A campaldinói csata
The Battle of Campaldino

Summary/Abstract: The struggles for power between the Papacy and the Empire, and the shifting power relations between them, strongly influenced the history of medieval Italy. Toscana with Florence was around the middle of the thirteenth century under the influence of the pro-papal Guelf party, but in the 1280s the imperial Ghibellines (instigated by the emperor Rudolf of Habsburg) tried to change the existing relations of power. The result of their efforts was the battle of Campaldino in 1289. The outcome of the battle was the tactical decision taken by the army led by the Florentines to remain on the defensive, and let instead the cavalry of Arezzo launch an attack. At the decisive moment, Corso Donati attacked the imperial army on the flank, and thus decided the fight in favour of the Guelf Ligue. What brings the battle into relief among so many others is the personal participation of the poet Dante.

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