The misfortune of Amerigo Vespucci This Florentine traveler (or maybe not a traveler - some researchers believe that Amerigo Vespucci has never been to America) is unspeakably lucky (or unlucky): the world's greatest geographical discovery

"Do not be born beautiful, but be born happy" - the justice of this saying fully applies to the person whose name the New World is named -. And although in fact he was not even a navigator, he had an excellent command of the written style, was a talented lawyer, an honest man and a good friend. Here is, perhaps, the most comprehensive characterization of Alberigo Vespucci (that's what his parents called him). But the story with the name of the new continent has nothing to do with the personality of the lawyer of the Medici house. This is all advertising and good promotion for the publishers of his letters and notes.

History of success

It is good to be the youngest son in the family of a public notary of the Florentine Republic. A happy childhood gave way to a no less happy youth. Alberigo received his primary education at home, with his uncle, a Dominican monk, who was distinguished not only by his pedagogical talent, but also by his cheerful disposition. Studying at the university was easy and pleasant. By the age of twenty, the youngest son of a Florentine notary becomes the owner of a master's degree in law. There were no problems with employment. My uncle needed a competent and reliable clerk to work in the Paris office. In Alberigo, he mastered the most modern accounting technologies for the 15th century - the method of Luca Pacioli. His diligence and innovation, combined with honesty and sociability, could not but be noticed. After several years of successful work, the 26-year-old "lucky man" receives an invitation to work for the wealthiest bankers in Europe - the Medici family. The Medici increasingly turned their eyes to and, who were actively developing new trade routes and searching for undiscovered lands. "New lands - new money," the most successful and wealthy financiers of the Old World argued. When information spread throughout Europe about the preparation of a reconnaissance expedition in a western direction, the bankers needed an intelligent accountant and lawyer in Spain. It was difficult to find a better candidate than. Since 1491, Vespucci has represented the interests of the Medici in Spain. Along the way, he also serves the local rich, concludes contracts for the construction of ships, and provides financial participation of the Medici house in the most important expeditions. At the same time, Vespucci meets Columbus and other sailors. He makes a very favorable impression on acquaintances: honest, open, reliable. In fact, the main thing for a Medici representative is to earn money for his masters, which he does with extraordinary art. The active and fruitful activity of the financial agent of the Medici in Spain continues until 1499. But the further development of events makes the researchers rack their brains...

Travels of Amerigo Vespucci: whim of an elderly lawyer or a secret mission?

It is authentically known that the "Spanish" lawyer and accountant of the Medici - went on his first voyage as part of an expedition under the command of Alonso de Ojeda in 1499. By this time, he was already 45 years old, a respectable and even retirement age for that time. What prompted a successful and wealthy "financial manager" to leave a cozy office on the shore and go on a journey full of dangers and uncertainty? Researchers offer several options:

• The romantic version is an aging and lonely man (no information about his personal life or the Vespucci family has been preserved) decides to drastically change his life and go to distant lands for new experiences and adventures.
• The mercantile version - Alberigo Vespucci decides to make a fortune for himself, and not for the Medici, foreseeing the huge profits that the conquest of the New World will bring.
• The version is realistic - the Medici sent their trusted representative on a "business trip" to see how the funds invested by the bankers in the "project" are spent.

It is the latter option that deserves credibility, since many "investors" of the 15th-16th centuries acted in this way.

So, Alberigo Vespucci takes part in expeditions to the shores of the New World as a "passenger" and representative of the chief financier.
Three times the already middle-aged Florentine "manager" visits the shores of the new continent: once as part of the Spanish expedition and twice as part of the Portuguese "landing forces".

The first voyage of Amerigo Vespucci lasted from May 20, 1499 to February 1500. During the expedition, the coasts of such modern countries as Suriname, Guyana and Venezuela were explored - this is the name (little Venice) Vespucci gave to the settlement, which was located on stilts right on the water in the Gulf of Maracaibo. After exploring the bay, the expedition sailed about a thousand kilometers to the west (along the coast of Colombia), after which it visited the West Indies, and from there headed back to Spain.

Travel Amerigo Vespucci on the map

Amerigo Vespucci's first voyage route on the map

The second expedition took place from May 1501 to September 1502. The third expedition - from May 10, 1503 to June 18, 1504. The route of the third expedition is described differently by historians. The first version says that the expedition reached Buenos Aires, and then to the island of South Georgia. According to the second version, third expedition with Amerigo Vespucci followed along the coast of South America to. However, the second version raises many doubts among experts.

Route of the third expedition of Amerigo Vespucci - first version

Travel itinerary of Amerigo Vespucci - second version

After each trip, Amerigo Vespucci writes several "friendly" letters: to his Medici patrons, the head of the government of Florence, the Duke of Lorraine, the patron saint of discoverers. These letters, written in Latin, were a fascinating story about everything that Alberigo saw during his travels, masterful descriptions and the results of serious research work, and along the way, especially for the Medici, encrypted reports on the work done and conclusions about the appropriateness of financial support for this kind of expeditions.

Discoveries of Amerigo Vespucci

In fact, Alberigo Vespucci did not discover anything himself. On ships, he was more of a passenger than a professional sailor. However, thanks to this "passenger", detailed maps of the northern and eastern coasts of South America were drawn up, bays and harbors, flora and fauna, as well as the appearance and lifestyle of the natives were described. Invaluable information for those who are going to "master" a new territory and make a profit. The work done during travels is the work of a geographer, who also has an excellent command of writing talent. Thanks to imagination and excellent style, many of the names given to the new lands of Vespucci have survived to this day: Venezuela (Little Venice), Rio de Janeiro (January River) and many others that are not so famous. Can we assume that? Of course not. America was discovered by the son of the Viking Erik the Red (Leiv Eriksson) back in 1000. The thing is different, it was Vespucci who first suggested that the lands discovered in the West were not Asia, but a new continent, which he announced in his letters. Being a modest man, Vespucci suggested the name - "New World". How did it happen that the whole continent was named after a person who did not discover it at all? It's all about commerce...

They married me without me

From 1505 until his death, he lives in Spain, holds the honorary position of "chief helmsman of Indian voyages." By replacing the Medici family with the Spanish king, the Florentine "accountant" secured a solid income and the opportunity to invest in numerous expeditions that brought good profits. Vespucci's duties included the financial support and legal support of all major maritime expeditions of the Spanish crown. He knew his business and worked with extraordinary enthusiasm. He no longer thought about sea adventures, he returned to his beloved work. Alberigo's letters were first published as early as 1507 in. Since the traveler Amerigo Vespucci wrote his messages in Latin, the language of educated people of that time, translations of Vespucci's notes in French and German very quickly appeared. The German bookseller (publisher) with the complex surname Waldseemüller was the first to suggest that the traveler deserves to be named after the New World. By the way, it was in the German edition that Vespucci was first called Amerigo instead of Alberigo. Whether it was a typo, translation problems, or banal negligence - no one will remember.
The reading public liked Waldseemüller's idea. And since 1520, a new name for the open continent appeared on all maps - America (Country Amerigo). By this time he was already dead, but he learned about the proposal of the German bookseller several years before his death. It is also known that the traveler himself was categorically against having the New World named after him. He was a modest man, and as a financier he did not like to draw attention to himself at all.

Why were other pioneers so unfairly bypassed? It's all about literary talent. Columbus' notes were confused and inaccurate, and the first expedition to the West was surrounded by a veil of secrecy. Magellan did not leave any notes about his journey at all, he died without completing the expedition. And the names were generally unknown to Europeans. All the pioneers either wrote poorly, or published their notes in Italian, Portuguese, and these works were read only by the same travelers as the authors. With Amerigo Vespucci, it turned out differently: his influential friends (especially the Duke of Lorraine) spared no expense and time to ensure that all the traveler's letters reached the reader. The public learned about the new continent named from his notes. Therefore, I was sure that Amerigo Vespucci discovered America. And the world will learn about the merits of Columbus only 50 years after his death. It must be said that the sons of Christopher Columbus, who witnessed the growing fame of Vespucci, never accused the traveler of appropriating other people's laurels. Amerigo Vespucci was well known to them, including by letters of recommendation from their father, who considered him a model of decency and nobility. Later, some unscrupulous historians will try to prove that Amerigo Vespucci set foot on continental America before Columbus did. They will come up with a non-existent expedition of 1497. The falsification will be exposed in a few years. Amerigo Vespucci is lucky, lucky and a minion of fate. Successful and wealthy during his lifetime, after his death he became a very famous person. Obviously, this is his reward for impeccable honesty and decency - such rare qualities for a financier ...

Monument to Amerigo Vespucci in Florence

The famous Italian navigator, explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci was born on March 9, 1451 in Florence and died on February 22, 1512 in Seville. Amerigo was born in the family of the notary Anastasio Vespucci and was his third son. As a young man, Amerigo worked for the famous Florentine Medici family.

At that time, Amerigo received a very good education in physics, geography and nautical astronomy. Amerigo Vespucci studied these subjects with his own uncle, the scientist Antonio Vespucci. For a long time, Amerigo worked as a minor employee in the banking house of the Medici family and was an agent representing the interests of the Medici family in Seville. In 1491 he was sent to Spain, where he met with Christopher Columbus. This meeting aroused Amerigo Vespucci's interest in traveling to distant lands.

Today it is not known for certain how many times Vespucci crossed the Atlantic Ocean. Amerigo Vespucci made his first voyage in 1497. Then Amerigo did not provide reliable data, but only his own assurances that during the voyage of 1497 he saw the coast of South America. That is, according to him, he discovered America one year before Columbus.

From May 1499 to September 1500, Amerigo Vespucci was in the naval service of the Spanish king. In the spring of 1501 he entered the Portuguese service, where he remained until June 1504. After that, Amerigo Vespucci returns to his homeland. In the period from 1508 until his death, he serves as the chief helmsman of Castile.

There is no doubt that between 1499 and 1500 Amerigo Vespucci took part in the Spanish expedition led by Alonso Ojeda. The expedition discovered the entrance to the mouth of the Amazon River and explored a part of the northern coast of South America, which they called Ojeda Venezuela (little Venice).

The next voyage to the shores of America, in which Amerigo Vespucci took part, was the Portuguese expedition of 1501. This expedition explored the Atlantic coast of South America. The ships passed the easternmost point of South America, which they called Cape Rock, and continued south along the coast. Since this happened on January 1, when they saw a river flowing into the ocean, they called it Rio de Janeiro, which means January River.

The Portuguese expedition sailed along the coast south to 50°S. It was during this journey that Vespucci came to the conclusion that the surveyed lands do not belong to Asia, as Columbus thought, but are a new, hitherto unknown continent. At that time, it had long been known that Asia was located entirely in the northern hemisphere. Vespucci is invited to name the new continent New World.

In 1507, the cartographer Waldseemuler, who lived in Lorraine, published a map of the New World. In brackets under the heading, he put the addition of Amerigosland, and from his hand behind this land the name America was fixed.

And now a completely different story about why America got this name ... This theory was expressed in 1908 by an antiquary from Bristol, Afred Hood. It follows that the continent was christened by a Welsh merchant from Bristol.

What are the newly discovered countries or continents called? Sometimes in the name of the discoverer, sometimes in honor of his king or queen ... If Amerigo Vespucci named the mainland he discovered in his honor, he would most likely give it the name Vespucci. Several recently found documents tell an interesting story about how this continent got the name of America. The New World is quite possibly named America not in honor of the Italian merchant and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci, but received this name from a Welshman called Richard America - by birth Richard Am Merrick. He was a wealthy Bristol merchant.

This stone commemorates John Cabot, who died in June 1749 at the age of 44.

Giovanni Cabot was born in 1450 in Genoa. In 1461 the family of the spice merchant Cabot moved to Venice. In 1485 and in 1490 he made long journeys and won the fame of an experienced navigator from his contemporaries. Giovanni Cabot, like all his contemporaries, knew perfectly well that spices were brought from the East. Already at that time (although this has not been reliably proven today), people assumed that the earth had the shape of a ball. If you go west, you may reach the fabulous riches of the East.

Cabot came to conduct his business and live in London from Genoa as early as 1484. Trying to find a sponsor for a trip to the East, in 1495 Cabot went to Bristol. There he met a Welshman whose name was Richard America. And Richard was willing to risk his money and expand the trade.

Richard America is named at birth Richard Am Merrick - son of Merrick. He was born into a noble and wealthy family. America moved to Bristol when the city became a trading center and the second largest port in England. In 1447, Richard America was elected sheriff of the city and three times in charge of the royal customs at the port. Since such a privilege was given only for 1 year, this tells us about the weight that he had in society.

Inspired by Cabot's stories, Richard America received an audience with King Henry VII in London. On March 5, 1496, Henry VII presented Cabot with a document in which the king gave him the right to sail under the English flag and declare all newly discovered lands to be the possessions of the English crown.

Statue of Giovanni Cabot in Bristol

Richard America was chief treasurer of John Cabot's second transatlantic voyage. So in English the name Giovanni Cabota sounded. The Italian navigator under the English flag twice sails across the ocean in 1497 and 1498. He sees the New World and lands where Canada is today. Cabot is charged with laying the foundations for the subsequent British expansion into North America.

34 days after sailing from England on the small ship Matthew, the sailors saw the land. What exactly it was over the coast, historians have no consensus. Maybe it was Nova Scotia, or Newfoundland, maybe any other point on the coast of North America. The expedition lands at three different places on the mainland and takes with them evidence that they have discovered a new land. So in May 1497, Giovanni Cabot became the first European to documented reaching the American continent.

This happened two years before Vespucci's voyage. He mapped the North American coastline from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland. As the chief treasurer of this campaign, Richard America expected that the newly discovered lands would be named after him.

In the Bristol Archives for that year, an entry was preserved: "On the day of John the Baptist, the country of America was discovered by a merchant from Bristol. The ship is called the Matthew, and this is what happened."

John Cabot brought various gifts to the king's palace. Henry VII gives him the next license and in 1498 Cabot leaves the port of Bristol in 5 ships in the direction of the land he discovered. One of the ships is damaged in a storm and is returning to England. The rest of the ships were gone.

Replica of John Cabot's ship at Bristol

The following year, his son, Sebastian Cabot, organizes an expedition in search of his father. They have not found traces of the lost ships, but in the course of the search they are mapping the North American coast from Labrador to the Carolinas.

Other archives have also found evidence of English sailors sailing across the Atlantic Ocean at the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries. It is very curious that the coat of arms of the Am Merrick family contains stars and stripes known all over the world today, similar to those depicted on the flag of the United States of America.

A year after Cabot's first voyage in 1497, the Spanish ambassador to London, Pedro de Ayala, writes to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella about ships outfitted in Bristol that are setting off in search of the island of Brazil and the seven cities.

Although the original manuscript of John Cabot is not preserved in this archive, it is mentioned in many other documents from the same period. This was the first use of the name America for the name of a new continent.

The oldest map on which the name America is used to designate new lands is a large map of the world by Martin Waldseemühler dated 1507. But this map shows only the outlines of the mainland of South America. In his comments, Waldseemuler suggested that the name America comes from the Latin pronunciation of the name Amerigo Vespucci. Since it was he who discovered and mapped the coast of the South American continent in the period from 1500 to 1502.

This means that he was not sure, but only made assumptions about how the name of this continent came about. But there were other maps, most likely those drawn by Giovanni Cabot. The only place where the new continent at that time was known under the name America and only this name was used was the city of Bristol. It is worth mentioning that on the next world map issued in 1513, Waldseemuler had already completely replaced the name of the new continent Terra Incognito with America.

Vespucci himself never used the name America in connection with the continent he had discovered. The mainland was referred to under the name New World. For this, there is another explanation accepted at that time - the newly discovered countries were never called the name of the discoverer. In addition, it can be argued with a high degree of probability that if America were named after the Italian navigator, it would have to have the name Vespucci.

Scientists believe that before the first voyage of Columbus, English fishing boats often crossed the Atlantic. They left Bristol for Newfoundland. Salted cod was brought to Bristol from Iceland. In 1475 the Danish king forbade trade with England. In 1475, merchants from Bristol received a royal decree telling them to look for another source of fish. A document discovered in 1955 suggests that by 1480 - that is, 12 years before Columbus, English fishermen had already probably established a base for salting fish on the coast of Newfoundland. In 1960, commercial documents were found, from which it becomes clear that Richard America was actively involved in this business. A letter dated 1481 indicates that Richard America sent fish salt to a place called Brasil. The letter also states that the fishermen gave many names to the various bays and headlands. Therefore, it is possible that America was named after Richard Am Merrick.

But there is, however, another assumption that the continent was named so with great respect for the Arabs

In the very name of America there is also an Arabic trace, which has practically not been studied by historians. The word America is probably of Arabic origin. Spain has been under Moorish rule since the 11th century. Notable Arab naval commanders included Wahda el-Ameri and Zuhair al-Ameri. They captured and Arabized many islands in the Adriatic. In the 11th century, they organize a campaign from Mauritania across the Atlantic Ocean to the overseas "Western Lands". Medieval Arab historians repeatedly describe their expedition.

But we no longer care who actually discovered and named the new continent America. The American expedition of Admiral Columbus in 1492 undoubtedly changed the course of world history. Strictly speaking, Columbus was not the first to see the coast of America on this expedition.

At 2 am on October 12, 1492, from the crow's nest of the Santa Maria caravel, sailor Juan Rodríguez Bermejo was the first to see the land. It was the island of San Salvador in the Bahamas. This day is now considered the discovery of America. And let on the conscience of Admiral Columbus remain the glory of the discoverer dishonestly appropriated by him and 10,000 maravedis of life annuity promised on behalf of the queen to those who see the new land, but it was he and Vespucci who showed the Europeans how to sail across the Atlantic to the New World.

Exact historical copy of the ship of Christopher Columbus "Santa Maria"