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Dante's Political Life

  • Active in the turbulent political life of Florence, Dante was elected one of the six priors, or magistrates, of Florence, a post he held for only two months. The rivalry between two factions within the Guelph Party of Florence became intense, and one of the factions, in 1302, banned Dante from Florence for two years and fined him heavily. Failing to make payment, he was condemned to death should he ever return to Florence. Dante spent his exile partly in Verona and partly in other northern Italian cities.