WRITER

Petrarch

1304 - 1374

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Francis Petrarch (; 20 July 1304 – 19 July 1374; Latin: Franciscus Petrarcha; modern Italian: Francesco Petrarca [franˈtʃesko peˈtrarka]), born Francesco di Petracco, was a scholar from Arezzo and poet of the early Italian Renaissance and one of the earliest humanists. Petrarch's rediscovery of Cicero's letters is often credited with initiating the 14th-century Italian Renaissance and the founding of Renaissance humanism. 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. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Petrarch has received more than 3,261,419 page views. His biography is available in 108 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 103 in 2019). Petrarch is the 21st most popular writer (up from 25th in 2019), the 23rd most popular biography from Italy (up from 27th in 2019) and the 3rd most popular Italian Writer.

Petrarch is most famous for his love poetry, including "Rime Sparse" and "Canzoniere." He is also famous for his work on the Italian language.

Memorability Metrics

  • 3.3M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 83.61

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 108

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 15.43

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 3.48

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Notable Works

De remediis utriusque fortunae
1492
Epistolae
Renaissance
1601
Letters on Old Age (Rerum Senilium Libri): Vol. 1
Authors, Italian
Aldo Bernardo and his collaborators extend the translation project begun with the Familiares to the letter collection of Petrarchs old age, the Seniles. In these 128 letters (in 2 volumes), most of which appear for the first time here in English translation, we find Petrarchs mature judgment on the central issues of early Italian humanism. With Boccaccio, to whom he addresses more letters than anyone else, Petrarch shares his ideas about the literary culture of the age.
2005
The sonnets, triumphs, and other poems of Petrarch
1800
Letters on Old Age (Rerum Senilium Libri): Vol. 2
Authors, Italian
Aldo Bernardo and his collaborators extend the translation project begun with the Familiares to the letter collection of Petrarchs old age, the Seniles. In these 128 letters (in 2 volumes), most of which appear for the first time here in English translation, we find Petrarchs mature judgment on the central issues of early Italian humanism. With Boccaccio, to whom he addresses more letters than anyone else, Petrarch shares his ideas about the literary culture of the age.
2005
Rime
1475

Among WRITERS

Among writers, Petrarch ranks 21 out of 7,302. Before him are Miguel de Cervantes, Jules Verne, Virgil, Albert Camus, Molière, and Anton Chekhov. After him are Honoré de Balzac, Aesop, Jean-Paul Sartre, Ovid, Rumi, and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1304, Petrarch ranks 1. After him are Ibn Battuta, Jayaatu Khan Tugh Temür, Louis I, Count of Flanders, Magnus I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Ibn al-Shatir, and Günther von Schwarzburg. Among people deceased in 1374, Petrarch ranks 1. After him are Gongmin of Goryeo, Magnus IV of Sweden, Pan Geng, Ibn al-Khatib, Ni Zan, Helena of Bulgaria, Empress of Serbia, Emperor Go-Kōgon, Philip II, Prince of Taranto, Helvig of Schleswig, Bogislaw V, Duke of Pomerania, and Sancho Alfonso, 1st Count of Alburquerque.

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Others Deceased in 1374

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In Italy

Among people born in Italy, Petrarch ranks 23 out of 5,161. Before him are Cicero (-106), Giordano Bruno (1548), Virgil (-70), Francis of Assisi (1182), Nero (37), and Caravaggio (1571). After him are Amerigo Vespucci (1454), Ovid (-43), Marcus Aurelius (121), Giovanni Boccaccio (1313), Sandro Botticelli (1445), and Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor (1768).

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Among WRITERS In Italy

Among writers born in Italy, Petrarch ranks 3. Before him are Dante Alighieri (1265), and Virgil (-70). After him are Ovid (-43), Giovanni Boccaccio (1313), Horace (-65), Giacomo Casanova (1725), Umberto Eco (1932), Giorgio Vasari (1511), Guillaume Apollinaire (1880), Plautus (-254), and Cato the Elder (-243).

Italian born Writers

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