Francesco Petrarca (1304-1374) is the most-cited and most-imitated author of European love poetry. However, among his contemporaries and following generations he was well-renowned as a philologist, historian and moral philosopher. His highly elaborated technique of intertwining philosophical thought with literary expression justifies his extraordinary fame. ›Petrarca lesen‹ traces the specific philosophical evolution and literary architecture of each of Petrarch's works, thereby illustrating the complex creative process at the origin of the main ideas of the great Italian founder of the »studia humanitatis«. Thus, ›Petrarca lesen‹ provides a deep insight into the origins of humanism.