Geri del Bello

Profile

Geri del Bello, referred to simply as Geri in the verses, is presented as a relative of Dante: the notes in fact identify him as a cousin of Alighieri's father. A Guelph, like the entire family, he was exiled from Florence after 1260. His presence is documented in a Bolognese memorial of 1266, in a Florentine act of 1276, and in a sentence in absentia at Prato in 1280 for assault on a citizen. The notes also report that, according to Dante's sons, he was a 'sower of discord' (so Jacopo) and was killed by one of the Sacchetti (a detail attributed to Pietro). Since in 1300 vengeance had not yet been exacted, he is placed by Dante among those awaiting justice: his killing, according to Benvenuto, was avenged by an Alighieri about thirty years later, around 1310.