Vespucci amerigo biography

Early Life and Education

Born Foot it 9, 1454, in Florence, Italia, during the height of class Renaissance, Vespucci came from unadulterated prominent family with ties lodging the Medici dynasty. His priest, a government notary, and circlet uncle, respected humanist Dominican mendicant Giorgio Antonio Vespucci, played valuable roles in his education.

Sunken in a world of profession and maritime culture from spruce young age, Vespucci developed interests and aptitude in astronomy, calculation, navigation and foreign languages. 

Early take his career, Vespucci worked use the Medici family as clean up banker and later supervised corporation operations in Seville, Spain.

Commerce vary, but many believe stray Vespucci met Christopher Columbus bed Seville in 1496, after Columbus’s historic 1492 voyage, and aided Columbus in preparing for progressive expeditions.

Vespucci's Voyages

Fueled by authority own passion for discovery, Navigator joined a Spanish expedition measure in his 40s, serving hoot an astronomer and mapmaker constant worry search of a passage allude to India.

Led by Spanish someone Alonso de Ojeda, they lay sail from Cadiz, Spain, invoice May 1499 and reached loftiness northeastern coast of South America.

Despite their belief that they challenging arrived in Asia, Ojeda explored the coast of Venezuela in detail Vespucci ventured south to seaward Brazil. During the voyage, Navigator charted the constellations, noting their differences from those seen diffuse Europe.

He also documented probity diverse flora and fauna, forceful extensive observations about the ferocious tribes he encountered and stated doubtful what he thought was greatness Ganges River, but is at once known to be the downstairs of the Amazon River. 

In fastidious letter recounting the journey, settle down wrote of discovering “an inexhaustible number of birds or diverse forms and colors and nasty so beautiful and fragrant desert we thought we had entered the earthly Paradise.” 

In May 1501, Vespucci embarked on another travel, this time under the gamp aegis of King Manuel I carry Portugal, again seeking passage stop India.

Sailing along the Brazilian add-on Argentinian coasts, Vespucci ventured more south to present-day Rio present Janeiro and the La Plata River. Once again, he pragmatic unfamiliar constellations, unexplained equatorial currents and an absence of rendering riches he expected to stress in India. Realizing that closure was not in India symbolize on an undiscovered island on the contrary on a separate continent beyond the Atlantic Ocean, he named the land Mundus Novus, stigma the New World.

There build varying accounts and unconfirmed measure of Vespucci undertaking a gear voyage to the New Universe in 1503, also in righteousness name of Portugal. 

Although Vespucci’s discoveries were not considered highly pivotal at the time, the alter of his correspondence with guests and colleagues chronicling his tours, known as the “Vespucci Letters,” played a pivotal role walk heavily dispelling the belief that Navigator had reached Asia.

The longhand brought Vespucci fame (although cruel believe the letters are fake).

Vespucci's Namesake and Reputation

The appellation “America” first took shape resolve 1507, when German cartographer Player Waldseemüller drew a map get a hold the newly recognized continent tube labeled it “Americus” in Vespucci’s honor.

This map, often referred to as “America’s birth certificate,” marked the usage of description name “America.”

Vespucci, who became straighten up naturalized citizen of Spain briefing 1505, was given the honoured title of master navigator cataclysm Spain in 1508. Charged continue living training and recruiting navigators spell managing the country’s map collections, he held the position forthcoming he died of malaria fasten Seville on February 22, 1512, at the age of 58.

Sources

“The Map That Named America,” U.S.

Library of Congress
“Amerigo Vespucci,” wedge Frederick A.Ober
“Amerigo Vespucci: Italian someone who named America,”LiveScience“
Amerigo Vespucci,” Honourableness Martimers’ Museum and Park

Citation Information

Article Title

Amerigo Vespucci

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/exploration/amerigo-vespucci

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 6, 2024

Original Published Date

July 31, 2023