Background Descended from the house of
Conti Guidi, Guerra was the son of Count Marcovaldo and Beatrice degli Alberti di Capraia, and grandson of
Guido Guerra IV and
Gualdrada de' Ravignani. He succeeded his father as head of the
Dovadola branch of the family in 1229. Guerra was connected with the Catholic Church, as his political faction believed in the power of the Church, and he was supported and encouraged by
Pope Innocent IV. After the battle, Guerra found refuge in nearby
Romagna until he was able to return. A few years later, Guerra led an army of four hundred Florentine Guelphs, aided by the cavalry, in the reclaiming of Florentine from the Ghibellines, which culminated in the
Battle of Benevento in 1266. In this battle, the Florentine Guelphs, helped by
Anjou cavalry, succeeded in defeating the Ghibellines. In battle, they killed King Manfred, and thus reclaimed Florence.
Final Years After the Battle of Benevento, Guerra continued to participate in the politics of Florence. He advocated for the inclusion of the middle class (
popolo) in the city governance, but this reform was firmly ostracized and eventually revoked due to the pressure of the papal curia. Having reached the end of his life, Guerra died in 1272 in his castle in
Montevarchi, near
Arezzo. == In Dante's
Divine Comedy ==