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

mercenary soldier A mercenary is a private individual who joins an armed conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rather th ...

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 known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

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

calligraphist Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an exp ...

and illuminator on

vellum Vellum is prepared animal skin or membrane, typically used as writing material. It is often distinguished from parchment, either by being made from calfskin (rather than the skin of other animals), or simply by being of a higher quality. Vellu ...

, who was working in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

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. Founded in 1602 by Sir Thomas Bodley, it is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second-largest library in ...

, 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 (12 December 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 ...

Life

He was born in

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

, 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 Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. The only surviving son of Henry VIII by his thi ...

and described the King and court in 1551. Edward VI dressed richly in red, white, and violet, his clothes embroidered with gold, silver and pearls, but with less expense than Henry VIII. Servants wore green and yellow Tudor livery. Aristocratic English women wore French hoods, other wore caps of wool or fur. Ubaldini saw service in the Scottish war under James Croft, governor of Haddington. He fought for England against the Scots at Siege of Haddington 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 the English Reformation, the break with the Catholic Church, England attacked Scotland ...

. By coincidence, there was another Ubaldini; Migliorino, in Scotland fighting for the other side. Ubaldini then spent time in

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

, 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 (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. Court career under Henry VIII He was the only s ...

, who presented him at court. He taught Italian, transcribed and illuminated manuscripts, rhymed, and wrote or translated into Italian historical and other tracts. Ubaldini was employed to translate speeches for court

masques The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment that flourished in 16th- and early 17th-century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio (a public version of the masque was the pageant). A masq ...

.Edmond Malone, ''Plays and Poems of William Shakspeare'', 3 (London, 1821), p. 395. 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 () is a Counties of Ireland, county on the southwest coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is bordered by two other countie ...

in 1580 (see

Siege of Smerwick The siege of Smerwick took place at Ard na Caithne (the Hill of the Arbutus Tree, 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 ...

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

Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada (often known as Invincible Armada, or the Enterprise of England, ) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by Alonso de Guzmán, Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aristocrat without previous naval ...

compiled for Lord Howard of Effingham, ''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.

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 Immigrants to the Kingdom of England Italian manuscript illuminators Year of birth uncertain {{Italy-artist-stub