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Gerardus Mercator ( March 5, 1512 - December 2, 1594) was a famous Flemish cartographer, remembered for the Mercator projection named after him.

Born Gerard de Cremere (or Kremer) in Rupelmonde. "Mercator" is the Latinized form of his name. It means "merchant" or "marketeer". Educated in 's-Hertogenbosch and at the University of Louvain. He travelled extensively, which provoked a keen interest in geography. He returned to Louvain and worked with Gemma Frisius and Gaspar Myrica . They worked together from 1535 to 1536 to construct a terrestrial globeA globe is a three-dimensional scale model of a spheroid celestial body such as a planet, star or moon, in particular Earth, or, alternatively, a spherical representation of the sky with the stars (not the Sun, Moon, or planets, because their positions va. Later, Mercator produced a map of PalestineFor varying definitions, see definitions of Palestine. Palestine ( Latin: Syria Palaestina Hebrew: Palestina Eretz Yisrael Arabic: Filasin , is a region in the Middle East extending inland from the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Its political sta ( 1537Events January 6 Alessandro de Medici assassinated August 25 The Honourable Artillery Company, the oldest surviving regiment in the British Army, and the second most senior, was formed. Pope Paul III publishes the encyclical Sublimis Deus, which declares), another map of the world ( 1538Events Treaty of Nagyvarad. Peace between King Ferdinand and the Turks. John Zapolya is recognized as King of Hungary, while Ferdinand retains the northern and western parts of the Kingdom, and is recognized as heir to the throne. Truce of Nice Peace betw) and a map of Flanders ( 1540Events January 6 King Henry VIII of England marries Anne of Cleves, his fourth Queen consort. July 9 King Henry VIII of England divorces Anne of Cleves, his fourth Queen consort. July 28 One of the most important political figures of the reign of Henry VI).

Mercator was charged with heresyHeresy according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is a "theological or religious opinion or doctrine maintained in opposition, or held to be contrary, to the ‘catholic’ or orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church, or, by extension, to that of any church in 1544Events April 11 Battle of Ceresole French forces under the Comte d'Enghien defeat Imperial forces under the Marques Del Vasto near Turin. May Emperor Charles V again invades eastern France June 19 August 18 Imperial siege of St. Dizier in eastern France J and spent seven months in prison. In 1552Events April War between Henry II of France and Emperor Charles V. Henry invades Lorraine and captures Toul, Metz, and Verdun. October December Unsuccessful Siege of Metz by Charles V October 2 Khanate of Kazan falls to troops of Ivan IV of Russia Russia, he moved to Duisburg where he opened a cartographic workshop. He completed a six-panel map of Europe ( 1554) and he taught mathematics. He produced more maps and he was appointed Court Cosmographer to Duke Wilhelm of Cleve in 1564. He devised a new projection and first used it in 1569; it had parallel lines of longitude to aid navigation by sea, as compass courses could be marked as straight lines.

Rumold's world map, drawn in 1587 after his father's map of 1567 (published in 1595) He took the word atlas to describe a collection of maps, and encouraged Abraham Ortelius to compile the first modern world atlas, Theatrum Orbis Terrarum in 1570. He produced his own atlas in a number of parts, the first of which was published in 1578 and consisted of corrected versions of the maps of Ptolemy (though introducing a number of new errors). Maps of France, Germany and the Netherlands were added in 1585 and of the Balkans and Greece in 1588, further maps were published in 1595 after his death by his son Rumold Mercator .

The Mercatormuseum in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium features exhibits about Mercator's life and work.