A variant spelling of 'Guelph,' referring to a member of the Guelph political faction in medieval Italy that opposed the Ghibellines.
From Italian 'Guelfo,' from German 'Welf,' a noble family name. The Guelphs and Ghibellines represented papal and imperial factions respectively in Italian city-states.
The Guelphs vs. Ghibellines conflict was basically medieval Italy's version of a political civil war—these weren't just different teams, they were rival dynasties whose feuds lasted centuries and shaped European history.
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