This is the story of the life and exploits of Andrea Doria, a Genoese admiral born in 1466 who served as a mercenary for Rome, Naples, Genoa, France, and Spain during his 76-year career.

The disastrous and tragic fate of the famous ocean liner the Andrea Doria is well known and well documented. However, the same cannot be said about the rich and fascinating life of the man after whom the ship was named. In 1528, the remarkable Italian navigator restored independence to the city of Genoa—which at the time was under French control—even though just two years earlier he’d served as an admiral to François I, king of France. He then decided, with his country’s interests at heart, to join his former enemy, Charles V, with whom—after having first secured Genoa’s autonomy—he subsequently waged battle against Tunisia and Algeria.