A significant Croat, born on the island of Hvar, very little known even among the Croats, was Ivan Franje Bjundovic (Giovanni Francesco Biondi, 1573-1645). After having met Sir Henry Watton, English ambassador in Venice, with whom he shared the same interests as a lawyer and literature fan, he journeyed to England and carried confidential messages to King James I. Obviously, he was considered a competent scholar and diplomat, since James himself entrusted him with important diplomatic missions.

Bjundovic wrote a trilogy in Italian: “Eromena”, “La danzella desterrada” and “Il Corlabo”, which had several editions. Their English translations enjoyed exceptional popularity, as well as German and French. His most important work is “History of the English Civil Wars”, with his name appearing as Sir Francis Byondy. It was published in three volumes, where he described the Wars of the Roses. It was first published in Italian (L’istoria della Guerre civili d’Inghilterra) and printed in Venice in 1637-1644. Its English translation started to appear in 1641.