Which ancestor does Dante meet in the sphere of Mars?

Cacciaguida is the ancestor Dante meets in the sphere of Mars. In Paradiso XV–XVII, Dante encounters this radiant soul among the spirits who died fighting for the Christian faith, the souls symbolically associated with fortitude.

Cacciaguida identifies himself as Dante’s great-great-grandfather and describes an earlier Florence, presenting the city as smaller, more orderly, and less corrupted by wealth and factional conflict. He also tells Dante about his own life: he was baptized in Florence, served under the emperor Conrad III, and died during the Second Crusade. Dante’s meeting with him turns a family reunion into a meditation on civic decline and ancestral identity.

Cacciaguida’s importance extends beyond genealogy. He foretells Dante’s exile from Florence and encourages him to write honestly about what he has seen, even if the truth is unpopular. Bellincione and Alighiero are other ancestors or relatives associated with Dante’s family history, but they are not the speaking ancestor Dante meets in Mars. The encounter with Cacciaguida is the central family revelation of Paradiso.