View source for Guelph

The '''Guelphs''' were a political faction in [[Italy]] active from the [[12th century]]. The Guelphs supported [[pope|papal]] power within Italy, as opposed to the [[Gibeline]]s who supported the [[Holy Roman Empire]].

Ascendancy over the Ghibeline faction in the late [[13th century]] saw the faction splinter in [[Florence]]. These two sub-factions were the ''black guelphs'', who continued to support the papacy,  and the ''white guelphs'', who wanted neither an [[Emperor]] nor a Pope.

As a general rule, Guelphs came from wealthy mercantile families. Supporters of the Guelph faction would often add a ''[[chief|capo d'Angio]]'' to their [[device]] in order to show their allegiance.
[[category:12th century]]
[[category:13th century]]