ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -White and Black Guelphs By 1300, the Florentine Guelphs had divided into the Black and White Guelphs. The Blacks continued to support the Papacy, while the Whites were opposed to Papal influence, specifically the influence of Pope Boniface VIII. Dante was among the supporters of the White Guelphs.

Detailed explanation-2: -Not long after the fall of the anti-aristocratic regime of Giano della Bella in 1293, the Guelph party divided into two rival factions: the “Blacks, ” headed by the Donati clan and other long-standing noble families, and the “Whites, ” led by the Cerchi clan and families of more recent prosperity.

Detailed explanation-3: -The Guelphs supported the papacy, and the Ghibellines supported the Holy Roman Emperor; Dante was a Guelph. However, he was a white Guelph (as opposed to a black Guelph): his group were seen to be unfaithful to the papacy and therefore many of their important figures were exiled from Florence.

Detailed explanation-4: -Cerchi adopted a compromise position toward the democratic Ordinances of Justice passed in 1293, leaning toward their acceptance, while Donati wanted them repealed.