Guelphs and Ghibellines

Once upon a time, in a place called Italy, there were two groups of people called the Guelphs and the Ghibellines.

The Guelphs were like one big family made up of different smaller families who supported the Pope. The Pope was like the boss of the Catholic Church, and the Guelphs liked to follow what he said. They liked to have more control over the land and the people, and they thought the Pope would help them do that.

The Ghibellines were like another big family who supported the Holy Roman Emperor. This was another powerful leader who had control over some parts of Italy. The Ghibellines thought that they should have more independence and control over their own land, and they thought that the Emperor could help them do that.

Because these two groups had such different ideas about who should be in charge and how the land should be ruled, they couldn't get along very well. They often fought against each other in battles.

Eventually, the Guelphs and Ghibellines stopped fighting and became more like political parties. But even then, they still had different ideas about how things should be run.