Leonardo Bruni

Leonardo Bruni (c. 1370–1444), called Aretino from his native Arezzo, was a Florentine humanist historian and statesman. A pupil of Salutati and Manuel Chrysoloras, he was papal secretary to four popes in 1405–1414 and twice Chancellor of Florence, succeeding Salutati. His years as chancellor were marked by war, and his power was limited beside that of the Albizzi and Medici families.

His twelve-book History of the Florentine People pioneered humanist historiography, and his division of the past into ancient, medieval and modern periods earned him the title of first modern historian. He also wrote lives of Dante and Petrarch, translated Aristotle, and died in Florence in 1444, buried in Santa Croce.