Robert FitzRoy’s name is forever associated with—and has been eclipsed by—Darwin’s. The poor man has received something of a bad press over the years. He is remembered as a bad-tempered, religious fundamentalist who refused to see the self-evident truth of evolution, despite having travelled the world for five years in the company of Charles Darwin. But he deserves to be remembered as more than the tragically misguided figure who fell out with Darwin: he was a fascinating and complex man, whose sense of duty and strong moral values drove him to great feats—and more than once landed him in trouble.