Petrarch (jul 30, 1304 – jul 30, 1374)
Description:
Italian poet and scholar whose poems contributed to the Renaissance creation of lyric poetry, he was also a humanist, which reflected in his work. Petrarch was born July 20th, 1304 in Arezzo, Tuscany (now known as Italy. Petrarch died July 18th, 1374 right before his birthday. He was found dead in the morning in his bed. He was known as the most famous writer of his time. As a child, Petrarch moved to France. He studied law because his father wanted him too. That was not what he wanted to pursue, he loved literature. Petrarch was one of the first humanists who recognized the importance of the human soul rather than just living to survive. He was first to name the period before the proto renaissance after the dark ages. People at that time were not enlightened and he wanted people to spend more time thinking about goodness in the world. He was also one of the first to criticize the corruption in the catholic church.Added to timeline:
Date:
jul 30, 1304
jul 30, 1374
~ 70 years