Petrarch

Francesco Petrarch was born as Francesco Petracco in Arezzo, a city located in Central Italy, on July 20, 1304. His father’s name was Ser Petracco and his mother was Elleta Canigiani. Francesco also had a younger brother named Gherardo.

In 1312, Ser Petracco, a lawyer by profession, moved to Avignon, located in Provence region of Southern France, in the hope of securing a position under the Avignon papacy of Pope Clement V. Consequently, a large part of Francesco’s childhood was spent in this region.

Petrarch initially studied at Carpentras. In 1316, at the insistence of his father, he joined the University of Montpellier to study law. He studied there till 1320 and then shifted to Italy and continued his studies at Bologna till 1323. His mother died sometime during this period. Poems written during this time are his earliest surviving poems.

Petrarch, who was more interested in Latin literature, could never envisage a life as a lawyer. Therefore, when his father died in 1326, he abandoned his career in law and went back to Avignon.

In Avignon, he took a nominal position in the household of Cardinal Giovanni Colonna. The job gave him ample time to pursue his scholarly interest. Very soon he became famous not only for his scholarship, but also for his elegant behavior.

Around this time, Petrarch started writing love sonnets on a woman named Laura. Although the poet had not identified her, it is believed she was Laura de Noves of Avignon.

From the poems it can be surmised that Petrarch first saw her on April 6, 1327 at the St. Clair Church in Avignon. Although she, a married woman and a mother, did not give him much encouragement, he was smitten by love that later took a more spiritual turn.

Over a period of twenty years, Petrarch wrote 300 sonnets and a few long poems about her. These poems have been translated in various languages and inspired established poets like Sir Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser, Michael Drayton, William Shakespeare etc.

Meanwhile, Petrarch pursued his study of classical Latin literature and wrote many poems as well as letters that would eventually be counted among his greatest creations. He also travelled a lot during this period.

In 1330, he went to Lombez to visit his old friend Bishop Giacomo Colona. Next in 1333, he toured through France, Flanders, Brabant and Rhineland. In all these places he visited well-known scholars. He also looked through monastic libraries in the hope of recovering lost manuscripts.

In France, he met Augustinian monk Dionigi of Sansepolcro; he gave Petrarch a copy of ‘Confessions’ by St. Augustine. The book became his spiritual guide and a constant companion.

In April 1336, he along with his brothers and two servants climbed Mont Ventoux just for the pleasure of climbing. This probably makes him the first mountaineer of the world. At the same time, the visit made him realize that true beauty lies within and he embarked on journey to rediscover his inner soul.

In 1337, he visited Rome for the first time and discovered the city’s ancient grandeur among its ruins. On coming back he withdrew from the outside world and started spending a great deal of time at Vaucluse. Here he started his work on his epic poem ‘Africa’.