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Dante was born in 1265 and he tells us he was born under the sign of Gemini, placing it in May or June. He was born into a prominent Florentine family (whose real surname was Alighieri), with loyalties to the Guelfs, a political alliance involved in complex opposition to the Ghibellines; Guelfs themselves were divided into White Guelfs (pro-imperial) and Black Guelfs. Dante (a white Guelf) pretended that his family descended from the ancient Romans (Inferno, XV, 76), but the earliest relative he can mention by name is Cacciaguida degli Elisei (Paradiso, XV, 135), of no earlier than about 1100.
His father, Alighiero di Bellincione, was a White Guelf, but suffered no reprisals after the Ghibellines won the battle of Montaperti , and this safety reveals a certain personal or family prestige.
Dante's mother was Donna Bella degli Abati; "Bella" stands for Gabriella, but also means "beautiful", while Abati (the name of a powerful family) means friars; a really curious name. She died when Dante was 5 or 6 years old, and Alighiero soon married Miss Lapa di Chiarissimo Cialuffi. (It is uncertain whether he really married her, as widowers had social limitations in these matters.) This woman definitely bore two children, Dante's brother Francesco and sister Tana (Gaetana).
When Dante was 12, in 1277, he was promised in marriage to Gemma, daughter of Messer Manetto Donati. Contracting marriages at this early age was quite common, and was an important ceremony, requiring formal acts subscribed in front of a notary. Dante had several sons with Gemma. As often happens with famous people, many children pretended to be Dante's offspring; however, it is likely that Jacopo, Pietro, and Antonia were truly his children. Antonia became a nun with the name of Sister Beatrice. Another man, Giovanni, claimed to be his son and was in exile with Dante, but some doubts were advanced about his claim.
Not much is known about Dante's education, and it is presumed he studied at home. We know he studied Tuscan poetry, at a time when the Scuola poetica siciliana, a cultural group from Sicily, was becoming known in Tuscany. His interests brought him to discover Provençal minstrels and poets, and Latin culture (with an obvious particular devotion to Virgil).
It should be underlined that during the "Secoli Bui" ( Dark Ages), Italy had become a mosaic of small states, so Sicily was as far (culturally and politically) from Tuscany as ProvenceProvence is a former province and is now a region of southeastern France, located on the Mediterranean Sea adjacent to France's border with Italy. It is now part of the administrative region of Provence-Alpes-Cote-d'Azur. The traditional region of Provenc was: the regions did not share a language, culture, or easy communications. Nevertheless, we can assume that Dante was a keen up-to-date intellectual with international interests.
When 18, he met Guido CavalcantiGuido Cavalcanti (c. 1255 1300) was an Italian poet who was a friend and colleague of Dante. His poetry explores the philosophy of love. External link Cavalcanti, Guido., Lapo Gianni , Cino da PistoiaCino (dei Sighibuldi) da Pistoia ( 1270 1336) was an Italian poet and friend of Dante. 1270 births 1336 deaths Italian poets., and soon after Brunetto LatiniBrunetto Latini ( c. 1210 1294) was a Florentine philosopher, scholar and statesman. He was born in Florence, the son of Buonaccorso Latini. He belonged to the Guelph party. After the disaster of Montaperti he took refuge for some years ( 1261- 1268) in F; together they became the leaders of Dolce Stil Nuovo. Brunetto later received a special mention in the Divine Comedy (Inferno, XV, 82), for what he had taught Dante. Other studies are reported, or deduced from Vita Nuova or the Divine Comedy, regarding painting and music.
While still young he also met Beatrice PortinariAlthough the details surrounding the life of Beatrice Portinari ( 1266- 1290) are subject to much dispute, there is little doubt she was a major influence in Dante Alighieri's life, influencing particularly his works of La Vita Nuova and La Divina Commedi, the daughter of Folco Portinari. It has been said that Dante had seen her only once and never spoke to her (but other versions may be equally valid). It is hard to decipher of what this love consisted, but something extremely important for Italian culture was happening: as it is in the sign of this love that Dante gave his imprint to the Stil Novo and would lead poets and writers to discover the themes of Love (Amore), which had never been so emphasized before. Love for Beatrice (as in a different manner PetrarcaFrancesco Petrarca or Petrarch ( 1304 July 19, 1374) was an Italian scholar, poet, and early humanist. Petrarch and Dante are considered the fathers of the Renaissance. Biography Petrarch was born in Arezzo the son of a notary, and spent his early childho would show for his Laura) would apparently be the reason for poetry and for living, together with political passions.
When BeatriceAlthough the details surrounding the life of Beatrice Portinari ( 1266- 1290) are subject to much dispute, there is little doubt she was a major influence in Dante Alighieri's life, influencing particularly his works of La Vita Nuova and La Divina Commedi died in 1290Events King Edward I of England banishes all Jews from Britain. University of Lisbon founded. Births Deaths December 18 Magnus I of Sweden, king of Sweden 1275- 1290 Eleanor of Castile 1290., Dante tried to find a refuge in Latin literature. From the Convivio we know that he had read Boethius's De consolatione philosophiae and Cicero's De amicitia. He then dedicated himself to philosophical studies at religious schools like the Dominican one in Santa Maria Novella. He took part in the disputes that the two principal monastic orders ( Franciscan and Dominican) publicly or indirectly held in Florence, the former explaining the doctrine of the mystics and of San Bonaventura, the latter presenting Saint Thomas Aquinas' theories. His "excessive" passion for philosophy would later be criticized by Beatrice, in Purgatory.
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