[Curiosities] Know five curiosities about the Italian Dante Alighieri

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It is estimated that on May 29, 1265, the famous Italian poet, Dante Alighieri, author of the Divine Comedy, was born in Florence, one of the fundamental works of the transition from medieval to Renaissance thought and universal literature.

Dante came from a noble family, which did not prevent him from actively participating in the political struggles of his time; him while he put his pen at the service of art, politics and philosophy, bequeathing to posterity a fascinating life

 

A fascinating life
1) As a 12-year-old teenager, he was forced to get engaged and get married, since it was customary at his time to agree to marriages at an early age. His wife's name was Gemma and with her he had four children. However, the great love of his life was Beatriz Portinari, whom he met at the age of 9, and with whom he could have fallen in love at first sight. The latter was his great inspiration for his great works.

 

2) He felt considerable admiration for the Roman poet Virgil, author of the Aeneid, the Bucolics and the Georgics. For this reason, he made him an essential figure in his masterpiece, the Divine Comedy, becoming the protagonist's guide when going through the passages of Hell and Purgatory.

 

3) He was an active thinker of advanced political ideas for his time. Even for these, he was banished from his hometown, Florence. Specifically, he defended the separation of Church and State, as well as the need for a Holy Roman Empire to exist.

 

4) Very few know that for some time, the famous writer dedicated himself to selling his own books, in establishments known as apothecaries. The first known work of his was Vita nuova (New Life), which was written shortly after his wife died, between 1292 and 1293.

 

5) Banished, he died in the city of Ravenna, where his remains rest in the Church of San Francisco de Asís. However, the Florentines always regretted this situation and already in the 19th century they decided to build a tomb for him, which remains empty, in the Basilica of Santa Cruz. In this you can read "Honour the highest poet."

 

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