An illustration of a man being knighted on a battle field. Durante degli Alighieri (May/June c.1265 - September 14, 1321), commonly known as Dante Alighieri, was a Florentine poet of the Middle Ages. His central work, the Divina Commedia (originally called Commedia and later called Divina ("divine") by Boccaccio), is often considered the greatest literary work composed in the Italian language and a masterpiece of world literature.