Polenta Family
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Who were the Polenta Family in Italy?
The Polenta family was an Italian noble family named for their castle of Polenta, which dominated Ravenna from the end of the 13th century to the middle of the 15th century.
Their rise began with Guido da Polenta, who led the pro-papal faction in Ravenna. Guido consolidated power after Romagna fell under papal administration in 1278, resisting papal encroachment after 1285. His political alliance with the Malatesta family led him to marry his daughter Francesca to Gianciotto Malatesta. Guido’s grandson, Guido Novello da Polenta, was a patron of the arts and hosted Dante during his final years in exile.
In 1441, the da Polenta family yielded Ravenna to Venice, where they later died, marking the end of their line.
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Where did the Polenta Family live in Italy?
The Polenta family, an Italian noble family, originated from their castle of Polenta in Romagna, southwest of Cesena. They dominated the city-state of Ravenna from the end of the 13th century to the middle of the 15th century. Guido da Polenta (died 1310), also known as Guido Minore or Guido the Old, initiated the family's rise to power.
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When did the Polenta Family become important in Italian history?
The Polenta family rose to prominence in Italian history when Guido da Polenta (died 1310), also known as Guido Minore, led the pro-papal faction in Ravenna against the pro-emperor faction. In 1275, with the help of the Malatesta family, Guido seized Ravenna, and consolidated his power after the Romagna fell under direct papal administration in 1278. Guido was a strong ruler, repelling outside enemies and suppressing factions within the town, and was elected chief magistrate of Ravenna multiple times.
Guido's grandson, Guido Novello da Polenta, was a patron of the arts and hosted Dante during his final years of exile. However, his cousin Ostasio da Polenta assassinated Guido's brother and made himself lord of the city. The family's violent politics continued, and in 1441, the da Polenta family yielded Ravenna to Venice, marking the end of their rule.
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What role did the Polenta Family play in their region?
The Polenta family, named for their castle, dominated Ravenna from the end of the 13th century to the mid-15th century. Guido da Polenta, also known as Guido Minore, initiated the family's rise to power by leading the pro-papal faction in Ravenna against the pro-emperor faction.
Guido consolidated his power, resisted papal encroachment, and was a strong ruler who repelled outside enemies and suppressed factions within the town. Guido Novello da Polenta, Guido's grandson, was a patron of the arts and hosted Dante during his final years of exile.
However, the family's politics were often violent, marked by assassinations and internal conflicts. In 1441, the da Polenta family yielded Ravenna to Venice, marking the end of their rule.
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Are there any famous members of the Polenta Family?
The Polenta family, an Italian noble family, held sway over Ravenna from the late 13th to the mid-15th century. Guido da Polenta (d. 1310), also known as Guido Minore or Guido the Old, initiated the family's rise to prominence.
Famous members include:
* Francesca da Rimini: Guido da Polenta's daughter, whose affair with Paolo Malatesta and subsequent murder by her husband Gianciotto inspired works by Dante, Rachmaninoff, and others.
* Guido Novello da Polenta: Guido's grandson, remembered as a patron of the arts and host to Dante during his exile. He was also a scholar and poet.
* Ostasio da Polenta: Guido's cousin, known for his violent politics, including seizing Cervia and killing his uncle and cousin.2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How did the actions of the Polenta Family affect Italian politics and culture?
The Polenta family, who took their name from their castle, impacted Italian politics and culture through their rule over Ravenna from the late 13th to the mid-15th century. Guido da Polenta, also known as Guido Minore, initiated the family's rise to power by leading the pro-papal faction in Ravenna.
Guido's political alliance with the Malatesta family led to the marriage of his daughter Francesca, whose affair and subsequent murder by her husband, Gianciotto Malatesta, became the subject of Dante's The Divine Comedy, inspiring various artistic works. Guido Novello da Polenta, Guido's grandson, was a patron of the arts and hosted Dante during his exile. Despite their patronage, the family was also known for violent politics, which eventually led to their downfall and Ravenna falling to Venice in 1441.
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Polenta Family, Italian noble family, named for its castle of Polenta (located in the Romagna, southwest of Cesena), which dominated the city-state of Ravenna from the end of the 13th century to the middle of the 15th. 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 city in the following year, Guido’s father, Lamberto, was imprisoned and executed. In 1275 Guido, with the aid of the Malatesta family of nearby Rimini, seized the town, driving out rival factions.
After the Romagna (the territory of Ravenna) fell under direct papal administration in 1278, Guido consolidated his power and after 1285 began to resist papal encroachment. In 1290, when Guido was in Florence serving as chief magistrate, the papal official Stefano Colonna arrived in Ravenna to demand that the town surrender to his authority. Guido’s sons Lamberto and Bernardino imprisoned him, kindling a revolt against papal power in the Romagna. Elected chief magistrate of Ravenna from 1286 to 1290 and again in 1292 and 1293, Guido was a strong ruler, repelling outside enemies and suppressing factions within the town.
Guido’s political alliance with the Malatesta family led him to marry his daughter Francesca to Gianciotto Malatesta about 1275. In 1283 or 1284 Gianciotto murdered both Francesca and his brother Paolo when he discovered they were lovers. The adulterous Francesca and Paolo are among the sinners described in Dante’s The Divine Comedy. The tragic story of Francesca da Rimini has also inspired, among others, plays by Silvio Pellico and Gabriele D’Annunzio, operas by Hermann Götz and Sergey V. Rachmaninoff, and paintings by J.-A.-D. Ingres and George F. Watts.
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Guido’s grandson, and Francesca’s nephew, Guido Novello da Polenta was a patron of the arts known as the host of Dante during his final years of exile (c. 1318–21). He was himself also a scholar and poet. In 1322 Guido Novello was chosen captain of the people in Bologna and left his brother Rinaldo, the archbishop, to govern Ravenna in his place; but his cousin Ostasio da Polenta assassinated Rinaldo and made himself lord of the city. With Bolognese aid, Guido Novello tried to recover Ravenna the following year but was defeated and ended his life in exile.
Ostasio was also a patron of letters, befriending Boccaccio in 1345–46, but his politics were violent. In 1326 he had seized Cervia, south of Ravenna, killing his uncle and cousin. The tradition was continued by his descendants. His son Bernardino punished a conspiracy of his brothers by starving them to death (1347). In 1390 Bernardino’s son Guido was deposed by his own sons and starved to death; one of the sons, Obizzo, then killed the others. During Obizzo’s rule, Ravenna began to fall under the power of Venice, and he was forced in 1410 to accept a Venetian chief magistrate. In 1441 the da Polenta family yielded the city to Venice, Obizzo’s son and grandson taking refuge in Crete, where they died not long after, the last of their line.