The Guelphs and Ghibellines were rival factions in the city-states of medieval Italy, supporters respectively of the papacy and of the Holy Roman Emperor. The names derive from the German dynasties, the Welfs, who were rivals of the Hohenstaufen emperors, whose castle at Waiblingen gave the Ghibellines their name. In Italy the labels came to be attached to local rivalries, so that within a single city, families fought over control, and exile of the losing side was common. In Florence the Guelphs themselves split into Black and White factions, and Dante, a White Guelph, was banished in 1302. The conflict gradually lost its original meaning and faded in the later Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
Before and after
- from 1115 to 1569Republic of Florence
- from 1115 to 1234Jin dynasty
- from 1118 to 1791Construction of Abbey of Fontenay
- from May 1118 to December 1118Conquest of Zaragoza
- from c. 1120s to 1390sRise of Guelphs and Ghibellines
- from 1121 to 1269Almohads
- 23 September 1122Concordat of Worms
- December 1122Birth of Frederick Barbarossa
- from 1125 to 1389Grand Principality of Vladimir
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- 7 January 1451Founding of University of Glasgow
The era
This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes. You can also browse everything in the 12th century.