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.

Percy, Thomas, 1729-1811

Poet, translator, and antiquarian Thomas Percy is best remembered today for his Reliques of Ancient English Poetry (1765), which inspired widespread interest in British folk literary forms such as ballads and verse tales as well as contributing to the late eighteenth century formation of a British literary canon.

Percy, Henry, Lord, 1364-1403

An English knight and rebel who fought in campaigns against Scots on the Anglo-Scottish border as well as the French in the Hundred Years' War, Henry Percy was nicknamed "Hotspur" by the Scots for his speed and attack readiness. Percy aided Henry IV in the usurpation of Richard II, but eventually, Percy led a series of uprisings against Henry IV. Percy is a major character in Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 1.