Life of Petrarch by Ernest Hatch Wilkins - 1328 Words

For the period of the Middle Ages, Europe went through a great ruin in the duration of the 5th and 15th century. Europe faced great blows from both sides of spectrum. For instance, one of the greatest fatal blows was the Hundred Years War. The war not only caused famine, and starvation all around Europe, but also included around 20 million recorded deaths. About one third of the population was wiped out. Countless towns in Europe had a loss of more than 40% of their population. In fact Paris lost half of its residents and Venice, Hamburg and Bremen are projected to have lost at least 60% of their populations. A popular belief in that time period was that the devastation was a punishment from God. With little hope, people desperately†¦show more content†¦This movement was called Humanism, the philosophy of rationalism relied upon the belief in the dignity of human beings. This philosophy quickly grew and expanded all across Europe as an outburst of human creativity and paved the way to contemporary learning. The birth of humanism was the beginning of the Renaissance period. The creating of new inventive literature, expanding the once bounded writing curriculum. New values were stressed in writing in the importance of poetry and books. Especially expressed by the Father of Humanism Francesco Petrarch. He was one of the most significant and influential poets and writers in the Middle Ages. Francesco Petrarch was born July 20, 1304. He was born into a family exiled in the town of Arezzo. He was the first son of the notary Pietro di Parenzo di Garzo. He studied in law and religion heavily in his earlier, although his major would quickly change, asserting, I couldnt face making a merchandise of my mind, in his opinion politics were too much of a dishonest profession. Petrarch always had an interest in writing and Latin literature, he quickly emerged himself in books and began to write extensively. In his extensive pursuit for old Latin writing and manuscripts, he traveled through France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. From his large scale work, an epic in Latin, Africa, and his works began to be credited and worldly renowned marking his influence in literature forever. TheShow MoreRelated Francis Petrarch: Leader of the Humanistic Movement and Father of the Renaissance2215 Words   |  9 PagesFrancis Petrarch: Leader of the Humanistic Movement and Father of the Renaissance Before the civic spirit and individuality evident and necessary to the Renaissance came to fruition, there had to have been something to trigger a change in the mentality of the medieval civilization. The medieval manorialism fostered illiteracy and ignorance and a very narrow view of the outside world, people did not question their place, the church, or the need to prepare for the after life. The awakening