Guelphs and Ghibellines

Definition: The Guelphs were the party in medieval Germany and Italy who supported the pope. The opposing party to the Guelphs was the Ghibelline party who supported the Holy Roman Emperors. The division between these two rival groups often was so staunch that cities and families were torn apart. The Guelphs eventually split into the White and Black Guelphs, The Guelph party was more associated with middle or merchant classes, and the Ghibellines were typically aristocratic and opposed the Church (“Guelphs and Ghibellines”).

Importance: Dante, one of the Italy’s finest poets from the Medieval World, was a White Guelph. It would logically make sense that Dante would support Pope Boniface VIII, who was the Pope in his lifetime, but he did not. This is because the White Guelphs, which Dante was a member of, supported a more moderate approach to the papacy while the Black Guelphs wanted “pure papal extreme faction” (“Guelphs and Ghibellines”). The people that Dante encounters in Purgatory are often products of Dante’s own society. It is worthwhile to learn about Dante’s historical context so that his epic Purgatorio can be more fully understood.

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Montaperti