Petruccio Ubaldini (c.1524 – c.1600) was an Italian ('' Tuscan'')

mercenary soldier A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any o ...

for

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

(1545–47) and in Edward VI's Scottish war (1549) a

calligraphist Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

and illuminator on

vellum Vellum is prepared animal skin or membrane, typically used as writing material. Parchment is another term for this material, from which vellum is sometimes distinguished, when it is made from calfskin, as opposed to that made from other anima ...

, who was working in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and seems to have enjoyed the favor of the Court. One of his illuminated books, presented by him to Elizabeth, is in the

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second- ...

, and Walpole gives a list of other works, formerly in the King's Library, and now, most of them, in the British Museum. He was also an author and dedicated his ''Description of Scotland and the Islands'' to Sir

Christopher Hatton Sir Christopher Hatton KG (1540 – 20 November 1591) was an English politician, Lord Chancellor of England and a favourite of Elizabeth I of England. He was one of the judges who found Mary, Queen of Scots guilty of treason. Early years Sir ...

Life

He was born in

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

, about 1524. Ubaldini was first a soldier. He came to England in 1545, entered the service of the crown, and was employed on the continent in some capacity which took him back to Italy. He returned to England in the reign of Edward VI, and saw service in the Scottish war under

James Croft Sir James Croft PC (c.1518 – 4 September 1590) was an English politician, who was Lord Deputy of Ireland, and MP for Herefordshire in the Parliament of England. Life He was born the second but eldest surviving son of Sir Richard Croft of Cro ...

, governor of Haddington. He fought for England against the Scots at

Siege of Haddington The sieges of Haddington were a series of sieges staged at the Royal Burgh of Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland, as part of the War of the Rough Wooing, one of the last Anglo-Scottish Wars. Following Regent Arran's defeat at the battle of Pi ...

in 1548 during the war of the

Rough Wooing The Rough Wooing (December 1543 – March 1551), also known as the Eight Years' War, was part of the Anglo-Scottish Wars of the 16th century. Following its break with the Roman Catholic Church, England attacked Scotland, partly to break the ...

. By coincidence, there was another Ubaldini; Migliorino, in Scotland fighting for the other side.Merriman, Marcus, ''The Rough Wooing'', Tuckwell, (2000), 370. Ubaldini then spent time in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, and it was not until ten years later that he settled in England, where he found a patron in

Henry Fitzalan, 12th Earl of Arundel Henry Fitzalan, 12th Earl of Arundel KG (23 April 151224 February 1580) was an English nobleman, who over his long life assumed a prominent place at the court of all the later Tudor sovereigns, probably the only person to do so. Court caree ...

, who presented him at court. He taught Italian, transcribed and illuminated manuscripts, rhymed, and wrote or translated into Italian historical and other tracts. In 1578–9, though in receipt of a pension, he was saved from arrest for debt only by the intervention of the privy council. Ubaldini compiled an account (now lost) of the repulse of the Spanish-Italian invasion of

County Kerry County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...

in 1580 (see

Siege of Smerwick The siege of Smerwick took place at (known in English as Smerwick) in November 1580, during the Second Desmond Rebellion in Ireland. A force of between 400 and 700 Papal freelance soldiers, mostly of Spanish and Italian origin, landed at Smerw ...

). He rendered into Italian in 1588 the narrative of the defeat of the

Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada (a.k.a. the Enterprise of England, es, Grande y Felicísima Armada, links=no, lit=Great and Most Fortunate Navy) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by the Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aris ...

compiled for

Lord Howard of Effingham Earl of Effingham, in the County of Surrey, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, created in 1837 for Kenneth Howard, 11th Baron Howard of Effingham, named after the village of Effingham, Surrey, where heads of thf family owned ...

, ''Commentario del successo dell' Armata Spagnola nell' assalir l'Inghilterra l'anno 1588''. A free translation, as ''A Discourse concerning the Spanish Fleet'', was made by

Augustine Ryther Augustine Ryther (died 1593) was an English engraver and translator. He engraved some of Christopher Saxton's maps of English counties. He also made scientific instruments. Works Ryther was associated with engraving maps of the counties of Englan ...

Works

* ''La Vita Di Carlo Magno Imperadore (Life of Charles V)'', John Wolf, (1581) *''Descrittione del Regno di Scotia et delve Isole sue Adjacente (Description of Scotland and the Islands)'', Antwerp, (1588)
Coventry, Andrew, ed., ''Descrittione del Regno di Scotia et delve Isole sue Adjacente'', Bannatyne Club (1829)

References

* *Pellegrini, G., ''Petruccio Ulbaldini'', Milan (1967) ;Attribution 16th-century Italian painters Italian male painters Italian male writers 16th-century Italian military personnel 16th-century English military personnel Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Italian calligraphers Italian emigrants to the Kingdom of England Manuscript illuminators Year of birth uncertain {{Italy-artist-stub