Dante was born in 1265 in Florence, Italy. He held a government post as a magistrate until he became affiliated with the White Guelf party, opposing the Black Guelfs who were backed by the pope. In 1301, Dante was exiled from Florence after the Black Guelfs took over the city while he was away on a mission. He was sentenced to death if he ever returned. Dante went on to write the Divine Comedy, making himself the main character, and structured it using the number three throughout to reference the Christian Trinity.

1. Dante’s Inferno “ Midway on our life’s journey, I found myself In dark woods, the right road lost.” Canto I