Dante was born in Florence in 1265 by a family who was thought coming from the ancient seed of the Romans, founders of the city '(Inf. XV, 73-78). Dante was considered noble for titles and offices he had achieved (Par. XVI, 1-9 ), even if his family by this time lived in modest conditions. Dante's great-grandfather Cacciaguida (Par. XV, 130-148) was knighted by Emperor Conrad III and died, according to Dante, in the Holy Land during the Second Crusade. Cacciaguida was probably descendant of the Elisei and for this reason his house was located in the Mercato Vecchio (Par. XVI, 40-42), while his descendants lived with the people of San Martino del Vescovo, where Dante was born. Dante was one of the most known Medieval authors, as he published
