Dante Alighieri
Dante Alighieri ( 1265 – 1321 )was born at Florence of a Guelf family. The circumstances of his early life are obscure, but we know that in 1277 he was formally betrothed to his future wife, Gemma Donati , and that in 1289 he took part in military operations against Arezzo and Pisa. During this early period of his life he fell in love with the girl whom he celebrates under the name of Beatrice in the Vita nuova and the Divina commedia. Her identity has been much discussed, but the generally accepted view is that she was Bice Portinari , who became the wife of Simone de' Bardi . When she died, in 1290 , Dante was grief-stricken and sought consolation in the study of philosophy. In 1295 he became active in the political life of Florence. In June 1300 he was one of the municipal priors who banished the leaders of the White and Black Guelf factions, and in Oct. 1301 he was one of the three envoys sent...
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