Born: 16 June 1313 · Died: 21 September 1375 · Age at death: 62
How old was Giovanni Boccaccio when he died?
Giovanni Boccaccio died aged 62. He was born on 16 June 1313 and died on 21 September 1375.
Italian writer and humanist whose Decameron, 100 tales told during the Black Death, influenced Chaucer and Shakespeare
Did you know?He wrote a volume of biographies about 106 famous women, the first work of its kind in Western literature.
Quick facts
Date of birth16 June 1313
Date of death21 September 1375
Age at death62
Cause of deathEdema
NationalityItalian
BirthplaceFlorence, Italy
Occupationshort story writer, poet, diplomat
Editor's Take:
Giovanni Boccaccio was one of the founders of Italian literature. His masterpiece, The Decameron, tells of ten young people who flee plague-ridden Florence in 1348. To pass the time, they tell one hundred stories. The tales are funny, bawdy, clever and sometimes tragic. They paint a vivid picture of medieval life. Boccaccio was also a great admirer of Dante and lectured on his work. With Petrarch, he helped revive interest in classical learning. Chaucer and Shakespeare borrowed from his stories.
Key Milestones
1348: Black Death – plague in Florence
1350: Petrarch – meets his friend and mentor
c.1353: The Decameron – completed
1373: Dante lectures – public readings
Giovanni Boccaccio (16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he gained sufficient notoriety to be known simply as "the Certaldese".
