Amerigo Vespucci | |
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_-_cropped.jpg) Posthumous portrait (c. 1590–1637) at the British Museum in London, attributed to Crispijn van de Passe the Elder | |
| Born | 9 March 1454 |
| Died | 22 February 1512 (aged 57) |
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| Occupation(s) | Merchant, explorer, cartographer |
| Known for | Demonstrating to Europeans that the New World was not Asia but a previously unknown fourth continent,[a] after whom the Americas are named. |
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Amerigo Vespucci (/vɛˈspuːtʃi/ vesp-OO-chee,[1] Italian: [ameˈriːɡo veˈsputtʃi]; 9 March 1454 – 22 February 1512) was an Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Florence for whom "America" is named.
Vespucci participated in at least two voyages of the Age of Discovery between 1497 and 1504, first on behalf of Spain (1499–1500) and then for Portugal (1501–1502). In 1503 and 1505, two booklets were published under his name containing colourful descriptions of these explorations and other voyages. Both publications were extremely popular and widely read throughout much of Europe. Historians still dispute the authorship and veracity of these accounts, but they were instrumental in raising awareness of the discoveries and enhancing the reputation of Vespucci as an explorer and navigator.
Vespucci claimed to have understood in 1501 that Brazil was part of a fourth continent unknown to Europeans, which he called the "New World". The claim inspired cartographer Martin Waldseemüller to recognize Vespucci's accomplishments in 1507 by applying the Latinized form "America" to a map showing the New World. Other cartographers followed suit, securing the tradition of marking the name "America" on maps of the newly discovered continents.
It is unknown whether Vespucci was ever aware of these honours. In 1505, he was made a subject of Castile by royal decree, and he was appointed to the position of piloto mayor (master navigator) for Spain's Casa de Contratación (House of Trade) in Seville in 1508, a post which he held until his death in 1512.
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- ^ "Vespucci". CollinsDictionary.com. HarperCollins. Retrieved 27 April 2020.