Dante lived in a time of intense political conflict and competition over land, resources, and people. Many factions vied for power in the region, including the Holy Roman Emperors, an organization of "German aristocrats who claimed an ancient right to rule Christendom" (Moss, Wilson p. 174), the papal authorities in Rome, led by the controversial and power-hungry Pope Boniface VIII, and smaller groups in city-states such as Florence, Tuscany and Rome. These groups often consisted of nobles and other urban aristocracy who wished to consolidate local power under a “small select group” (Moss, Wilson p. 174) that would allow them to exercise their will over the cities' population. Another class that emerged in that period was that of the merchants, driven by the growing movement towards urban centers and the decrease in the control of feudal lords and local vassals, in favor of a more general dominion by the kings over a larger area. wide. This growth of consumerism and capitalism leads to a desire for power on the part of the merchant class to “establish a system of government that protects newly acquired wealth.” (Moss, Wilson p. 174) Florence, Dante's birthplace, was particularly riddled with political conflict as the city was dominated by two rival factions, the Guelphs and the Ghibellines. Dante, coming from a "non-aristocratic but respectable family" (Moss, Wilson p. 175), initially supported the Guelphs, who "represented the common citizens and were aligned with the papacy" (Moss, Wilson p. 174), but in He later moved more towards supporting the Ghibellines, who believed in a united empire under which Florence would be stabilised, rather than the current state of fracture and dissent between the various groups. Both groups desired greater government, b... middle of paper... the power to appoint a person as Holy Roman Emperor, and that his "absolute spiritual authority over all Christians" (Moss, Wilson p . 176) extended to the right to governmental authority and a position of physical power. This conflict of beliefs led to a war, in substance if not in name, between the two powers, and to hostility and tension throughout Europe. The struggle lasted throughout Dante's life until the writing of the Comedy, finally concluding with the death of Pope Boniface VIII in 1303 and the coronation of Emperor Henry VIII in 1308. Works Cited Ruud, Jay. Dante's critical companion: a literary reference to his life and work. New York: Facts OnFile, 2008. Print.Moss, Joyce, and George Wilson. Literature and its times: from antiquity to the American and French revolutions: (prehistory - 1790). vol. 1. Detroit: Gale Research, 1997. Print.