Michael of Rhodes

In 1401 Michael of Rhodes joined the Venetian navy. Over the next four decades, he sailed into the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. He also took part in major sea battles. Michael’s diaries chronicle his long career as well as his deep knowledge of the art of navigation. The manuscript was lost for 400 years until it resurfaced in 1966 and again in 2000, when it was acquired by a private collector and made available to the Dibner Institute for the History of Science and Technology for study. The Michael of Rhodes Project makes Michael’s work available for the first time through this website and the publication of a scholarly edition of the manuscript.