Dante's Life Story

Dantes Life Story

Dante was born in Florence in May 1265. His family was of an old lineage, of noble birth but no longer wealthy. When he was only 12 years old, his marriage to the daughter of the famous Donati family was arranged. These marriages very common and appropriate at the time so Dante obediently married her, some years later they had two sons and one daughter.Dante studied at the University of Bologna, one of the most famous universities in the medieval world. There, he came under the influence of one of the most famous scholars of the time, Ser Brunetto Latini, who never taught Dante but advised and encouraged him.

When Dante was was about 12 years old, he met a 9-year-old girl at a prominent function. She wore a bright crimson dress, and to Dante, she had the beauty of an angel. The girl was Beatrice, and there is no doubt that she was the great love of Dante's life, and the greatest single influence on his work. He recorded this devotion in an early work Vita Nuova (A New Life). Her name appears only once in the Inferno, but she plays an important role in Purgatorio and Paradiso.

Dante stepped into the political scene when he first fought bravely in a battle at Campaldino in 1289. By 1295, he was completely involved in political causes, and was elected to the City Council that year. Florence, at that time, had two political parties: the Guelphs, who supported the pope as the ruler of the Catholic Church but believed that he should not be involved in secular affairs and the Ghibellines, who believed the pope should rule both secular and religious factions. As a member of the Guelph political party, Dante was sent often on missions to arrange peace between the two warring parties. While on a mission to Rome to arrange a truce between the two parties, charges were made against Dante: He was charged with conspiracy against the peace of the city, and hostility against the pope. He was fined heavily and ordered to report to the Council to defend himself. Rightly so, he was fearful for his life, and he did not appear to answer the charges. A heavier penalty was imposed. All of his property was confiscated, he was sentenced to be burned at the stake if caught, and his two sons were banished with him. In 1302, he was exiled from his native city, never to return.

At first he joined other political exiles, but he found them too stupid and selfish. It is not known