Petrarch
1304 – 1374 Italian poet, scholar
The father of humanism, who revived classical learning.
- Religion
- Catholic, and a cleric, though drawn to classical antiquity and inward self-examination.
- Affiliations
- Took minor holy orders. No secret society.
Petrarch rediscovered and championed the Latin classics, launching the humanist movement that drove the Renaissance. His sonnets to Laura set the model for European love poetry for centuries. He is often called the first modern man for his inward, reflective spirit.
Connections
- ally of Giovanni Boccaccio — The two humanists were close friends and correspondents.
In the timeline
- 1345 Petrarch and the birth of humanism central figure