Person

Francesca da Rimini

c. 1255–c. 1285 · 13th century · Also known as Francesca da Polenta

Francesca da Rimini, born Francesca da Polenta, was the daughter of Guido da Polenta, lord of Ravenna, and was married for political reasons to Giovanni Malatesta, called Gianciotto, of Rimini. Around 1285 her husband killed her and his brother Paolo, with whom she had a love affair. Dante made the lovers famous in the fifth canto of the Inferno, and their story inspired many later works.

Francesca da Rimini
Image: Dante Gabriel Rossetti · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 state histories

Lordship of RavennaLordship of Rimini

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Francesca da Rimini. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/francesca-da-rimini
MLA
“Francesca da Rimini.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/francesca-da-rimini. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Francesca da Rimini.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/francesca-da-rimini.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Francesca da Rimini’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/francesca-da-rimini (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻