Francesco Petrarca or Petrarch (jan 1, 1304 – jan 1, 1374)
Description:
He was an Italian scholar and poet. His parents wanted him to be a lawyer (which he went to school for for seven years), but he remained stubbornly interested in writing and latin literature. He decided to pursue the humanities and became the second poet laureate since antiquity. Petrarch was very passionate about preserving and translating ancient works. For his sonnets (especially concerning Laura), he drew on the troubadour notions of courtly love. While not the sole originator of the Petrarchean sonnet, he did contribute to its concept. Such sonnets would be used for Italian madrigals in the 1500s.Added to timeline:
Date:
jan 1, 1304
jan 1, 1374
~ 70 years