Cacciaguida
Encyclopedia
Cacciaguida degli Elisei (c. 1091 – c. 1148) was an Italian
crusader, the great-great-grandfather of Dante Alighieri
.
Little is known about his life. He was born in Florence
, and two documents from 1189 and 1201 mention his existence; all other details of his biography are those from his most famous descendant's works. Cacciaguida probably died in the Holy Land
.
Dante meets Cacciaguida in Paradiso
, precisely in the canti XV-XVII. Apart from their literary value, the canti are important for the information they provide about Florence in the 12th century. In the canto XVII, Cacciaguida forecasts Dante's future, namely his exile from Florence and the solitude of his late years.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
crusader, the great-great-grandfather of Dante Alighieri
Dante Alighieri
Durante degli Alighieri, mononymously referred to as Dante , was an Italian poet, prose writer, literary theorist, moral philosopher, and political thinker. He is best known for the monumental epic poem La commedia, later named La divina commedia ...
.
Little is known about his life. He was born in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, and two documents from 1189 and 1201 mention his existence; all other details of his biography are those from his most famous descendant's works. Cacciaguida probably died in the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
.
Dante meets Cacciaguida in Paradiso
Paradiso (Dante)
Paradiso is the third and final part of Dante's Divine Comedy, following the Inferno and the Purgatorio. It is an allegory telling of Dante's journey through Heaven, guided by Beatrice, who symbolises theology...
, precisely in the canti XV-XVII. Apart from their literary value, the canti are important for the information they provide about Florence in the 12th century. In the canto XVII, Cacciaguida forecasts Dante's future, namely his exile from Florence and the solitude of his late years.