Although little-known today, Enrico de Tonti carried the rich heritage of Italy into the annals of European explorers. His Italian roots of resilience and tenacity — traits forged in a region long ruled by foreign empires — were keys to his survival in the wilderness of 17th-century North America.

Tonti was born around 1649 in a coastal town near Naples to Lorenzo de Tonti and Isabelle di Lietto. The family moved to Paris soon after his birth so his father could escape persecution after an unsuccessful revolt against the city’s Spanish viceroy.