Dante Alighieri was born in Florence in 1265 to a family of ancient lineage. When Dante was twelve years old, his family arranged for him to marry Gemma Donati, the daughter of a prominent Florentine family. They married in 1285, and had several children Dante’s great love and muse, however, was Beatrice. Dante met Beatrice when he was nine years old and claims to have fallen in love with her immediately. While Dante’s love for Beatrice inspired him throughout his life, it was an example of “courtly” love, conducted at a distance with little interaction. They never knew each other well.
Beatrice’s early death in 1290 was a major event in Dante’s life, and La Vita Nuova (The New Life), composed in subsequent years describes his tragic love for her. During this time, Dante immersed himself in the study of philosophy, which he recounts in Convivio (The Banquet). In this work, he names Lady Philosophy his “second love after Beatrice.”
As a young man Dante was very involved in Florentine political life, occupying several important offices. Dante supported “the Whites,” against their rivals, “the Blacks.” While Dante was on a delegation to Rome, leaders of the Blacks charged him with corruption, embezzlement, and hostility towards the pope. Dante did not return to face these charges, resulting in heavy fines and his lifelong exile from Florence.
Dante spent the remaining two decades of his life moving among Bologna, Padma, Lucca, Verona, and other Italian cities. He may also have visited Paris during this time. Free of the obligations of civic life, Dante’s exile was his most poetically fruitful period, producing his greatest poem, the Divine Comedy, and other major works.
Although Dante was no longer directly involved in Florentine civic life, his interest in politics never waned. Henry of Luxembourg’s election as King of the Romans in 1308 filled Dante with the hope that Henry VII could unite Italy and return good government to Florence. These events inspired De Monarchia. This great work of political theory argues for a world government under the Holy Roman Emperor who receives authority directly from God.
Dante’s immediate political hopes were disappointed. Henry died before he could bring peace to the peninsula, and Dante died in Ravenna, never having returned to the city of his birth. His lasting bitterness against Florence is expressed in the full title of his masterpiece: The Comedy of Dante Alighieri, Florentine by Citizenship, Not by Morals.
Eventually, Florence regretted Dante’s loss, requesting the return of his remains from Ravenna on several occasions. In 1829, a tomb was built in the Basilica of Santa Croce, inscribed with a line from Inferno’s fourth canto: “onorate l’altissimo poeta,” “honor the most exalted poet.” In 2008, 700 years after the poet’s death, the city council of Florence rescinded the charges against Dante, and apologized publicly for his exile.
FAQs
Dante Aligheiri was born in 1265 to a family of lesser nobility in Florence. He began writing poems while young, and, when he was nine, he met Beatrice, a girl to whom he later dedicated most of his poetry. Dante's mother died before he was 14, and his father passed away prior to 1283.
What does Dante teach us? ›
Harmony is more important than equality.
Love is more important than justice. God doesn't want you to be just like everybody else; he wants you to be the person he made. Trust him, as does the nun Piccarda, who tells Dante, “In His will is our peace.”
Did Dante have children? ›
In 1285 Dante married Gemma Donati and together they had four children: Giovanni, Pietro, Jacopo, and Antonia.
What writing is Dante Alighieri most known for? ›
His most famous work, The Divine Comedy, is as rich in science, astronomy, and philosophy, and as it is rooted in 14th-century Catholicism and Italian politics. The epic describes Dante's imagined journey through Hell and Purgatory to Heaven.
What Dante book to read first? ›
by Dante Alighieri. Your first book is Dante's Commedia (1308-1320) itself, and specifically the first canticle, the Inferno. Why have you chosen the Inferno over Purgatorio or Paradiso? Well, it's mainly through Inferno that what you might call the 'shock and awe' of Dante's impact is felt.
What is the summary of The Divine Comedy of Dante? ›
It is divided into three parts: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The poem discusses "the state of the soul after death and presents an image of divine justice meted out as due punishment or reward", and describes Dante's travels through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven.
How does Dante view God? ›
Now Dante understands that ultimately God is the pure form that universally confers life on all things in the material universe. Fourth, Dante observes that God is the Perfect Good which is the ultimate object of human desire (103-105).
What does Dante believe about God? ›
Inferno III, 1–9 introduced us to Dante's idea of God as Trinity. This is the Christian idea that God is indivisibly one yet at the same time three 'persons': Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Why is Dante relevant today? ›
Dante is endlessly inventive in making the punishment fit the crime. Corruption in the church, in our supposed spiritual leaders, is a subject not without contemporary relevance. Another lesson of the poem is the destructive effect on human life of greed, whether greed for money or greed for power.
What disease did Dante have? ›
Dante's literary works are the primary sources of information on his life. The poet often described himself as a suffering, anxious, tormented man affected by several ailments, leading scholars to speculate that he may have had epilepsy, narcolepsy, or recurrent reflex syncope.
Pathways through Literature - Italian writers - Dante Alighieri. Dante died in Ravenna between 13 and 14 September 1321, probably on account of malaria contracted while passing through the Comacchio marshland or in Venice itself, where he had gone on an ambassadorial mission on behalf of Guido Novello.
What happened to Dante's wife? ›
When Dante was exiled from Florence in 1301, Donati and her children did not join him, and it is probable that Donati never saw her husband again. She entered a convent in Ravenna later in her life. Documents suggest that as of June 1333 she was alive; however, her exact death date is unknown.
Why is Dante so special? ›
Dante was instrumental in establishing the literature of Italy, and is considered to be among the country's national poets and the Western world's greatest literary icons. His depictions of Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven provided inspiration for the larger body of Western art and literature.
What did Dante look like? ›
“Most traditional depictions are based on the information contained in the biography of Dante composed by the writer Boccaccio,” said Mr Moraes. “Namely, that he was an individual of medium height, somewhat stooped, with a long face, an aquiline nose and eyes that were more large than small.
What culture is Dante? ›
Dante Alighieri (c. 1265-1321) Considered the finest poet that Italy has ever produced, Dante is also celebrated as a major influence on western European culture.
Who wrote the biography of Dante? ›
The first formal biography of Dante was the Vita di Dante (also known as Trattatello in laude di Dante), written after 1348 by Giovanni Boccaccio.
How is Dante described in the book? ›
He is a good man who strays from the path of virtue, finding himself in the dark wood at the beginning of the poem. He is saved by his beloved Beatrice, who sends Virgil to guide him on his spectacular journey through hell. Dante is often terrified in hell and is moved by pity for the suffering sinners he sees there.
What are some interesting things about Dante Alighieri? ›
He was a physician, politician and soldier
He trained as a physicist and joined the guild of apothecaries, though he only did this to further his political career. Dante held various public offices throughout his time in Florence, and fought in the Battle of Campaldino against Arezzo.
