Guelfi

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In the sixth canto of the Paradiso, Justinian concludes the account of the providential history of the eagle, symbol of the Empire, and moves on to the prophetic admonition addressed to the men of his time. Verse 107 explicitly mentions the Guelfi of Charles II of Anjou, king of Naples from 1285 to 1309, who, according to the well-known criticism, took their lead from him as a political faction in Italy. The note to the verse underscores the distance between the small Angevin prince and the sovereign grandeur of the imperial eagle, using the expression "i Guelfi suoi" to mark this opposition. Within the economy of Justinian's discourse, the Guelfi represent those who oppose the sign of the Empire by setting against it another banner, and are therefore rebuked just like the Ghibellines, who appropriate it for partisan interest. The reproach closes with a divine warning that shall punish the guilty and restore the violated order.