The right answer is Guelphs. Dante Alighieri, born in 1265, Florence, began to engage himself philosophically in the last decade of the 13th century. During this period, he was also politically active. There were two opposing sides in the 13th and 14th centuries northern cities of Italy: Guelphs and Ghibellines. While the first was supportive of the papacy, the latter were sympathetic to the Roman emperors. Globally speaking, Guelphs were born into wealthy mercantile families. The theological and political aspects in Dante’s epic poem can be explained through Dante’s personal interest in the Guelph ideology.