What is a Renaissance Man/Woman: the Influence and Legacy of Francis Petrarch

Introduction

Francis Petrarch was a well-renowned Italian poet, scholar, and free thinker. He revolutionized the way people think and became one of the most influential individuals of the Renaissance era and of all time. He was known as the father of humanism, which became one of the most popular philosophies of its time. This is why Petrarch is also known as the first modern man.

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Early Life and Education

Francis Petrarch was born in the Tuscan province of Italy in a city called Arezzo.

Arezzo lies approximately fifty miles southeast of the town of Florence. Petrarch’s father, Ser Petracco, and his mother, Eletta Canigiani, welcomed him into the family in 1304. Petrarch also had a younger brother, Gherardo, who was born in Incisa in 1307. “As a boy, he moved around a lot (his father was exiled from Florence), finally ending up in the region of Avignon, where he received his earliest schooling and fell in love with classical literature.” Again moving, his family settled in Avignon following Pope Clement V, who started the Avignon papacy in 1309.

Petrarch’s father studied law, encouraging his two sons to do the same and follow in his footsteps. Petrarch first studied law at the University of Montpellier and continued his studies alongside his brother at the University of Bologna. After learning a bit about law, Petrarch realized that it was not his true passion. During this period, Petrarch’s mother passed away, which inspired him to write one of his very first poems. Petrarch eventually became very interested in literature. He decided to stop practicing law and devoted himself to Italian and Latin poetry. After the death of both of his parents, he and Gherardo relocated back to Avignon. In Avignon, Petrarch worked in numerous clerical offices, which allowed him time to write poetry. By becoming a cleric, Petrarch was able to secure religious and spiritual postings that allowed him the opportunity to fulfill his personal interest in ancient literary works.

The Influence of Laura de Noves

In 1327, Petrarch met Laura de Noves in Avignon. Laura de Noves would become Petrarch’s personal muse, and they would spend the rest of their lives together. Laura de Noves was the daughter of Audibert de Noves and Ermessenda. On January 16, 1325, Petrarch married Laura de Noves when she was only fifteen years old. “From 1327 to 1368, Petrarch wrote 366 poems as part of a sequence centered on the theme of his love for Laura. The sequence—collected in a canzoniere or songbook, usually called Rime Sparse, or Scattered Rhymes in English—includes 317 sonnets, a form based on rules established by the 13th-century Italian poet Guittone of Arezzo.” Laura de Noves had a great influence on the lyrics and style of Petrarch’s works. Petrarch welcomed two children, a son, Giovanni, and a daughter, Francesca, into his life. It is known, however, that Laura de Noves was not the mother to Petrarch’s children.

Travels and Rediscovery of Classical Literature

Petrarch’s desire to study literature and to seek new works inspired him to travel around Europe. In 1333, he began his travels throughout France, Flanders, Brabant, and the Rhineland. While visiting these locations, he searched for lost classical manuscripts. While collecting these lost Latin manuscripts, he became one of the main scholars to recover the ancient works of writers from Rome and Greece. While in Paris, Petrarch met with Dionigi of Sansepolcro, the Augustinian monk, and they soon became close friends. Dionigi of Sansepolcro then gave Petrarch a copy of the Confessions of St. Augustine, which later inspired Petrarch to begin personal spiritual exploration. Petrarch would use this copy of the Confessions of St. Augustine in his everyday spiritual life. Petrarch’s experience of traveling throughout Europe and exploring different works of literature influenced him to further examine and study the relationship between the Christian religion and the classical culture. This eventually led Petrarch to become known as the founder of European humanism.

On April 26, 1336, Petrarch and his brother Gherardo decided to climb the 6,263-foot mountain called Mont Ventoux. In the Provence region of southern France, Mont Ventoux towers over all the mountains in the region. Petrarch and Gherardo started the journey at the bottom in a village called Malaucene. While the two brothers and their two servants climbed the mountain, they encountered awe-inspiring scenery that became the main inspiration for one of Petrarch’s larger works. This work was roughly a six thousand word document called “The Ascent of Mont Ventoux,” which he finished around the year 1350. Petrarch’s “Ascent of Mont Ventoux” marked the beginning of the Renaissance era because it allowed readers to see the world in a completely new way, creating a new purpose for human beings in the world.
Petrarch met with the Italian poet Giovanni Boccaccio, and they exchanged their writing and critiqued each other’s work. When Petrarch first visited Rome, he began his first main work, which was called “Africa.” This was a Latin poem about the Roman General Scipio Africanus, told the history of the Second Punic War in prose form. This work brought Petrarch popularity in European society. His popularity paved the way for him to become Poet Laureate, receiving the honor in Rome on April 8, 1941. The ceremony where one becomes the poet laureate had not been performed in quite some time. During the ceremony, Petrarch gave his Coronation Oration, which was later described by scholars as the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance period. This public speech that Petrarch gave is considered to be the Renaissance’s first manifesto.

Petrarch’s Philosophy and Humanism

Petrarch’s personal life transitioned in 1361 when his son, Giovanni, died due to the plague. Petrarch’s daughter then married Francescuolo da Brossano in 1362 and had a daughter named Eletta. Petrarch was joined by his daughter and her family in Venice, where they lived together for about five years. In 1368, Petrarch, his daughter, and her family moved to Arqua, where he would spend the rest of his life. In Arqua, he studied religion, practiced a spiritual life, and cultivated a more modern view of the external world. Petrarch would commonly self-reflect to help further develop his morals and values.

Petrarch played a huge role in society and the Renaissance. As Europe was transitioning into a new era of education and art, Petrarch emerged as a very significant part of this transformation. Many of Petrarch’s works helped to inspire the main principles and beliefs of the Renaissance era. His emphasis on rationalism critical thinking, as well as his disposition to challenge the thinking and customs of the Catholic church, led him to be the founder of humanism. This new concept of humanism eventually became a key way of thinking throughout the Renaissance period.

The Renaissance was a period in Europe that lasted through the 14th and 17th centuries. It was the extension of the Middle Ages that was linked to the Enlightenment and eventually led to modern history. The Renaissance included the original development of Latin literature. The Renaissance also contributed to the formalities of diplomacy. It also increased the dependence on using inductive reasoning in the world of science.

Growing up in the early 1300s positioned Petrarch perfectly to become an influential factor and the first humanist in the Italian Renaissance movement. Humanism is an ethical way of thinking that focuses on the value of the human being. It focuses on the individual using critical thinking and rationalism over superstition. Humanism alludes to the viewpoint of freedom and progress of the individual. It promotes the position that humans are the ones responsible for the evolution and growth of the individual and displays the importance of the relationship between human beings and the natural world.
Petrarch is quite significant to the Renaissance era as he is considered the father of humanism. According to Craig Kallendorf’s The Historical Petrarch, “The prevailing tendency today posits Petrarch as the first modern man.” Petrarch’s philosophy was that God gave humans their intellectual and creative abilities to think for themselves. Petrarch believed there was great moral value in studying ancient history and literature. He did not see a problem in analyzing humankind’s potential and having a religious side as well.

Petrarch’s Role as a Scholar and Writer

Petrarch was also a great scholar. He was very interested in learning about ancient Greek and Latin literature as he found it to have great importance in life. He believed that writing, composing poems, and corresponding through letters should be one of the most important personal activities. Petrarch has many Latin works that include scholarly writings, letters, essays, and poetry. Petrarch published many of his letters, as a few were written to some of his prominent friends who had passed away, including Cicero, Virgil, and Seneca.

Petrarch owned one of the largest private libraries in the world at this time. He gave his library to the city of Venice, Italy, in exchange for a house in the city. He would collect his letters in two main sets of books, which were called “Letters on Familiar Matters” and “Letters of Old Age.” Petrarch published these letters using pseudonyms in order to protect the people whom he corresponded with because they were good friends of his.

Petrarch’s philosophy was derived from the time in which he lived. As he learned more about the classical period, he became disappointed in the limitations of his time. He felt the chaos and confusion of society around him. According to a 2004 New York Times article, “Petrarch — The First Humanist,” Petrarch said, “I am a citizen of no place, everywhere I am a stranger.” This sense of alienation and restlessness is what drove him to search for meaning in his life. Searching for meaning in his life is what created the philosophy of self-fulfillment, which became a huge method of thinking throughout the Renaissance. Petrarch’s introducing to the new concept of self-fulfillment is also one of the reasons he is known as the first modern man.

Petrarch believed that humanity could reach great heights. His poems show a passion and a refinement that reimagines the concepts of love and emotions. He idealizes women and believes that this idealized love for a woman is the way to learn how to love God. Through his writings, Petrarch contemplates such topics as love, chastity, death, fame, and eternity. He is a moralist and philosopher who continues to search for meaning in this life and in heaven.

His works that dealt with internal conflicts, as well as self-reflection, were discussed and argued about by philosophers throughout the Renaissance era. Petrarch’s thinking conflicted between reality and contemplation and emphasized the importance of educational study. As an outcome of his thinking, military, political, and religious leaders throughout the Renaissance period would use many of the same principles originating in Petrarch’s work. One of the main principles was the pursuit of personal fulfillment. This encouraged individuals to find a sense of purpose in the lives that they are living and achieve whatever goals they have. This philosophy inspired individuals to further progress with their family lives, social lives, as well as personal lives.

Petrarch’s Influence on the Renaissance

Petrarch’s influence on the world around him can be seen in the arts, poetry, and philosophy. The painter Simone Martini illustrated Petrarch’s edition of Virgil. Martini continued to use some of the classical works from Petrarch’s library, which was the force that launched the art movement known as secular humanist miniatures. His poem “Triumphs” gave rise to thousands of pieces of art from various artists and in various forms over the past centuries. In poetry, many scholars have referred to Petrarch as the “father of the sonnet.” While this is not exactly true, he did make this form of poetry so popular that he became an important figure in the poetry world. Many poets credit Petrarch’s influence in their works not only for their lyrical quality but also for their content. Some literary scholars say that Petrarch even influenced Shakespeare’s sonnets.

Through his letters and poetry, he mused on his internal conflicts that gave rise to the Humanist movement. Being a devout Catholic, Petrarch did not see any conflict between realizing human potential and having religious faith. He believed by studying ancient history and literature, one could better understand human thoughts and actions. At this time, many people in society believed you could not have personal fulfillment as well as spiritual fulfillment. Petrarch argued that you could have both. Petrarch also believed highly in critical thinking and challenged the traditions of his times. His ideals of focusing on man and his own actions rather than on God and His divine affairs did more to foster the development of humanism than anyone else. All of these ideals gave rise to the humanism movement.

This way of thinking is why I chose to write about Petrarch. Originally, I had not heard much about him, but when I read that he was the founder of humanism, I wanted to understand how and why that came about. I am also of Italian descent, which drew me even closer to learning more about Petrarch. I also admire his dedication to wanting to learn about literature and following his passion rather than following his father to study law. He has a strong sense of individualism that I respect. He has revolutionized the way that people think and has encouraged others to think freely and pursue their individual goals. Petrarch encourages me to follow what I want to do in life in order to attain self-fulfillment.

On his seventieth birthday—July 20, 1374—Petrarch passed away in his house in Arquà. On a curious note, in 2004, a scientific team exhumed Petrarch’s bones in order to create a facial reconstruction in order to have an accurate image of the poet. Instead of finding the poet’s skull, it was discovered that the skull in Petrarch’s grave was actually that of a woman who died before Petrarch’s own birth. Project leader Vito Terribile Wiel Marin said, “Thank God we did not do it because we would have ended up with the face of a woman, much to everyone’s amusement.” The person who removed Petrarch’s head must have had access to a large number of skulls, according to Marin. He suspects that it was someone at the medical university at Padua. The reason for the exchange is still unknown.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Petrarch has left a huge legacy and still impacts the world today. A very significant philosophy of today’s world is to think for yourself. This exact way of thinking is what stemmed from Petrarch’s reasoning and development of the concept of humanism. Petrarch developed the way of free thinking and self-fulfillment, which are two main qualities of the modern world. Another significant factor that came from Petrarch’s way of thinking in today’s culture is setting goals and reaching them. The goal-setting mindset that evolved from Petrarch’s self-development philosophy is one of the biggest and most important ways of thinking in today’s world. Overall, Petrarch remains one of the most significant exemplars of the Renaissance time frame and still impacts everyday life today. He will always be remembered as one of the greatest free thinkers of all time.

References

1. “Petrarch: A Critical Guide to the Complete Works” by Victoria Kirkham, Armando Maggi, and Rinaldina Russell

2. “Petrarch’s Laurels” by Konrad Eisenbichler

3. “Petrarch: A Life” by Nicholas Mann

4. “Petrarch’s Humanism and the Care of the Self” by Gur Zak 

5. “Petrarch and His Readers in the Renaissance” by Karl A. E. Enenkel and Jan Papy 

6. “Petrarch: Poet and Humanist” by Ronald G. Witt 

7. “Petrarch in Romantic England” by Martin Elsky 

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