Among the most interesting episodes at the beginning of the Early Modern period in European letters is the audience Charles IV granted Petrarch. Charles’ historical importance has been well established since the first

was held together for over four centuries by virtue of his electoral legacy, the Golden Bull (1356) that regulated the imperial succession and coronation. The significance of the audience rests only partially on the paradigmatic encounter between prince and poet – to be repeated shortly after the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire (1806) when Napoleon invited Goethe at Erfurt (see “Goethe and Napoleon”, 1808). More important is the clash of views advanced by both protagonists which sheds light on the complex transition from medieval thought to Renaissance…

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Citation: Hoffmeister, Gerhart. "Petrarch and Charles IV". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 13 July 2011 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=17635, accessed 24 November 2024.]

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