Historical Background of Dante 87
in a revival and restoration of the power of the empire.
For the political power of the papacy, which had brought
about his own ruin, he had no love. Dante thus became a
convinced and thoroughgoing Ghibelline. He longed to see
a German king come down once more across the Alps, and,
keeping himself above party, bring together the struggling
members of Italy into one harmonious body. It was, there-
fore, with unbounded joy and hope that he followed the
career of Henry of Luxemburg, elected and crowned king
of Germany in 1308 as Henry VII.
Henry early showed his determination to reassert the
Imperial authority in Italy, which had to all intents and
purposes lapsed since the death of the last Hohenstaufen1
two generations before. Henry crossed the Alps and ap-
peared in Italy in January, 1311. Dante was filled with high
hopes. Along with ambassadors from nearly every city in
Italy he was present at Milan when Henry was crowned
king. He addressed a letter to the princes and peoples of
Italy urging them to submit to the leadership of Henry.
“Lol now is the acceptable time,” he writes, “wherein arise
the signs of consolation and peace. For a new day is be-
ginning to break . . . and confirms the hopes of the
peoples with a peaceful calm.” But his own beloved city,
Florence, remained aloof, and, secretly encouraged by the
Pope, became head and front of the opposition to the new
emperor. This stirred Dante to the fury of his letter to
the Florentines threatening them with the direct vengeance
of the emperor. “You,” he thundered, “you, who transgress
every law of God and man, and whom the insatiable maw
of avarice urges headlong into every crime, does not the
dread of the second death haunt you, seeing that you first
and you alone, refusing the yoke of liberty, have set your-
selves against the glory of the Roman emperor, the king