” in the region led the Ghibellines to come into conflict with Florence, who was led by the Guelphs at the time. Eventually, however, Florence proved more successful economically and overtook Siene, bringing the city in Guelph control as well. Soon after, the Ghibelline-Gueph feud turned into a full-scale war. The Ghibellines lost, but their impact on political and economic systems were a foundation for the Guelphs’ success. At the same time, it is their loss that can also be an aid to Italian life and culture as George Bernard Shaw said “If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must man be from learning from experience” (//Brainy Quote// 1). Perhaps the Ghibellines lost their steam, but they allowed Italians and the world to learn from their success’ and failures, therefore making them an influence on Italian culture.

Works Cited

Applied History Research Group. //Italy's City States: Glossary.// University of Calgary, 1997. Web. 31 Aug. 2012.

//BrainyQuote.// Brainy Quote, 2007. Web. 31 Aug. 2012.

Hutchinson, Jennifer. "Siena." //World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras//. ABC-CLIO, 2012. Web. 30 Aug. 2012.

History - Emily Voveris


The Ghibellines emerged in the 12 century when Frederick Barbossa, the Holy Roman Emperor, invaded northen Italy in 1154. The supporters of the the Emperor were called Ghilbellines. The terms Guelf and Guibellines comes from Germany because a feud between two princely famlies. The conflict dated back to the rise of Henry IV. A Russian Encyclopedia states that,"The Ghibellines apparently took their name from Waiblingen, the ancestral castle of the Hohenstaufens." while the Guelfs "took their name from the Welfs, dukes of Bavaria and Saxony and rivals of the German dynasty of Hohenstaufens." (The Great Soviet Enyclopieda).The familes had always disgreed but the conflict became a huge issue during the election of Otto IV. . The Pope and the Lombard leaders that where against this invasion where known as the Guelphs. The conflict between the two lead to a civil war in the later Middle Ages known as the War of The Bucket. The war took place in northern Italy in 1325, The war took place in mostly Guelph territory, rarely in conflicts do cities have fixed alliances, however Mi lan, Florence, and Genoa were Guelph while  Cremona, Pisa, and Arezzo were Ghilbelline. T he Ghilbellines where highly outnumbered but managed to win the war against the Guelphs. The Ghillbellines would go on to lose power due to the Ambrosian Republic. Soon after the death of Frederick II, Barbossa's grandson, the Ghibellines fell out of power. Eventually both groups would fall out of power due to the Italian wars. 1.Garner, Edmund. "Guelphs and Ghibellines." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 28 Aug. 2012

2."Guelph and Ghibelline." The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition. 1970-1979. The Gale Group, Inc. 28 Aug. 2012

3."Guelph and Ghibelline." The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia®. 2005. Columbia University Press. 28 Aug. 2012

4. "Guelph and Ghibelline." Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. 1994-2008. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 29 Aug. 2012