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Better known as Dante was born in Florence, Italy in mid may of 1265. He was born from his father Alaghiero and his mother Bella.
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Dante said he first met Beatrice Portinari, daughter of Folco Portinari, at age nine, and claimed to have fallen in love with her "at first sight", apparently without even talking with her.
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His mother was most likely a part of the Abati family.
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Dante enrolls at the convent schools of , Santa Croce and Santa Maria Novella, which are two churches in Florence.
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Gemma was the daughter of Manetto Donati, member of the powerful Donati family.
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Dante completes his formal studies.
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At 18, Dante met Guido Cavalcanti, Lapo Gianni, Cino da Pistoia and soon after Brunetto Latini; together they became the leaders of the dolce stil novo.
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Dante's father Alighiero di Bellincione dies.
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Dante marries Gemma Donati. His beloved Beatrice also marries someone else. Dante and Gemma Donati have five children: sons Jacopo, Pietro, Giovanni and Gabrielle and daughter Antonia.
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Dante fought with the Guelph cavalry.
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Dante's love Beatrice dies at the age of 24. He is devastated and reincarnates her later in his work as a divine guide in the Commedia.
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Dante writes La Vita Nuova di Dante Alighieri, a long poem tracing his relationship with Beatrice from their first meeting to her death. Scholars now interpret the title to signify Dante's "new life" as a poet.
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then in 1294 he was among the escorts of Charles Martel of Anjou (grandson of Charles I of Naples, more commonly called Charles of Anjou) while he was in Florence.
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Brunetto Latini, a Florentine politician and respected man of letters who had been an important mentor to Dante, dies. Though Brunetto was like a father figure to Dante, he appears in Dante's Inferno with those who commit sodomy. Scholars believe that Dante probably did this to "take down" his mentor, even though there is no evidence that Brunetto actually engaged in homosexual acts.
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To further his political career, he became a pharmacist. He did not intend to practice as one, but a law issued in 1295 required nobles aspiring to public office to be enrolled in one of the Corporazioni delle Arti e dei Mestieri, so Dante obtained admission to the apothecaries' guild. This profession was not inappropriate, since at that time books were sold from apothecaries' shops. As a politician he accomplished little, but held various offices over some years in a city rife with political un
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In 1301, Charles of Valois, brother of King Philip IV of France, was expected to visit Florence because the Pope had appointed him peacemaker for Tuscany. But the city's government had treated the Pope's ambassadors badly a few weeks before, seeking independence from papal influence. It was believed that Charles had received other unofficial instructions, so the council sent a delegation to Rome to ascertain the Pope's intentions. Dante was one of the delegates.
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Pope Boniface quickly dismissed the other delegates and asked Dante alone to remain in Rome. At the same time (November 1, 1301), Charles of Valois entered Florence with the Black Guelphs, who in the next six days destroyed much of the city and killed many of their enemies.
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While lodging in Lucca, Dante begins composing an essay on vernacular poetry entitled De Vulgari Eloquentia. Though the essay itself is written in Latin, the language of the educated classes, it details the fractured state of the Italian language and emphasizes the need for a common vernacular language.
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When he refuses to pay the fine, Dante - along with fourteen others- is sentenced to death in absentia. He never returns to Florence, the city of his birth, and spends the rest of his life exiled in Italy.
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Pope Boniface VIII dies.
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Dante begins writing Convivio ("Banquet"), a long poem in Italian celebrating his poetry and asking for forgiveness from Florence's warring political parties. No forgiveness is offered.
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Dante begins the Commedia ("Divine" was added to the title 200 years after his death). It is a three-part poem -largely autobiographical - detailing the journey of Dante the pilgrim through Hell, Purgatory and Heaven. He also writes De Monarchia , a treatise on the relationship between the monarchy and the state.
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Inferno, the first segment of Dante's three-part Divine Comedy , is published.
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The government of Florence offers Dante the chance to return to the city if he pleads guilty and makes a humiliating show of repentance. He refuses. Florence then issues a new order reiterating Dante's condemnation.
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Dante accepts an offer to stay with nobleman Guido II da Polenta in Ravenna. His wife and daughter join him there. He completes the Divine Comedy in Ravenna.
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Dante's daughter Antonia enters a convent in Ravenna and takes the name of Beatrice.
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While traveling in Venice, Dante contracts a fever—possibly malaria—and returns to Ravenna.
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Dante Alighieri dies of his illness in Ravenna. He is buried in San Pier Maggiore's Church in Ravenna, now known as St. Francesco's (St. Francis). Florence, which banished Dante, argues that they should have his remains back. Ravenna says "no way."
