Petrarch

Francesco Petrarca (Italian: [franˈtʃesko peˈtrarka]; 20 July 1304 – 18/19 July 1374), commonly anglicized as Petrarch (/ˈpiːtrɑːrk, ˈpɛt-/), was a scholar and poet of early Renaissance Italy, and one of the earliest humanists.[1]

Francesco Petrarca
Portrait by Altichiero, c. 1370 - c. 1380
Born	Francesco Petracco (1304-07-20)20 July 1304 Comune of Arezzo
Died	19 July 1374(1374-07-19) (aged 69) Arquà, Padua
Resting place	Arquà Petrarca
Occupation	Scholar poet Catholic cleric
Language	Italian (Tuscan dialect) Latin
Nationality	Aretine
Education	Law
Alma mater	University of Montpellier University of Bologna
Period	Early Renaissance
Genres	Poetry (epic sonnet canzone eclogue canticle other) Prose (treatise polemic epistle travelogue autobiography anecdote correspondence oration)
Subjects	Beautiful lady other
Literary movement	Italian Renaissance humanism
Notable works	Il Canzoniere Triumphs
Notable awards	Poet laureate of Rome, 1341
Partner	unknown woman or women
Children	Giovanni (1337–1361) Francesca (born in 1343)
Parents	Ser Petracco (father) Eletta Canigiani (mother)
Relatives	Gherardo Petracco (brother) Giovanni Boccaccio (friend)

Petrarch's rediscovery of Cicero's letters is often credited with initiating the 14th-century Italian Renaissance and the founding of Renaissance humanism.[2] In the 16th century, Pietro Bembo created the model for the modern Italian language based on Petrarch's works, as well as those of Giovanni Boccaccio, and, to a lesser extent, Dante Alighieri.[3] Petrarch was later endorsed as a model for Italian style by the Accademia della Crusca.

Petrarch's sonnets were admired and imitated throughout Europe during the Renaissance and became a model for lyrical poetry. He is also known for being the first to develop the concept of the "Dark Ages".[4]