Petru II Cercel (=earring) of Wallachia was the first Westerniser ruler in modern Orthodox world, a fore-bearer of Peter the Great of Russia. He was a descendant of the Drăculești clan, polyglot, writer & first to bring French culture to his country (en vogue only after 1820). 
He was born in 1545, legitimate son of prince Pătrașcu the Good and boyaress Voica, a wealthy & beautiful widow before re-marrying Petru's father.
He was only 12yrs old when his father died and fled with his mother to Brașov when his father's rivals took power in Dec 1557.
He was only 12yrs old when his father died and fled with his mother to Brașov when his father's rivals took power in Dec 1557.
By 1574 was in Vienna trying to get support for his claim to the throne of Wallachia & from there in Rome where he waited 1yr to see Pope Gregory XIII.
He made a good impression & was then referred to king Henry III of France so he went to Paris by 1576 where he made a good impression initially of Henry's mom - Caterina de Medici, then became a top courtier & entertainer.
In 1580 with king Henry's & Venetian support & $$$ arrived in Istanbul. It was not easy to bid against the Mihnești clan and it took him 3 years to get sultan Murad III's assent for the throne. He finally arrived in Bucharest in august 1383 replacing his distnt cousin Mihnea 2nd.
He ruled less than 2 yrs but he achieved many things. Moved the capital back to Târgoviste where he rebuilt the Princely Palace, constructed an aqueduct, Italian gardens & splendid new church next to the palace. Had his boyars wear Western clothes & send their children to Rome...
He built first gun foundry in Wallachia and trained troops waiting for an anti-Ottoman revolt. However Austrian Emperor Rudolf II was not interested at that time with breaking the peace with Murad & soon the Turks found out of Petru's exploits & wanted to sack him.
Petru escaped with some troops, his treasury and his guns to Transylvania but there he was also betrayed by Stephen Bathory, prince of Transylvania who arrested him & confiscated his money. Petru managed to escape again to Vienna & then Paris.
But by late 1585 the politics of France changed & he could not get further support. Remained again a few years at Henry's court until his death in 1589 & then tried his luck in Istanbul. This time he was outbid, arrested & decapitated in March 1590...
He was accused of having freed, converted & married a beautiful Turkish slave Sultana whom he had brought with him to Wallachia in 1583. Marrying a Muslim was then a capital offense for a Christian subject of the sultan... 😳
Just 4yrs after Petru's execution, his 1/2 bro Michael the Brave will coalesce around him the anti-Ottoman feelings of Vlachs, Serbians, Greeks & Bulgarians in an epic revolt that would shake, but failed to topple the dominant power of the Balkans.
