Campaldino 1289 - The battle that made Dante

A highly illustrated account of one of the major battles of Italy's 13th century wars, immortalized in the Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri who was one of the combatants. Campaldino is one of the important battles between the Guelphs and Ghibellines - the major political factions in the city states of central and northern Italy. It heralded the rise of Florence to a dominant position over the area of Tuscany and was one of the last occasions when the Italian city militias contested a battle, with the 14th century seeing the rise of the condottiere in Italy's Wars. In this study, renowned medieval historians Kelly De Vries and Niccolò Capponi have uncovered new material from the battlefield itself, as well as using all the available sources, to breathe new life into this colourful and fascinating battle.