Amerigo Vespucci
Raised and educated in Florence, Amerigo (also Americus) Vespucci was a merchant and navigator who sailed to the new world on two (perhaps even three) occasions, sailing for Spain and for Portugal. He made his most significant scientific contribution to the Age of Discovery when, through astronomical observations off the coast of South America, he confirmed that the lands Columbus had encountered were not Asia but were in fact an entirely separate continent. The letters Vespucci wrote describing his travels were published and widely distributed in Europe.
Vespucci owes the use of his name for two continents to the German clergyman and scholar Martin Waldseemüller, who had read of Amerigo's travels and chose to call the new lands "America" in his honor when printing a wood-block map.
Important Dates
Second Expedition sets sail: May 13, 1501
Second Expedition returns: July 22, 1502
Quotations from Amerigo
Vespucci
"The manner of their living is very barbarous, because they do not eat at fixed times, but as often as they please.""Those new regions which we found and explored with the fleet... we may rightly call a New World... a continent more densely peopled and abounding in animals than our Europe or Asia or Africa; and, in addition, a climate milder than in any other region known to us."
At About
Amerigo Vespucci
Concise introduction to the man for whom two continents were named, and his contributions to the perception of the new world, by About.com Guide to Geography Matt Rosenberg.
On the Web
"Amerigo and the New World: The Life and Times of Amerigo Vespucci"
Extracts from the 1955 publication by German Arciniegas, offered in a vanilla text file at the Columbus and the Age of Discovery site.Amerigo Vespucci (1452-1512): Account of His First Voyage, 1497
Modern English translation of Vespucci's letter at Paul Halsall's Medieval Sourcebook.Catholic Encyclopedia: Amerigo Vespucci
Extensive bio and examination of his letters and legacy by Gustavo Uzielli.Engines of Our Ingenuity: Amerigo Vespucci
Brief overview of Vespucci's significance by John H. Lienhard includes a RealAudio version.Explorers of the Millennium: Amerigo Vespucci
Concise bio at ThinkQuest includes a sketch portrait of the navigator.
In Print
Related Resources
Exploration, Expansion & Discovery
Resources for the study of early European explorations, Viking expansion, trade between East and West, and the Age of Discovery that is sometimes considered the end of the medieval era.Medieval Italy
Sites that focus on the people and places of Italy during the middle ages and Renaissance.
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