Guelfs

The Guelfs were a political faction in medieval Italy that formed during the long-running conflict between the papacy and the Holy Roman Empire, generally supporting the papacy against imperial authority. The name is linked to the Welf dynasty of Bavaria and Saxony, which backed the Papacy in the papal–imperial dispute; their opponents were the Ghibellines, who supported the emperor and imperial influence in temporal matters.

In practice, Italian city-states shifted between Guelf and Ghibelline alignments as fortunes and papal or imperial powers waxed and waned. The Guelfs often used alliances, excommunications, and military action to advance papal interests within Italy, while the Ghibellines sought to strengthen imperial authority within the region. The rivalry shaped municipal governments, wars between cities, and internal factional strife, influencing political culture across much of northern and central Italy.

In several cities the Guelf faction itself split into subgroups, reflecting the complexity of loyalties. For example, Florence experienced internal Guelf divisions that contributed to ongoing civil strife, alongside broader shifts in allegiance as popes and emperors changed hands. Similar factional dynamics occurred in other Italian communities, aligning with or opposing papal or imperial influence as conditions dictated.

By the late 14th century, the traditional Guelf–Ghibelline division faded as political structures changed and new forms of governance emerged in the Italian city-states. The terms remain a standard reference in medieval history for pro-papacy versus pro-imperial alignments and their impact on politics, culture, and urban development in Italy.