Ugo Ciappetta

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Dante mentions Ugo Ciappetta explicitly in verse 49 of canto XX of the Purgatorio, spoken by the voice of the king of France who repents of the evil sown by his descendants and asks God to punish his own heirs. The character is introduced by the periphrasis «Chiamato fui di là Ugo Ciappetta», with which the king indicates his lineage and his original name from beyond the Alps. The authorized notes to canto XX place the passage within a reflection by Dante on the betrayal of Philip IV the Fair toward the Count of Flanders and on the subsequent historical vengeance of the Flemings at Courtrai in 1302, presented as divine punishment prophesied at the time of the journey. No further biographical details, critical editions, or references to publishers emerge either from the verses or from the notes.