How a Ruler Ought to Govern His State Essay - 1019 Words

Francesco Petrarch (1304-1374) was an Italian scholar, poet, and early humanist during the reformation of the Renaissance period. He was one of the greatest poets of the 14th-16th century, and is regarded as the father of the humanist movement. Petrarch was a prolific writer. Not only was he known for poetry in Italian and Latin, but also hundreds of letters, essays and histories. Like Dante, a generation before Petrarch wrote in a vernacular style to bring Italian a literary language. In this letter, Petrarch offers advice on how to rule as an effective leader. He uses various examples and sources to support his theories of how a good ruler should rule by laying out a good model. Petrarch emphasizes the first quality of a good†¦show more content†¦Petrarch is a writer of great knowledge with a desire of theology and politics, as so many before him, while keeping the words and acts of humanism to be held sacred and gifts of our Heavenly Judge. He was a teacher of kno wledge, sobriety, and humbleness. With the aid from the philosophies of Aristotle, Petrarch wrote with finesse and poise, which Petrarch only new in the Latin language, his driven thoughts in relation to that of Cicero, a roman poet and politician that died years before Petrarch was born, Petrarch was considered to be one of these learned men as so many others. He was patronized by the wealthy due to his style and ability to write with such power and grace. He refers constantly other great poets such as Euripides and biblical characters, such as, Jeremiah. All these display an attitude towards learning and kindness. The Renaissance man can be described as a modern scholar that acquires leaning and is knowledgeable in several areas of science, literature, art, and government, also one that maintain good standings, display good citizenship with his surroundings and others. Petrarch distributed all these in by way of his writings. In his piece of â€Å"Rules for the Ruler†, Petrarch described the attributes and the attitude needed for a good ruler should govern his country. Through kindness, love, justice, and keeping in mind that we are mere mortals and that have all sinned and fell short of theShow MoreRelatedPetrarch and Machiavelli Essay809 Words   |  4 PagesFrancesco Petrarch wrote a letter entitled How a Ruler Ought to Govern His Sate. Nearly a century later, another philosopher by the name of Niccolo Machiavelli wrote a book about governing, The Prince. The two documents show many similarities in content and theme. While the two wrote in similar subject matter, it is clear that these philosophers possess distinctly different viewpoints on how a ruler should govern. In Petrarch’s How a Ruler Ought to Govern His Sate and Machiavelli’s The Prince, bothRead MoreNiccolo Machiavelli And John Locke1162 Words   |  5 Pagessociety. 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