Guido da Polenta

Italian noble

Also known as: Guido Minore, Guido the Old

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July 1, 2026

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Guido da Polenta was an Italian noble who rose to power in Ravenna around the end of the 13th century. He led the Guelf faction, supporting the Pope, against the Ghibellines, who favored the Holy Roman Emperor. After seizing control of Ravenna in 1275, Guido consolidated his power, resisting papal authority. He was a strong ruler, serving as chief magistrate multiple times, and successfully defended Ravenna from external threats and internal strife.1

Guido's family, the da Polenta, dominated Ravenna until the mid-15th century. His daughter, Francesca da Polenta, is famously known for her tragic love affair with Paolo Malatesta, which was immortalized in Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy. The family's rule eventually ended when Ravenna fell under Venetian control.12

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Polenta Family
The family’s ascendancy began with Guido da Polenta (d. 1310), known as Guido Minore, or Guido the Old, who led the Guelf, or pro-papal, faction in Ravenna against the Ghibelline, or pro-emperor, faction. Ravenna, traditionally Ghibelline, had fallen to the Guelfs in 1239. When the emperor Frederick II reconquered the…
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The family’s ascendancy began with Guido da Polenta (d. 1310), known as Guido Minore, or Guido the Old, who led the Guelf, or pro-papal, faction in Ravenna against the Ghibelline, or pro-emperor, faction. Ravenna, traditionally Ghibelline, had fallen to the Guelfs in 1239. When the emperor Frederick II reconquered the…
Read More