Francesco Petrarca

Francesco Petrarch (1304–1374) was an Italian poet, writer, and scholar, and is regarded as one of the founders of Renaissance humanism. After studying law, he lived and worked in places including Avignon and at various courts. Petrarch devoted himself to the rediscovery of ancient authors and wrote both in Latin and in the Italian vernacular. His best-known works include the lyric collection *Canzoniere*, whose poems were often inspired by Laura, and the epic *Africa*, which deals with the Punic Wars. In 1341, he was crowned poet laureate in Rome.