Dante's Corruption Exile Created Masterpiece

Italian poet Dante Alighieri was condemned to exile in 1302 on corruption and financial misconduct charges connected to his time as one of Florence's priors in 1300, and he faced execution by burning if he ever returned without meeting the court's demands. Refusing to admit guilt or pay the fine, Dante spent the rest of his life in exile, where he wrote most of his greatest works, including the Divine Comedy. He never returned to his native city, dying in Ravenna in 1321. In June 2008, nearly seven centuries after his death, the Florence City Council formally rescinded his sentence and symbolically pardoned him.

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