Download or read book History of the Florentine People: Books 5-8 written by Leonardo Bruni and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2001 with total page 616 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Leonardo Bruni (1370-1444), the leading civic humanist of the Italian Renaissance, served as apostolic secretary to four popes (1405-1414) and chancellor of Florence (1427-1444). He was famous in his day as a translator, orator, and historian, and was the best-selling author of the fifteenth century. Bruni's History of the Florentine People in twelve books is generally considered the first modern work of history, and was widely imitated by humanist historians for two centuries after its official publication by the Florentine Signoria in 1442. This edition makes it available for the first time in English translation.