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Francesco Petrarch, often considered the first modern poet, was also one of the first humanists. Throughout his life he was a seeker of the classics and was instrumental in introducing them to his contemporaries. He is seen as a forerunner of the Renaissance. He was born in 1304 in Arezzo and died in Arqua in 1374. His family moved several times in his young life before settling down near Avignon. His father wanted him trained as a …

…ancient past. The result was a remarkable change in the way people thought about politics, scientific discovery, art and living. They left what they considered the dark ages of their immediate past and embraced the rebirth--Renaissance--of classic thought. (Rabb Origins 4) Work Cited: Rabb, Theodore K.. Origins of the Modern West. McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1993 ---. The Struggle For Stability in Early Modern Europe. New York: Oxford University Press, 1975 Durant, Will. The Renaissance. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1953