Pope or Emperor? The Guelphs and Ghibellines

For generations, the Guelphs and Ghibellines divided the cities and families of medieval Italy, but behind the strange names was a much older struggle over the power of pope and emperor. From Frederick Barbarossa and the Lombard League to Frederick II and the violent factions of Florence, we trace how a German dynastic dispute became a deeply personal Italian conflict of politics, family, exile,…