Francesco Petrarch's Life

Francesco was born on July 20, 1304 in Arezzo, in exile. His family was exiled by the same people who exiled Dante not too long before they were exiled. In 1320 Francesco began to study law in Bologna. His father wanted him to be in law, but Francesco despised lawyers because he didn't like the fact that they were dishonest, although the logic of law appealed to him. When his father died, in 1326, Francesco stops studying law and …

…like a king among royalty. He even said that he caused his own plague over Europe, and instead of it causing death, it caused people to take up pen and paper, and write! Then on July 19, 1374, just before he turned 70, Francesco was found dead, slumped over his desk. His writings influence so many others during his lifetime, such as Boccaccio, and then centuries later, Shakespeare would come to study his works and copy his sonnets.