Dante lived in a time of intense political conflict and competition for land, resources, and people. Many factions vied for power in the region, including the Holy Roman Emperors, an organization of "German aristocrats who claimed an ancient right to rule Christendom" (Moss, Wilson, p. 174), the papal authorities in Rome, led by the controversial and power-hungry Pope Boniface VIII, and smaller groups in city-states like Florence, Tuscany and Rome. These groups were often composed of nobles and other urban aristocracies who wished to consolidate local power under a "small, select group" (Moss, Wilson p. 174) that would allow them to exert their will over the population of the cities. Another class that emerged during this period was the merchant class, driven by the increasing movement towards urban centers and the diminishing control of feudal lords and local vassals, in favor of a more comprehensive power of kings over a larger area. This rise in consumerism and capitalism led to a desire for power on the part of the merchant class to "establish a system of government that would protect their newly acquired wealth." (Moss, Wilson p. 174) Florence, Dante's hometown, was particularly rife with political conflict due to the city being dominated by two rival factions, the Guelphs and the Ghibellines. Dante, from a “non-aristocratic but respectable family” (Moss, Wilson p. 175), originally supported the Guelphs, who “represented ordinary citizens and were aligned with the papacy” (Moss, Wilson p. 174 ), but then shifted more towards supporting the Ghibellines, who believed in a united empire under which Florence would be stabilized, rather than the current state of fracture and dissension between the different groups. Both groups desired greater power, through... middle of paper... the power to appoint a person as Holy Roman Emperor, and that his "absolute spiritual authority over all Christians" (Moss, Wilson p. 176) extended to the right to governmental authority and a position of physical power. This conflict of beliefs led to a war, in substance if not in name, between the two powers, as well as hostilities and tensions throughout Europe. The struggle lasted throughout Dante's life until the writing of the Comedia, finally ending with the death of Pope Boniface VIII in 1303 and the coronation of Emperor Henry VIII in 1308. Works CitedRuud, Jay. Critical Companion to Dante: a literary reference to his life and work. New York: Facts OnFile, 2008. Print. Moss, Joyce and George Wilson. Literature and its times: from Antiquity to the American and French Revolutions: (prehistory - 1790s). Flight. 1. Detroit: Gale Research, 1997. Print.