Paolo Malatesta was the third son of Malatesta da Verucchio

Malatesta da Verucchio

Malatesta da Verucchio was the founder of the powerful Italian Malatesta family and a famous condottiero. He was born in Verucchio....

, lord of Rimini

Rimini

Rimini is a medium-sized city of 142,579 inhabitants in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It is located on the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia and Ausa...

. He is best known for the story of his affair with Francesca da Polenta, portrayed by Dante

DANTE

Delivery of Advanced Network Technology to Europe is a not-for-profit organisation that plans, builds and operates the international networks that interconnect the various national research and education networks in Europe and surrounding regions...

 in a famous episode of his Inferno (Canto V). He was the brother of Giovanni

Giovanni Malatesta

Giovanni Malatesta , known, from his lameness, as Gianciotto, or Giovanni, lo Sciancato, was the eldest son of Malatesta da Verucchio of Rimini.From 1275 onwards he played an active part in the Romagnole Wars and factions...

 (Gianciotto) and Malatestino Malatesta

Malatestino Malatesta

Malatestino Malatesta was the lord of Rimini from 1312 until his death....

.

Paolo married in 1269 with Orabile Beatrice, last countess of Ghiaggiolo; the title was inherited by their son Uberto. Despite usually depicted as a romantic man with little attention to worldly matters, the historical Paolo was long present alongside his father in the wars against the Ghibellines of Romagna

Romagna

Romagna is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna. Traditionally, it is limited by the Apennines to the south-west, the Adriatic to the east, and the rivers Reno and Sillaro to the north and west...

. In 1265 he fought against Guido da Montefeltro

Guido da Montefeltro

Guido da Montefeltro was an Italian military strategist and lord of Urbino. He became a monk late in life, and was condemned by Dante Alighieri in his Divine Comedy for giving false or fraudulent counsel.-Biography:...

 and, together with Guido da Polenta of Ravenna

Ravenna

Ravenna is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy and the second largest comune in Italy by land area, although, at , it is little more than half the size of the largest comune, Rome...

, against the Traversari

Traversari

The Traversari are an ancient noble family of Italy. Their origins may lie in the late fifth century, being descendants of Theodore, General of the Heruli. There are other sources that cite the Traversari Decia as descendants from the Gens Decia of Ancient Rome. Theodoric I was named Count of...

.

In March 1282 Pope Martin IV

Pope Martin IV

Pope Martin IV, born Simon de Brion held the papacy from February 21, 1281 until his death....

 chose him as podestà

Podestà

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...

of 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....

; in this occasion probably Dante met him. Paolo's career was however halted when his relationship with Francesca da Polenta was discovered by her husband Gianciotto, who killed them.

Forty years later, around 1323, Paolo's son, Ramberto

Ramberto Malatesta

Ramberto Malatesta was a son of the ill-fated Paolo 'il Bello' Malatesta and brother of the Archpriest Guido Malatesta.Around 1323, Ramberto was approached by his cousin Uberto, Count of Giaggolo and invited into a conspiracy to overthrow their uncle Pandolfo I Malatesta, Lord of Rimini and head...

, claimed to have avenged his father's death by murdering Gianciotto's son and successor, Uberto, Count of Giaggolo at a banquet in his home.