Pietro Maitire D (Called In English Peter Martyr) Anghiera, an Italian historian and geographer, born at Arona on Lago Maggiore in 1455, died in the city of Granada in 1526. He was of noble extraction, and at the age of 22 went to finish his education at Rome. In 1488 he accompanied the Spanish ambassador to Spain, where he served in two campaigns against the Moors, and then entered the church, and opened a school for the young nobility. In 1501 he visited the sultan of Egypt on a mission from King Ferdinand, and took occasion to explore the pyramids and some of the most striking remains of antiquity. The king obtained for him the title of apostolic prothonotary, and in 1505 made him prior of the church of Granada. Charles V. afterward presented him with a rich abbey. The historical works of Peter Martyr are among the best sources of information respecting the important age in which he lived. His literary remains comprise his Opus Epistolarum, a collection of letters in 38 books, in which almost every event of public importance from 1488 to 1525 is recorded; a history of the new world entitled De Rebm Oceanic is et Orhe Novo, written from original documents furnished by Columbus, and from statements made to the council of the Indies, of which he was a member; an account of newly discovered islands and their inhabitants; and a report of his visit to Egypt, under the title of De Legatione Babylonica.