Guelphs and Ghibellines

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/guelphs-and-ghibellines

1. What is the geographical focus?
2. What is the key historical period?
3. Why did the Guelphs and Ghibellines fight?
4. How did the Guelphs and Ghibellines affect Italian cities like Florence and Siena?

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the geographical focus?Primarily the Italian city-states, with significant impact on Florence, Siena, and Milan
2. What is the key historical period?Roughly 1100s to 1400s, with ideological roots in the Investiture Controversy
3. Why did the Guelphs and Ghibellines fight?They disagreed about who should have the most power: the spiritual authority of the Pope or the political power of the Emperor. It was a big argument about who should rule.
4. How did the Guelphs and Ghibellines affect Italian cities like Florence and Siena?In Florence, the fighting caused fights and even made famous writers like Dante leave the city. In Siena, the Ghibellines fought many battles against the Guelphs, such as the Battle of Montaperti, which was a big win for the Ghibellines.

Papal Supremacy: The doctrine asserting the Pope's ultimate authority over secular rulers and all churches.
Investiture Controversy: A medieval dispute between the Church and state over the right to appoint church officials.
Factionalism: The division of a group or organization into opposing subgroups or factions.