Name of the faction that supported the Duchy of Swabia in its struggle, in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, against the Duchy of Bavaria (itself supported by the Guelphs) for the crown of the Holy Roman Empire.

The name of the faction of the Ghibellines and that of the Guelphs ended up designating two parties active especially in the cities of the Italian peninsula: the first were in favor of the imperial policy, the second adhering to the papal policy. This rivalry also reflected local religious and civic tensions that divided Italian cities and urban elites.

Consult the entry of the Enciclopedia Dantesca in Italian.

Entry taken from the Enciclopedia Dantesca published by the Istituto Treccani — Texts revised by the Centre d’études médiévales of the Université de Montréal.

Editing: Gabrielle Hamelin, Martyna Kander.

English translation: Brittany Buscio.