One of the greatest geographers of the sixteenth century, Gerhard Kremer, of Flemish origin, Latinized his family name in Mercator when he entered the University of Louvain in 1530. He studied philosophy and theology and applied himself to the exercise of mathematics and astronomy under the guidance by Gemma Frisius (1508-1555). His geographical maps soon gained a great reputation throughout Europe, thanks to the new projection system that he introduced and which still bears his name today. Also notable was his production of celestial and terrestrial globes. From 1552 the intense cartographic activity continued in Duisburg.
