Petrarca, Francesco, 1304-1374

The Italian humanist and lyric poet referred to as "Petrarch" by English speakers was named Poet Laureate of Rome in 1341. He is best known for his series of sonnets to "Laura," whose true identity is unknown, and through these poems, for the inspiration he provided to the sixteenth- and seventeenth-century British sonneteers.

Peter I, Emperor of Russia, 1672-1725

Also known as Peter the Great, Peter I ruled the Tsardom of Russia and later the Russian Empire 1682 until his death in 1725, jointly ruling before 1696 with his elder half-brother. Through a number of successful wars, he expanded the Tsardom into a much larger empire that became a major European power. He led a cultural revolution that replaced some of the traditionalist and medieval social and political systems with ones that were modern, scientific, westernized and based on the Enlightenment.