Petrarch (1304-1374) was a late medieval Italian poet and intellectual whose work helped establish lyric poetry, the sonnet, and the modern Italian language. He had a deep fascination with ancient Rome and collected ancient Latin manuscripts.
Though he felt that he lived "amid varied and confusing storms," Petrarch believed that humanity could once more reach the heights of past accomplishments. The doctrine he espoused became known as humanism, and formed a bridge from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance.
