Author. Born Durante Alighieri in Florence, Italy, the son of Alighiero di Bellincione Alighieri, a notary, and his first wife. His studies included rhetoric, grammar, philosophy, literature , theology, philosophy, and theology. In 1293, he joined the guild of physicians and apothecaries in order to gain entry into the political life of the city. About that same year, he published "Vita Nuova," a combination of lyrical verse and poetic prose telling the story of his love for Beatrice. About 1295, he married Gemma di Manetto Donati, with whom he had at least four children. His political career culminated in his taking the office of Priore in 1300. Unfortunately, his ruling party split into two factions known as Bianchi and Neri, and his Bianchi faction represented opposition to the papal legate. He faced a charge of hostility to the Church and corrupt practices as a result, and he was sentenced to pay a heavy fine and to perpetual exclusion from office in 1302. At the beginning of April that year, the whole of the Bianchi faction were driven out of Florence. He withdrew from active participation in politics the following year after appeals failed. In 1304, he apparently traveled to Bologna where he began, but left unfinished, a treatise, "De Vulgari Eloquentia." In 1306, he was expelled from Bologna, and he moved on to Padua where he began the "Convivio." It was probably in 1309 that he wrote his famous work on the monarchy, "De Monarchia." In 1312, he moved on to Pisa, then to Lucca, and then to Ravenna where he completed his most famous work, "La Commedia," later known as "La Divina Commedia," sometime between 1319 and 1321. Many scholars consider "The Divine Comedy" the preeminent work in Italian Literature and one of the greatest in World Literature. The work took 12 years to write. Dante finished it shortly before he died. The work is split into 3 parts and traces a pilgrim's journey through hell, purgatory, and heaven. It was written in the vernacular Tuscan dialect instead of Latin to make it more accessible to the masses. The Tuscan dialect formed the basis for modern Italian, so Dante is known as the "father of the Italian language." There is a cenotaph in the Basilica of Santa Croce (Holy Cross) in Florence. Dante has been lauded as the patriarch of Italian poetry and literature. His influence upon English literature can be seen in Chaucer, Shelley, Byron, Browning, and Tennyson, among others. Numerous Dante societies can be found throughout the world.