f the thirteenth century, political life was factionalized into the Ghibellines, who represented the old imperial aristocracy, and the Guelphs, a party that was originally bourgeois and looked to the pope as a political power rather than a spiritual leader. At the beginning of the 14th century, the Guelphs held most councils in Italy. The Guelfi split into two groups, the bianchi or white and the neri or black. Dante was a part of the whites who supported the Emperor, but hated the Ghibellini too much to join them (Lansing 135). In an election, Carlo di Valois won against the whites. Dante was falsely accused of unlawful acts, even of fraud, and sentenced to a two-year exile and a fine which he did not pay. He was exiled and sentenced to death by burning if he ever returned to Florence, and was made a citizen of all Italy. His wife did not accompany him into exile. He moved from court to court, and eventually died in the court of Guido Novello da Polenta in 1321. He was buried in San Pier Maggiores Church where he still lies, although the church is now called San Francescos (Giles 2).The main ideas of Dante, which are on love, are as follows. Love is the movement of the spirit and the primitive energy of the universe. In romantic love, the soul moves toward the object of its erotic affections. In 3 philosophical love, the soul contemplates the world of nature through the exercise of reason. In mystical love, the soul desires union with God, which is the harmony of the will of the soul and the will of God. Poetry reveals the movement of the spirit, or love, through its literal sense. The literal sense of poetry contains the manifestations of love in terms the poems allegorical, moral, and anagogical meanings. These ideas were woven into all of his works (Giles 1).Dantes first major work was La Vita Nuova. It is thirty-one lyric poems and prose narrative that expresses his love for Beatrice in three movements ...
