Corso Donati
Encyclopedia
Corso Donati was a leader of the Black Guelph
faction in 13th- and early 14th- century Florence
.
, an outsider who served as chief magistrate, and the guildmasters; Corso served as Podestà of Bologna
in 1283 and 1288, and of Pistoia
in 1289. In 1289, as captain of the people in Pistoia, he led a group of 60 soldiers in the Battle of Campaldino
, in which the Guelphs defeated the Ghibellines
and cemented their control over Florence.
family, leaders of the merchant faction who had long feuded with the Donati
, became allied with the White Guelphs while the Donati allied with the Black Guelphs, similar factions which had arisen in Pistoia. The leaders of both Guelph factions, including Corso, were exiled by the merchants in 1300, but the White Guelphs were soon allowed to return. Corso and the Black Guelphs petitioned Pope Boniface VIII
for aid, and returned to Florence with Charles of Valois
in November 1301, killing or exiling many White Guelphs. One of the exiled was the famous poet Dante Alighieri
, who by marrying Gemma Donati had become a distant relative of Corso.
, a family of White Guelphs, in calling for the examination of the finances of his former allies. This led to a new eruption of fighting in which forces from Lucca
temporarily controlled Florence. Donati was one of twelve prominent Florentine citizens summoned by Pope Benedict XI
in 1304 in an attempt to bring peace to the city; the White Guelphs and some Ghibellines
were restored, although the Ghibellines were expelled again in 1306.
In 1308 Corso was accused of plotting to overthrow the Florentine commune and take power as lord of the city with the aid of his father-in-law Uguccione della Faggiuola
, a Ghibelline, and was condemned as a rebel and a traitor; he died on October 6, 1308 while attempting to flee the city after having been besieged in his house by an angry mob.
's History of Florence, the Nuova Cronica
of Giovanni Villani
, and the Cronica delle cose occorrenti ne' tempi suoi of Dino Compagni
.
Dante's Divine Comedy, which was written after Donati's death but set prior to it in 1300, includes a scene in which Corso's brother Forese
indirectly describes Corso as “the one who bears the greatest blame” for the downfall of Florence and foresees him being dragged by a beast into hell. In the Divine Comedy, Corso's sister Piccarda
is the first person Dante meets in Paradise. Corso Donati is also the subject of a play by nineteenth-century writer Carlo Marenco
, who was inspired by Dante's works.
Two buildings owned by and named after Corso, the torri Corso Donati or towers of Corso Donati, still stand in Piazza San Pier Maggiore in Florence
.
Guelphs and Ghibellines
The Guelphs and Ghibellines were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, respectively, in central and northern Italy. During the 12th and 13th centuries, the split between these two parties was a particularly important aspect of the internal policy of the Italian city-states...
faction in 13th- and early 14th- century 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....
.
Bologna and Pistoia
In the late thirteenth century, power in Florence and the other Tuscan cities was divided between the PodestàPodestà
Podestà is the name given to certain high officials in many Italian cities, since the later Middle Ages, mainly as Chief magistrate of a city state , but also as a local administrator, the representative of the Emperor.The term derives from the Latin word potestas, meaning power...
, an outsider who served as chief magistrate, and the guildmasters; Corso served as Podestà of Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
in 1283 and 1288, and of Pistoia
Pistoia
Pistoia is a city and comune in the Tuscany region of Italy, the capital of a province of the same name, located about 30 km west and north of Florence and is crossed by the Ombrone Pistoiese, a tributary of the River Arno.-History:...
in 1289. In 1289, as captain of the people in Pistoia, he led a group of 60 soldiers in the Battle of Campaldino
Battle of Campaldino
The Battle of Campaldino was a battle between the Guelphs and Ghibellines on 11 June 1289. Mixed bands of pro-papal Guelf forces of Florence and allies, Pistoia, Lucca, Siena and Prato, all loosely commanded by the paid condottiero Amerigo di Narbona with his own professional following, met a...
, in which the Guelphs defeated the Ghibellines
Guelphs and Ghibellines
The Guelphs and Ghibellines were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, respectively, in central and northern Italy. During the 12th and 13th centuries, the split between these two parties was a particularly important aspect of the internal policy of the Italian city-states...
and cemented their control over Florence.
Leader of the Black Guelphs
In 1293, the merchants of Florence, led by Giano della Bella, prevented the nobility from taking the office of guildmaster; Corso led the noble faction which aligned with the working class against the merchants. In 1294 Corso was acquitted of killing a man in a fight; an angry mob came to della Bella seeking justice after the acquittal, but he sent them away whereupon they rioted and della Bella was exiled as having caused the riot. At that time, the CerchiCerchi
The Florentine banking family of the Cerchi, minor nobles of the Valdarno, with a seat especially at Acone near Pontassieve, settled in Florence in the early thirteenth century and increased their fortunes. The family became the heads of a consortium of the prominent Guelfs that securely...
family, leaders of the merchant faction who had long feuded with the Donati
Donati
Donati is a surname, and may refer to:*Angelo Donati , Italian banker and philanthropist*Baldassare Donati , Italian composer of the late Renaissance*Buoso Donati , character in Dante's Divine Comedy...
, became allied with the White Guelphs while the Donati allied with the Black Guelphs, similar factions which had arisen in Pistoia. The leaders of both Guelph factions, including Corso, were exiled by the merchants in 1300, but the White Guelphs were soon allowed to return. Corso and the Black Guelphs petitioned Pope Boniface VIII
Pope Boniface VIII
Pope Boniface VIII , born Benedetto Gaetani, was Pope of the Catholic Church from 1294 to 1303. Today, Boniface VIII is probably best remembered for his feuds with Dante, who placed him in the Eighth circle of Hell in his Divina Commedia, among the Simonists.- Biography :Gaetani was born in 1235 in...
for aid, and returned to Florence with Charles of Valois
Charles of Valois
Charles of Valois was the fourth son of Philip III of France and Isabella of Aragon. His mother was a daughter of James I of Aragon and Yolande of Hungary. He was a member of the House of Capet and founded the House of Valois...
in November 1301, killing or exiling many White Guelphs. One of the exiled was the famous poet 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 ...
, who by marrying Gemma Donati had become a distant relative of Corso.
Plots against the Black Guelphs
Beginning in February 1303, Corso broke with the other Black Guelphs and joined the CavalcantiCavalcanti
Cavalcanti is an Italian surname, also common in Brazil where it is used by people of ancient Italian origin. In Italy and Brazil the variant Cavalcante is also used. The family came to Brazil in 1560...
, a family of White Guelphs, in calling for the examination of the finances of his former allies. This led to a new eruption of fighting in which forces from Lucca
Lucca
Lucca is a city and comune in Tuscany, central Italy, situated on the river Serchio in a fertile plainnear the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Lucca...
temporarily controlled Florence. Donati was one of twelve prominent Florentine citizens summoned by Pope Benedict XI
Pope Benedict XI
Blessed Pope Benedict XI , born Nicola Boccasini, was Pope from 1303 to 1304.Born in Treviso, he succeeded Pope Boniface VIII , but was unable to carry out his policies...
in 1304 in an attempt to bring peace to the city; the White Guelphs and some Ghibellines
Guelphs and Ghibellines
The Guelphs and Ghibellines were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, respectively, in central and northern Italy. During the 12th and 13th centuries, the split between these two parties was a particularly important aspect of the internal policy of the Italian city-states...
were restored, although the Ghibellines were expelled again in 1306.
In 1308 Corso was accused of plotting to overthrow the Florentine commune and take power as lord of the city with the aid of his father-in-law Uguccione della Faggiuola
Uguccione della Faggiuola
Uguccione della Faggiuola was an Italian condottiero, and chief magistrate of Pisa, Lucca and Forlì .-Biography:...
, a Ghibelline, and was condemned as a rebel and a traitor; he died on October 6, 1308 while attempting to flee the city after having been besieged in his house by an angry mob.
In literature
He is discussed prominently in several contemporary histories: Niccolò MachiavelliNiccolò Machiavelli
Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli was an Italian historian, philosopher, humanist, and writer based in Florence during the Renaissance. He is one of the main founders of modern political science. He was a diplomat, political philosopher, playwright, and a civil servant of the Florentine Republic...
's History of Florence, the Nuova Cronica
Nuova Cronica
The Nuova Cronica or New Chronicles is a 14th century history of Florence created in a year-by-year linear format and written by the Florentine banker and official Giovanni Villani...
of Giovanni Villani
Giovanni Villani
Giovanni Villani was an Italian banker, official, diplomat and chronicler from Florence who wrote the Nuova Cronica on the history of Florence. He was a leading statesman of Florence but later gained an unsavory reputation and served time in prison as a result of the bankruptcy of a trading and...
, and the Cronica delle cose occorrenti ne' tempi suoi of Dino Compagni
Dino Compagni
Dino Compagni was an Italian historical writer and political figure.He was born into a prosperous family of Florence, supporters of the Guelphs. He was democratic in feeling, and was a supporter of the new ordinances of Giano della Bella.As prior and gonfalonier of justice he always had the public...
.
Dante's Divine Comedy, which was written after Donati's death but set prior to it in 1300, includes a scene in which Corso's brother Forese
Forese Donati
Forese Donati Forese Donati, brother of Corso and Piccarda Donati, was a childhood friend of Dante Alighieri. In their youth, Forese and Dante exchanged a series of playful sonnets called tenzone, which take the form of a series of exchanged insults.In the Divine Comedy Dante encounters Forese on...
indirectly describes Corso as “the one who bears the greatest blame” for the downfall of Florence and foresees him being dragged by a beast into hell. In the Divine Comedy, Corso's sister Piccarda
Piccarda
Piccarda Donati was a 13th century Italian noblewoman. She appears as a character in Dante's classic Divine Comedy.Piccarda, sister of Corso Donati and of Dante's friend Forese Donati, is the first character Dante encounters in Paradise. She is on the Sphere of the Moon, the lowest sphere of Heaven...
is the first person Dante meets in Paradise. Corso Donati is also the subject of a play by nineteenth-century writer Carlo Marenco
Carlo Marenco
Carlo Marenco was an Italian dramatist.-Life:He studied law for a while, but decided to devote himself to writing. To make sure of an income he applied for and obtained a public post connected with the Treasury Department of Savona.-Works:As a writer, Carlo Marenco belongs to the Romantic school...
, who was inspired by Dante's works.
Buildings
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....
.