Cangrande della Scala

Cangrande della Scala, the third son of Alboino I della Scala, was born in 1291. His father and older brother Bartolomeo died when he was still young. In 1308 he was associated to his other brother, Alboino, in the government of Verona, and in 1311 they were both nominated as Imperial Vicar, a position to which Cangrande was appointed in 1312 when, following Alboino’s death, he became the sole ruler of Verona. Under him, the signoria of the Della Scala family reached a peak of magnificence, its control extending throughout much of the Veneto area and including Brescia, Lucca and Parma. Moreover, it pursued an enlightened cultural policy which turned Verona into one of Italy’s major intellectual centres. One outcome is Bisbidis, an early work by the Jewish poet Manuello Romano. After the death of Henry VII, Cangrande became the head of Italian Ghibellines, and sought to unify Italy under the Imperial throne as had already been attempted by Frederick II. He died in 1329, after conquering Treviso, before he could accomplish his goal.

Cangrande’s fame, however, is clearly linked to his generosity towards Dante, shown in the tangible form of hospitality extended to the exile during his second stay in Verona, from 1313 to 1318. In turn, Dante showed his respect and admiration for his friend by dedicating the last cantica of the Commedia to him, as indicated in Epistle XIII, and by depicting him in a highly positive manner in Par., XVII, in what is almost a prophecy ante eventum, attributing him with a messianic and eschatological dimension, which led some critics to identify him as the mysterious Veltro in Inf. I, or as the enigmatic cinquecento e diece e cinque, / messo di Dio in Purg. XXXIII (“five hundred and ten and five, sent by God”).