Henry Howard (Earl of Surrey)

Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey (c. 1517-1547) was a foundational poet of the English Renaissance. His key contributions include refining the Petrarchan sonnet into the English sonnet form (abab cdcd efef gg) and introducing blank verse through his translation of Virgil. Published posthumously in Tottel's Miscellany (1557), his polished, technical innovations directly paved the way for the Elizabethan literary golden age.