Ugolino Visconti (died 1296), better known as Nino, was the

Giudice of Gallura The kings or ''judges'' (''iudices'' or ''judikes'') of Gallura were the local rulers of the northeast of Sardinia during the Middle Ages. Theirs was the closest kingdom to Corsica. *Manfred (c. 1020 – c. 1040) * Baldo (c. 1040 – c ...

from 1275 or 1276 to his death. He was a son of Giovanni Visconti and grandson of Ugolino della Gherardesca. He was the first husband of

Beatrice d'Este Beatrice d'Este (29 June 1475 – 3 January 1497), was Duchess of Bari and Milan by marriage to Ludovico Sforza (known as "il Moro"). She was one of the most important personalities of the time and, despite her short life, she was a major playe ...

, daughter of

Obizzo II d'Este Obizzo II d'Este (c. 1247 – 13 February 1293) was Marquis of Ferrara and Ancona. Biography He was a bastard, the illegitimate son of Rinaldo I d'Este – the only son and heir of the Margrave Azzo VII d'Este – and a Neapolitan laundress. S ...

. His symbol was a

cock Cock or cocks most commonly refers to: * Cock (bird) or rooster, a male of any bird species * Cock (slang), a slang term for the penis Cock or cocks may also refer to: Names * Cock (surname) * Cocks (surname) Places * Cocks Glacier, Ross ...

(

canting arms Canting arms are heraldic bearings that represent the bearer's name (or, less often, some attribute or function) in a visual pun or rebus. French heralds used the term (), as they would sound out the name of the armiger. Many armorial all ...

on Gallura from la, gallus="a cock, rooster"). Nino succeeded his father in Gallura in 1275 or 1276 and spent most of his life alternating time in

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the ci ...

and Gallura. His chaplain, a

friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the ...

named Gomita, was caught taking bribes to release prisoners and so Nino had him hanged. Gomita was placed in the eighth circle of Hell in the '' Inferno.'' Nino was commended for his act of justice and piety. In 1288, he began to share power with his grandfather in Pisa, but the two quarreled. The elder Ugolino tried to enlist the archbishop

Ruggieri degli Ubaldini Ruggieri degli Ubaldini ( fl. 1271 – 15 September 1295, Viterbo) was an Italian archbishop. Life Born in Mugello to the powerful family of the counts of Pila, Ruggieri was the son of Ubaldino and the nephew of cardinal Ottaviano degli Uba ...

to expel Nino from the city, but the archbishop instead exiled them both and appointed his own

podestà Podestà (, English: Potestate, Podesta) was the name given to the holder of the highest civil office in the government of the cities of Central and Northern Italy during the Late Middle Ages. Sometimes, it meant the chief magistrate of a city ...

and

capitano del popolo Captain of the People ( it, Capitano del popolo, Lombard: ''Capitani del Popol'') was an administrative title used in Italy during the Middle Ages, established essentially to balance the power and authority of the noble families of the Italian ...

. Then a Pisan army was sent to take control of Nino's giudicato. The betrayed giudice never set foot in his giudicato again. However, after his exile, Nino Visconti counterattacked Pisa with Genoa, Lucca and the Florentine Guelfs.Dante Alighieri, Robert Hollander, and Jean Hollander. Inferno. 1st Anchor Books ed. New York, NY: Anchor Books, 2002. Print. In 1293, peace was made and Nino later died in Sardinia. His daughter

Joanna Joanna is a feminine given name deriving from from he, יוֹחָנָה, translit=Yôḥānāh, lit=God is gracious. Variants in English include Joan, Joann, Joanne, and Johanna. Other forms of the name in English are Jan, Jane, Janet, Janice ...

succeeded to the title of Gallura and married

Rizzardo IV da Camino Rizzardo IV da Camino (1274 – April 12, 1312) was an Italian nobleman and military leader, a member of the da Camino family and lord of Treviso. He was the son of Gherardo III da Camino, first lord of Treviso from the family, and Alice da Vivaro ...

, Count of Ceneda and Lord of

Treviso Treviso ( , ; vec, Trevixo) is a city and '' comune'' in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 84,669 inhabitants (as of September 2017). Some 3,000 live within the Vene ...

Role in Dante's ''Divine Comedy''

Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His '' Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: ...

was a friend to Nino Visconti. According to historians, they may have become friendly with each other when Nino lived out part of his exile in Florence. Nino was also the cousin of Moroello Malaspina, with whom Dante was on good terms. Nino appears in Dante's ''

Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature a ...

''. In the eighth canto of ''

Purgatorio ''Purgatorio'' (; Italian for "Purgatory") is the second part of Dante's ''Divine Comedy'', following the '' Inferno'' and preceding the '' Paradiso''. The poem was written in the early 14th century. It is an allegory telling of the climb of D ...

'', to his mild surprise, Dante meets Nino in the region of

Purgatory Purgatory (, borrowed into English via Anglo-Norman and Old French) is, according to the belief of some Christian denominations (mostly Catholic), an intermediate state after physical death for expiatory purification. The process of purgatory ...

outside St. Peter's gate. This area was devoted to the souls of those who neglected their spiritual welfare for the sake of their country. Here they are detained for a period equal to their earthly lifetimes, before beginning their purgation. When they meet, Dante describes his journey, and that he is not actually dead. As they speak, Dante refers to him as "giudice Nin gentil" or "Noble Judge Nino". Dante remarks how glad he is to see that Nino is here, and not in hell. Nino Visconti mentions that his widow, Beatrice, remarried with

Galeazzo I Visconti Galeazzo I Visconti (21 January 1277 – 6 August 1328) was lord of Milan from 1322 to 1327. After being chosen Captain of Milan, he defeated two papal armies and was excommunicated by Pope John XXII. Temporarily imprisoned for murder, Galeazzo re ...

, duke of Milan, into the Milanese branch of the

Visconti Visconti is a surname which may refer to: Italian noble families * Visconti of Milan, ruled Milan from 1277 to 1447 ** Visconti di Modrone, collateral branch of the Visconti of Milan * Visconti of Pisa and Sardinia, ruled Gallura in Sardinia from ...

. Because of this travesty, Nino complains to Dante that his widow does not love or respect him anymore. He asks Dante to remind

Giovanna Giovanna is an Italian feminine first name. It is the feminine counterpart of the masculine Giovanni, which in turn is the Italian form of John; it is thus the Italian equivalent of Jane, Joanna, Jeanne, etc. In Brazil, the feminine name Giovan ...

, his nine-year-old daughter, to pray for him. Nino then continues to express his disgust at the Milanese and his widow. He tells Dante that in her death, she will no longer be associated with his family's symbol, the rooster. He sees as a great loss for her, and directly comments on his disgust at how quickly women move on from their husbands. This comment is very similar to an excerpt from

Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: th ...

's ''

Aeneid The ''Aeneid'' ( ; la, Aenē̆is or ) is a Latin epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who fled the fall of Troy and travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of ...

,'' furthering the parallels between Dante's writing and Virgil's works.

Critical Reception of Dante's Nino Visconti

There have been many investigations into the importance of Nino Visconti in Dante's work. Some critics claim that Nino represents the independence and peace of mind characteristic of ''

'', which serves as a contrast from '' Inferno''. This is because Dante makes Nino appear so sure of his path. There have also been connections drawn between Nino and

Forese Donati Forese Donati was an Italian nobleman born in Florence, associated with the Guelphs. He was the son of Simone di Forese and Tessa, and the brother of Corso and Piccarda Donati.Cellerino, L. (1992). Donati, Forese In "Dizionario Biografico". Retrie ...

, who appears later on. Both have similar conversations about the women in their life, and both foster a close bond to Dante. Although Nino speaks harshly of his wife, this is justified by Dante, as Dante deems his cause worthy enough. Again there is the notion of him being "truthful" as the "Noble Judge"—he is exposing the truth of his life to Dante. However, Dante emphasizes that Nino is only explaining God's righteous decisions for Beatrice and that he only cares for God's judgement of her acts. Nino's family is also interpreted as bearing a symbolic significance. Many commentators agree that Nino's daughter and wife may represent a

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

and Eve dynamic. Giovanna fits the archetype of Mary, especially in the fact that she prays for her father as a young girl. Beatrice, on the other hand, is compared to Eve due to her fall from ladyhood. Because of her remarriage, there is what many see as extreme misogyny in descriptions of her. Soon after Nino's death, she is described to be without her wimple (widow's headpiece), which Nino sees as being shameful. It is commonly agreed that Nino's character uses Beatrice to broadly criticize the women of the time. Furthermore, Beatrice's infidelity is akin to the serpent that appears in this canto. This is due to her promiscuity, which is explained as symbolism of original sin. Also, since Beatrice remarried a Ghibelline while Nino was a Guelf, she is seen as remarrying with a political ''and'' personal disloyalty.

Nino Visconti in Other Works

Nino was also an acquaintance of several

troubadour A troubadour (, ; oc, trobador ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a '' trobair ...

s. At least two Occitan works are addressed to him. The two Occitan works mentioned, are anonymous ''

coblas A ''cobla esparsa'' ( literally meaning "scattered stanza") in Old Occitan is the name used for a single-stanza poem in troubadour poetry. They constitute about 15% of the troubadour output, and they are the dominant form among late (after 1220) au ...

'' that appear towards the end of an Italian

chansonnier A chansonnier ( ca, cançoner, oc, cançonièr, Galician and pt, cancioneiro, it, canzoniere or ''canzoniéro'', es, cancionero) is a manuscript or printed book which contains a collection of chansons, or polyphonic and monophonic settings ...

of 1310. One ''cobla'', ''Mand qe iur e non periur'' was addressed ''al iuge de Galur'', that is, Nino, and has sometimes been ascribed to

Paolo Lanfranchi da Pistoia Paolo Lanfranchi da Pistoia ( oc, Paulo Ianfranchi de Pistoia; fl. 1282–1295) was a noted Italian poet who wrote in both the Italian and Occitan languages. He is thus sometimes described as a troubadour. A native of Pistoia—he was a majo ...

. The ''cobla'' which appears immediately after it in the ''chansonnier'' is also addressed to Nino but has not been assigned by any scholar to Paolo. Terramagnino da Pisa, a native of Pisa's peninsular territories, was frequently present in Gallura, where he probably spent most of his adult life. His ''Doctrina de Cort'' was addressed to Nino, at whose court it may have been written. Another Occitan poet with whom Nino had contact was Luchetto Gattilusio. Gattilusio acquired property interests in Sardinia and appeared in several documents pertaining to Nino's rule.

Role in Dante's ''Divine Comedy''

Critical Reception of Dante's Nino Visconti

Nino Visconti in Other Works

References

Further reading