As many famous Italians artists of the Renaissance, we Americans only know the writer by Dante’s first name and are often stumped when asked, it’s Alighieri. The world also just knew him for his poetry but full-time writing came somewhat later for him. His original career path was more similar to Machiavelli’s as he was involved with the politics of governing Florence. He was a prior which is an odd title for a secular job, usually a prior operates or runs a monastery or religious (Christian) order. I’m guessing that Florence’s republic in the 13th to 14th century functioned along the lines of a city council. Well, on this day, Dante got the boot and since he had eliminated previous rivals by the same means, his enemies cheered. Like my maternal grandma would say, live by the sword…die by the sword.
Dante used the opportunity to produce his most famous work a few years later, The Divine Comedy, a three-parter he composed in fits n’ starts over the last 13 years of his life. Again, we mostly know about the first section in which Virgil gives the narrator a tour through Hell. In the less-remembered sequels, Virgil returns to show you around Purgatory; a recent Christian invention to retain followers after earlier generations figured out “Why bother, everything earns a ticket to Hell!” The finale has Virgil pass the baton to Beatrice to show off Paradise, coincidentally her name of was the same as Dante’s childhood crush.
The poetic works were very popular amongst the literate residents of the Italian peninsula and nearby lands. What may have helped out was his choice of using a contemporary dialect of Italian he spoke instead of Latin, the preferred language educated Europeans utilized. Mocking the current Pope was another element you couldn’t go wrong with too. Contrary to our modern perceptions, the common people were quite away what hypocrites their religious leaders were so any chance to ridicule them in their version of The Onion brought laughter.