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The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. The Columbia University Press

Ugolino della Gherardesca

Ugolino della Gherardesca (ōōgōlē´nō dĕl´lä gārärdā´skä), d. 1289, Italian nobleman. A leader of the Guelph, or pro-papal, faction in predominantly Ghibelline (pro-imperial) Pisa, he was made podesta [chief magistrate] of Pisa in 1284 to negotiate a peace with Pisa's Guelph enemies. His attempts to consolidate his power in Pisa, which was anti-Guelph, failed, and he fell victim to a conspiracy. Ugolino was arrested for treason and shut in a tower to starve to death with his sons and grandsons. Dante relates the episode in the Inferno.

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Copyright The Columbia University Press

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. The Columbia University Press

Gherardesca, Ugolino della

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