August 07

Robert Dudley was born in 1574 in London into a prominent noble family. Feeling overlooked at court, he left England and entered the service of the Grand Duke of Tuscany. He led voyages to the East Indies and the Americas, producing maps and maritime charts of significant accuracy for the era. Dudley’s 'Dell'Arcano del Mare' was one of the first comprehensive atlases of sea charts, published in England and Italy. Aside from his cartographic achievements, he attempted to establish an English colony in Guiana and proposed improvements in naval strategy. Dudley died in 1649 in Tuscany, remembered as a pioneering figure in maritime exploration and mapmaking.