Pinamonte

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In Dante's narrative of the Inferno, Pinamonte is mentioned in relation to the events that led to the depopulation of Mantua. According to what is reported in the canto, before the 'folly' of the Count of Casalodi succumbed to Pinamonte's deceit, the city was still densely populated. The verse thus establishes a direct connection between Pinamonte's action and the political ruin suffered by Casalodi, who had stripped himself of his own supporters by following deceitful counsel. The authorized note for the passage identifies Pinamonte as belonging to the Bonacolsi family and clarifies that the episode takes place in 1272, when Casalodi was driven from the city and a large part of the remaining noble families was banished and exterminated. The passage thus contributes to sketching a historico-political picture at the origin of Mantua's decline, evoked by Dante in parallel with the decline of the sorceress Manto.