Abruzzi, Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the (1873-1933), an Italian naval officer and explorer, noted for his mountain-climbing expeditions. Abruzzi was born in Madrid, where his father, the son of King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy, ruled as King Amadeo I of Spain, 1870-73.
In 1897 Abruzzi was the first to climb 18,008-foot (5,489-m) Mount St. Elias in Alaska. His expedition to the North Pole (1899-1900) reached a record north latitude of 86° 34´ in Franz Josef Land. Abruzzi did not share in this feat, having remained at a base camp because of severe frostbite.
Abruzzi explored and mapped the Ruwenzori Range in East Africa in 1906. In 1909 he set an altitude record, reaching 24,600 feet (7,498 m) on Mount Godwin Austen (K-2) in the Himalayas. During World War I, Abruzzi commanded the Italian navy, 1914-17. After the war, he explored in East Africa.