The well-educated son of an Italian family, Verrazzano settled in Dieppe, France, as a young man. This explains why his historic explorations of the coast of eastern North America were undertaken in the name of the French king. During his 1524 journey, Verrazzano recorded a detailed account of the places he visited, one that would prove a key source of information about North America. Readers will also learn about Verrazzano's later journey to Brazil and his final journey, in 1528, which ended tragically when he was killed and eaten by cannibals in the Caribbean.