July 20, 1304
Arezzo, Italy
July 1374
Padua, Italy

Poet

"Rome was greater than I thought, and so are its remains. Now I wonder not that the world was ruled by this city but that the rule came so late."

Petrarch.

The Italian poet Petrarch is considered the founder of humanism, a movement devoted to the revival of ancient Greek and Roman literature and philosophy. He has been called the first modern man because he wrote about the external world and analyzed his own thoughts and emotions. Conscious of the fleeting nature of human existence, Petrarch felt his mission was to save works by classical authors for future generations. He also popularized the sonnet form and is considered by many to be the first modern poet. Petrarch's personal letters mark a distinct break with medieval traditions and a return to the classical and early Christian practice of...