Portrait of Dante Alighieri

Dante Alighieri

1265 – 1321

Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) was a Florentine poet and philosopher who wrote at the end of the Medieval period and the beginning of the Renaissance. His most famous work, The Divine Comedy, is a literary landmark and a synthesis of his political, religious and social views. His embrace of individuality and happiness and the use of Italian instead of Latin are often considered to mark a transition to a new way of thinking about humanity.

Notable People