Florentine poet; born 1265; died at Ravenna Sept. 14, 1321. Dante took an active part in the political feuds then distracting his native city, and in 1302 was banished. From that time on he lived in exile, enjoying from time to time the hospitality of several princes of northern Italy, such as Can Grande della Scala of Verona and Guido Polenta of Ravenna. Dante's principal work is the "Divina Commedia." A few Hebrew words ("Hosanna," "Sabaoth": "Paradiso," 7:1; "EL," "Eli," "Malacoth": ib. 26:134; "De Vulgari Eloquentia," 1:4), and the two hitherto unexplained and perhaps inexplicable passages ("Inferno," 7:1—"Pape Satan, Pape Satan, aleppe"; and 31:67—"Raphel maï amech, zabì almì"), have led to the assumption that Dante understood Hebrew; which, however, is contradicted by his own testimony ("Paradiso," 12:73). Dante's "Divine Comedy" served as a model for his contemporary Immanuel ben Solomon in the closing (twenty-eighth) chapter, "Tofet we-'Eden" (Hell and Paradise), of his "Divan." Mose de Rieti's "Miḳdash Me'aṭ"(Little Sanctuary) can not unreservedly be considered an imitation of Dante's "Paradiso."
In spite of Kraus's objections (see his "Dante, Sein Leben und Sein Werk," p. 146), it seems certain that Dante entertained friendly relations with Immanuel ben Solomon. Whether the two poets became acquainted at the court of Can Grande in Verona, where Immanuel also stayed for a while, or at the house of their common friend Bosone in Gubbio, can not be ascertained. Their friendship is shown by an exchange of sonnets between Bosone and the Jew Manoello (e., Immanuel), in which Dante's death is bewailed. An alleged exchange of sonnets between Cino da Pistoja and Bosone, in which Cino transfers Dante and Manoello to the Inferno, while Bosone defends both, is spurious. From this it appears that the close personal relations between thetwo poets was a matter of common knowledge to their contemporaries. Concerning the question as to whether Dante is alluded to in the character of Daniel in the 28th chapter of Immanuel's "Divan," in which the poet is led through the Inferno and Paradise, see Immanuel ben Solomon.