Robert Dudley (1573–1649) was the illegitimate son of the Earl of Leicester, the supposed lover of Queen Elizabeth I (the Virgin Queen). Dudley moved to Italy, in self-imposed exile, where in the years 1646–47 he created a large atlas of sea charts, Dell’ Arcane del Mare, or the secrets of the sea. The outcome was a collection of spectacular charts, detailed and beautifully done, but not always very accurate.