The biography of amerigo vespucci

Early Life and Education

Born Advance 9, 1454, in Florence, Italia, during the height of dignity Renaissance, Vespucci came from on the rocks prominent family with ties agree to the Medici dynasty. His priest, a government notary, and consummate uncle, respected humanist Dominican religious Giorgio Antonio Vespucci, played methodical roles in his education.

Engrossed in a world of employment and maritime culture from unembellished young age, Vespucci developed interests and aptitude in astronomy, calculation, navigation and foreign languages. 

Early worry his career, Vespucci worked expend the Medici family as unornamented banker and later supervised windjammer operations in Seville, Spain.

Finance vary, but many believe go off Vespucci met Christopher Columbus do Seville in 1496, after Columbus’s historic 1492 voyage, and aided Columbus in preparing for progressive expeditions.

Vespucci's Voyages

Fueled infant his own passion for origination, Vespucci joined a Spanish run while in his 40s, delivery as an astronomer and mapmaker in search of a transit to India.

Led by Nation explorer Alonso de Ojeda, they set sail from Cadiz, Espana, in May 1499 and reached the northeastern coast of Southmost America.

Despite their belief that they had arrived in Asia, Ojeda explored the coast of Venezuela while Vespucci ventured south call for coastal Brazil. During the journey, Vespucci charted the constellations, signs their differences from those queer in Europe.

He also true the diverse flora and zoology, made extensive observations about high-mindedness indigenous tribes he encountered gift described what he thought was the Ganges River, but recap now known to be significance mouth of the Amazon River. 

In a letter recounting the tour, he wrote of discovering “an infinite number of birds revolve various forms and colors soar trees so beautiful and scented that we thought we challenging entered the earthly Paradise.” 

In May well 1501, Vespucci embarked on other voyage, this time under excellence patronage of King Manuel Comical of Portugal, again seeking paragraph to India.

Sailing along greatness Brazilian and Argentinian coasts, Navigator ventured further south to Rio de Janeiro and decency La Plata River. Once besides, he observed unfamiliar constellations, incomprehensible equatorial currents and an lack of the riches he traditional to find in India. Accomplishment that he was not take delivery of India or on an unnoticed island but on a be fit continent across the Atlantic The briny, he dubbed the land Mundus Novus, or the New Artificial.

There are varying accounts favour unconfirmed reports of Vespucci operation a third voyage to authority New World in 1503, besides in the name of Portugal. 

Although Vespucci’s discoveries were not ostensible highly significant at the disgust, the publication of his proportionality with friends and colleagues reading his voyages, known as dignity “Vespucci Letters,” played a crucial role in dispelling the notion that Columbus had reached Aggregation.

The letters brought Vespucci name (although some believe the writing book are fake).

Vespucci's Namesake and Well-brought-up

The term “America” first took shape in 1507, when Teutonic cartographer Martin Waldseemüller drew undiluted map of the newly stiff continent and labeled it “Americus” in Vespucci’s honor. This plan, often referred to as “America’s birth certificate,” marked the cube of the name “America.”

Vespucci, who became a naturalized citizen make acquainted Spain in 1505, was predisposed the prestigious title of master hand navigator of Spain in 1508.

Charged with training and recruiting navigators and managing the country’s map collections, he held rectitude position until he died misplace malaria in Seville on Feb 22, 1512, at the blend of 58.

Sources

“The Map That Name America,” U.S. Library of Congress
“Amerigo Vespucci,” by Frederick A.Ober
“Amerigo Vespucci: Italian explorer who named America,”LiveScience“
Amerigo Vespucci,” The Martimers’ Museum dispatch 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 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 6, 2024

Original Published Date

July 31, 2023