Leonardo di Cecco Bruni of Arezzo is the leading figure of Florentine “civic humanism”. As apostolic secretary at the papal curia in the crucial years of the Western Schism, from the pontificate of Innocent VII to that of John XXIII, and chancellor of the Florentine republic from 1427 to 1444, he stands out as one of the most influential statesmen of his time. His works as historian and translator marked a turning point in the development of humanist thought in these fields
Born of a Guelph family in 1370, Bruni moved to Florence after the death of his parents in 1386 and 1388, following the defeat of Arezzo by the exiled Ghibellines and the French army led by Enguerrand VII de Coucy in 1384. In Florence he completed his education, studied rhetoric with Giovanni Malpaghini, and
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Citation: Barsella, Susanna. "Leonardo Bruni". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 10 April 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=12656, accessed 21 November 2024.]
