Giovanni Boccaccio: the story on HearLore

Giovanni Boccaccio

Giovanni Boccaccio was born on the 16th of June 1313 in either Florence or a village near Certaldo. His father worked for the Compagnia dei Bardi bank and moved the family to Naples in 1326. The merchant Boccaccino di Chellino married Margherita de' Mardoli, who became Giovanni's stepmother. Young Giovanni served as an apprentice at his father's bank but disliked the work. He persuaded his father to allow him to study law instead. He studied canon law at the Studium in Naples for six years starting around 1330. This legal training gave him access to scholars like Paolo da Perugia and Barbato da Sulmona. He also pursued scientific studies alongside his legal coursework.

Neapolitan Court And Early Poetry

Boccaccio entered the French-influenced court of Robert the Wise during the 1330s. He befriended Niccolò Acciaioli, who later became Grand Seneschal to Queen Joanna I of Naples. Catherine of Valois-Courtenay provided another connection through Acciaioli's influence. In Naples he began writing poetry that would become his true vocation. Works from this period include Il Filostrato and Teseida. These poems later inspired Geoffrey Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde and The Knight's Tale respectively. He also wrote La caccia di Diana listing Neapolitan women in terza rima form. The period featured formal innovations including possibly the introduction of the Sicilian octave. Boccaccio influenced Petrarch with these experimental poetic forms before returning to Florence in early 1341.

When was Giovanni Boccaccio born and where did he grow up?

Giovanni Boccaccio was born on the 16th of June 1313 in either Florence or a village near Certaldo. His family moved to Naples in 1326 when his father worked for the Compagnia dei Bardi bank.

What major literary works did Giovanni Boccaccio write during the 1340s and 1350s?

Boccaccio wrote Il Filostrato, Teseida, and La caccia di Diana while living in Naples during the 1330s. He began work on The Decameron around 1349 after the Black Death outbreak and completed most of the hundred tales by 1352.

How did Giovanni Boccaccio meet Francesco Petrarch and what was their relationship?

Francesco Petrarch entered Florence in October 1350 and Boccaccio was delegated to host him at his home. They became lifelong friends with Boccaccio calling Petrarch his teacher and magister while discussing classical texts in Padua during 1351.

When did Giovanni Boccaccio die and what were his final years like?

Giovanni Boccaccio died on the 21st of December 1375 in Certaldo where he is buried. His final years involved severe health issues including obesity and dropsy described today as congestive heart failure.

Which books did Giovanni Boccaccio publish about women and geography?

Boccaccio began De mulieribus claris in 1360 completing it by 1374 with biographies of one hundred six famous women throughout history. He also wrote a dictionary of geographical allusions titled De montibus silvis fontibus lacubus fluminibus stagnis seu paludibus et de nominibus maris liber.

Giovanni Boccaccio

Neapolitan Court And Early Poetry

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Common questions

When was Giovanni Boccaccio born and where did he grow up?

What major literary works did Giovanni Boccaccio write during the 1340s and 1350s?

How did Giovanni Boccaccio meet Francesco Petrarch and what was their relationship?

When did Giovanni Boccaccio die and what were his final years like?

Which books did Giovanni Boccaccio publish about women and geography?

The Decameron And The Plague

Humanism And Petrarchan Friendship

Biographical Works On Women

Dante Scholarship And Final Years