Petrarch
Grew up at the papal court in Avignon; famous for his sonnets to Laura and his search for classical manuscripts, he is called the father of humanism.
| Lived | 1304 – 1374 |
| Known as | Poet and humanist |
| Birthplace or main place | Arezzo |
| Places on the map | Avignon, Florence |
ArezzoSee the world of Petrarch in the interactive map
Who ruled these places in his lifetime
| Place | At birth (map of 1300) | At death (map of 1300) |
|---|---|---|
| Arezzo | Holy Roman Empire | same |
| Avignon | France | same |
| Florence | Holy Roman Empire | same |
From the border maps nearest to each date; borders are approximate.
Events in his lifetime
| Year | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1309 | Pope Clement V settles in Avignon | Avignon |
| 1348 | Clement VI buys Avignon from Queen Joanna of Naples | Avignon |
Battles and sites of the time
- Battle of Crécy · 1346
Further reading
Contemporaries
| Lived | Person | |
|---|---|---|
| 1304 – 1369 | Ibn Battuta | Traveller |
| c. 1315 – 1390 | Hafez | Poet |
| 1328 – 1398 | Zhu Yuanzhang (Hongwu Emperor) | Founder of the Ming dynasty |
| 1332 – 1406 | Ibn Khaldun | Historian |
| 1336 – 1405 | Timur (Tamerlane) | Founder of the Timurid Empire |
| c. 1267 – 1337 | Giotto | Painter and architect |
| c. 1280 – 1337 | Mansa Musa | Emperor of Mali |
| 1254 – 1324 | Marco Polo | Merchant and traveller |
| 1265 – 1321 | Dante Alighieri | Poet |
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.