Ralph Fitch, (born c. 1550—died , c. Oct. 4, 1611, London, Eng.), merchant who was among the first Englishmen to travel through India and Southeast Asia.
In February 1583, together with John Newberry, John Eldred, William Leedes, and James Story, Fitch embarked in the Tiger and reached Syria in late April. (Act I, scene 3 of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth alludes to the trip.) From Aleppo (Syria), they went overland to the Euphrates, which they descended to Al-Fallūjah, now in Iraq, and from there crossed over to Baghdad and sailed down the Tigris to Basra (May–July 1583). Eldred remained, but Fitch and ... (100 of 358 words)