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Dante Alighieri, born in Florence, Italy in the year 1265, was a well known Italian writer and poet. His mother died when he was very young, and his father was a notary from a family loyal to the Guelphs (those who supported the Papacy in opposition to another predominant family of Tuscany who supported the German emperor). Dante fought with the Guelphs as a cavalryman in the battle of Campaldino in 1289, which led to the defeat of the opposing family. The constitution of the Republic of Florence was then reformed and around 1295 it was necessary for Dante to matriculate into the Guild of Physicians and Apothecaries in order to be active in government affairs as diplomat and magistrate.

In 1300, the Guelphs were split in two, the White Guelphs and the Black Guelphs, and when the Black Guelphs, the stronger of the two sides seized power in Florence, all those who opposed were banished in 1302 with the threat of being burned alive if they ever returned. Dante fled from Florence and travelled through Italy, leaving his wife and four children behind. He also traveled to France and England while writing a variety of stories and poems about such things as Purgatory, Hell, and the seven deadly sins. He later came to write "La Divina Commedia", or the Divine Comedy, which was his allegory of life and God as revealed to a pilgrim.

In his later years, Dante took part in attempts by the White Guelphs to regain power in Florence, but all failed due to treachery. In 1310, the Holy Roman Emperor of Luxembourg marched some 5,000 troops into Italy. Dante saw the mark of a better Holy Roman Emperor who would restore Florence to its former glory by taking it from the Black Guelphs. He wrote to the emperor, demanding the destruction of the Black Guelphs, which finally took place in 1312. Yet Dante had become unpopular with the White Guelphs too, and after the emperor died in 1313, so did any chance for Dante to return to see Florence again. He returned to Verona to complete more of his writings until he died in 1321. Eventually, Florence came to regret Dante's exile, and made repeated requests for the return of his remains. Despite the requests, his remains were kept in Ravenna, and in 1829 a tomb was built for him in Florence. The tomb has been empty ever since.

Most historians have come to the agreement that the ideas which characterized the Renaissance had their origin in late 13th century Florence, and Dante is credited as being one of the founders due to his writings.