The Guelphs

In fact, if you look to the right of the Signoria you should be able to see the other remaining tower rising over the rooftops, the Bargello Tower. This palace dates from the 13th century - preceding the Palazzo della Signoria by half a century. It has served a number of purposes and is one of the most magnificent medieval palaces in Florence. Nowadays it houses the museum of Medieval and Renaissance sculpture of Florence. It was built at the height of the turbulent period in 13th century Florence during the conflict between Guelphs and Ghibellines we mentioned when discussing the Crucifix of Giovanni Gualberto. Let's talk some more about this now. Naturally feel free to skip over these historical details if you so wish and move on to the chapter entitled “The Banks”.

Well, let's travel far back in time, to just before the year AD 800. Charlemagne was called upon by the Pope to help defeat the Lombards. The Lombards were a powerful race in Italy and followers of the Arian religion, one of the early variants of Christianity. After his victory, Charlemagne became King of the Lombards and in the year 800, was crowned Holy Roman Emperor. This coronation placed the states of the Italian peninsula under the authority of the Germanic empire. This is the source of the conflict between Guelphs and Ghibellines.

Let's begin by discussing the origin of these 2 names, neither of which were Italian at all. Guelph was a distortion of the word “Welf” (reader : velf), the family name of the Ottonian dynasty. The word Ghibelline originated form Weiblingen Castle (reader: veeblingen), home to Frederick the 2nd of Hohenstaufen. Already King of Sicily, Frederick challenged Otto the 4th of Brunswick to the crown of the Holy Roman Empire. The Italian Guelphs and Ghibellines of the 13th century were supporters of one or other of these pretenders to the Imperial throne. Even after the election of Frederick the 2nd and the victory of the Ghibellines, the term Guelphs endured. So whom did it refer to this time? Well, to the papal supporters who were the new opponents to the Emperor. In Florence, these 2 factions, which involved nobility and middle classes alike, were more or less evenly balanced: 39 families were Guelphs and 33 Ghibellines. During the reign of Emperor Frederick the 2nd from 1212 to 1250, the balance was tipped in favour of the Ghibellines. When he died, a power struggle began which was to last throughout the 2nd half of the 13th century. Florence was Guelph-controlled from 1250 to 1260, Ghibelline-controlled from 1260 to 1266 and finally from 1266 onwards the Guelphs secured and held power. In 1266 the successor to Frederick, his illegitimate son Manfred, died. In 1268, Frederick’s grandson the young Conradin, was defeated at the battle of Tagliacozzo by Charles of Anjou, a new and dominant figure in Italian politics. The death of Conradin marked the demise of the Hohenstaufen dynasty along with that of the Ghibellines. Nevertheless, the struggle between Guelphs and Ghibellines continued. The term Guelph came to mean a Papal supporter and that of Ghibelline, a partisan of the Emperor. With each swing of power and reversal of fortune came retribution. Palaces were demolished, assets confiscated and some whole families driven into exile.

It was amidst this power struggle that the new public office of Capitano del Popolo, the People’s Captain, was created. Appointed for one year, this official was chosen from a noble family in an allied city. He was the protector of the ordinary people and middle classes against the excesses of the nobility as well as being the commander of the popular militia recruited from the artisans. The Palazzo del Popolo now known as the Bargello, was built to house the Capitano.