Every schoolchild knows that the first European to reach the shores of America was Columbus. But in honor of whom America is named, and why Columbus remained "out of work", they still argue. But in order to understand what the dispute is about, it is worth taking a closer look at the issue, which we will now do.
What is America?
America is called a part of the world, consisting of two continents. In addition to North and South America itself, it includes many nearby islands, including Greenland, although economically and politically this large island belongs to European Denmark. As you already understood, this is a huge territory, and it is all the more interesting to know after whom America was named. And maybe it would be more honest to call her something else ...
Why not Columbica?
Many geographic features are named after their discoverers. But Christopher Columbus was not lucky with this. Like all travelers, he dreamed of making a great discovery, but his expedition, consisting of three ships, officially pursued somewhat different goals. "Santa Maria", "Pinta" and "Niña" had to find a shortcut to India, the wealth of which haunted the Spanish Crown. The fact is that the spices that can now be found in every kitchen were worth their weight in gold at that time. The Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella really wanted to get them faster and cheaper in order to resell them to other countries at a profit. So the expedition was faced with a purely economic task.
Columbus assumed that India could be reached not only by land or around Africa, as the Portuguese always did. He guessed that if you go west, the path will be both easier and closer. On October 12, 1492, Columbus achieved his goal. His team landed on the "Indian" coast. In fact, the expedition discovered a new continent, but never figured it out. Columbus visited his "India" three more times, but did not realize the mistake. This is most likely the reason that the continent is not named Columbica. Thus, the main question, after whom America is named, is still open.
Version one (main)
The main version of the emergence of the modern name of the mainland says that it was formed on behalf of the outstanding traveler, cartographer and businessman Amerigo Vespucci. It was he who, exploring the shores discovered by Columbus, made detailed maps and managed to understand that this was not the West Indies, but a completely new continent, previously unknown to Europeans. But the one after whom America is named, he himself used a different name. The described lands Amerigo Vespucci called the "New World".
The talented cartographer not only made maps of the lands, but also described nature, talked about unusual animals, pointed out which stars can be guided by. He also introduced Aboriginal customs to Europeans. Strictly speaking, it was not quite a scientific work, since Vespucci also turned out to be a talented writer. Many believe that the process of describing new lands has greatly excited the imagination of the author. Vespucci's letters and travel notes were published as a separate book and had overwhelming success in his homeland.
Who was the first to introduce the name "America"?
Cartographers-geographers quickly got their bearings in the situation. They realized that both Columbus and Vespucci describe the same lands, and this is precisely a new continent. Then they divided it into northern and southern parts, that is, North and South America. The delimitation of continents conditionally passes along the Isthmus of Panama. The islands located in the Caribbean Sea were attributed by geographers to North America.
For the first time, the faceless name "New World" was changed on the maps of Martin Waldseemüller. It was he who introduced the name America into use. The cartographer motivated this decision by the fact that the map was compiled based on the more complete materials of Vespucci, and not on the approximate descriptions of Columbus. It took almost 30 years for the world to take on a new name. According to some sources, Vespucci himself was not very happy with this fact. He didn't really want to be the one after whom America was named, since he was friends with Columbus and his family.
Friendship is above all
Columbus himself did not understand that he had discovered a new continent, but his family resignedly accepted the state of affairs that had arisen. After the death of their father, the sons of Columbus did not start disputes and litigations with his friend over the name of the new lands. They appreciated the old friendship and understood that nothing depends on Amerigo himself. Moreover, the person after whom America was named never used the new name.
Second version (quite possible)
In the question of who America is named after, the final point has not been put because there is another completely possible version. The British insist on this version. They believe that the continent of America is named after Richard America, a wealthy merchant from Bristol. This man took a serious financial part in the outfitting of John Cabot's expedition. The ships of this traveler followed the path of Columbus and reached new lands before the team led by Amerigo Vespucci.
Cabot's expedition left Bristol in 1497. It consisted of only 18 people. The naval vessel was called "Matthew". Even here there are disagreements, the name is associated with the evangelist Matthew, or so the name of D. Cabot's wife, Mattea, was immortalized.
During the expedition, Cabot worked on a map of the coast of North America, although he himself believed for a long time that he was describing China. In fact, Cabot landed on the northern part of Newfoundland Island. His most valuable discovery Cabot considered rich fishing grounds (Great Newfoundland Bank), where numerous shoals of cod and herring were found.
This version of the origin of the name is based on the chronicle of Bristol, in which there is a record that in 1497 merchants who arrived from Bristol on the ship Matthew found the land and named America.
A comedy of mistakes
The famous writer Stefan Zweig called the story of the new mainland finding its final name a comedy of mistakes. And indeed, he opened one, described the other, and was named, perhaps, in honor of the third. Many still believe that Columbus was treated unfairly, although he was mistaken in the ownership of the new lands. But no matter what they say, the fact remains: the man in whose honor the continent of America was named was definitely among the first to step on its shores. For many, this is quite enough.
Why is America called America? Don't rush to answer. There are several versions. It is possible that the one you know is not the most truthful. Consider everything available today.
Was America named after Amerigo Vespucci?
Truly, life is not fair. America was discovered by Christopher Columbus, but named not Columbia, but America in honor of a man who made no effort to discover it. But this is only if the most popular version that America got its name in honor of Amerigo Vespucci is correct.
Who is this Amerigo Vespucci? He was born on March 9, 1454 in Florence, perhaps the most advanced city in Italy at the time. Florence was the birthplace of the Renaissance, the center of science and creativity. Florentine banks and trading houses have established a network of commercial establishments throughout Europe. Amerigo was the third son of wealthy entrepreneur Sir Nastagio Vespucci. He received his name in honor of his grandfather. In general, the name Amerigo has an ancient Germanic origin. It got to Italy in the early Middle Ages and originally sounded like Emmerich, literally "ruling over the world." The best Slavic analogue of Emmerich is the name Miroslav.
Amerigo was brought up at the Dominican monastery of San Marco, but as an adult he decided not to bother himself with a university education, as his older brothers did, but went to work in the Medici family trading house. One of the branches of the House of Medici was in Cadiz, the Spanish city from where Christopher Columbus set out on his famous voyage. The management of the branch was under suspicion of theft, so in 1492, at the same time as Columbus's little flotilla sailed to meet the discoveries of new lands, Amerigo arrived in Cadiz as an inspector. In 1495, he was entrusted with managing the affairs of his compatriot Gianotto Berardi, who entered into an agreement with the Crown of Castile on the sale of 12 ships to sail across the ocean.
The expedition explored the northern coast of South America, discovered several islands and Lake Maracaibo. In general, not bad results for the study of geography, but from a commercial point of view, a complete failure. They got some pearls, some gold, and in order to patch holes in the budget, they engaged in the capture of Indians for further sale into slavery. The matter was complicated by a conflict with Christopher Columbus, who met Ojeda's expedition with obvious hostility.
Participation in the voyage of Ojeda is only the most famous episode in the research biography of the Florentine. Judging by his own letters, he participated in four overseas travels. A total of six such letters have survived. Four of them were published in 1507 in Latin as an appendix to the world map of the German geographer Martin Waldseemüller. They told in detail about the discoveries, but, most importantly, they reported that the open lands were not Asia, but the hitherto unknown New World.
Later researchers were usually jealous of the fact that the name Amerigo was extended to the discoveries made by Columbus, therefore, they argued that in the letters Vespucci exaggerated his role, that the first two letters were not written by him at all, but were compiled on the basis of spy reports. houses of the Medici, or the fact that they contained information stolen from the Spanish pilot Juan de la Cosa, a member of the same expedition Ojeda. Maybe the researchers are right about something. But let's see why the published letters played such an outstanding role.
Did Christopher Columbus know that he was not in Asia? Probably yes! In his epistolaries, he refrained from mentioning the Asian shores and called the lands discovered by him simply new open lands. But Columbus's messages were not for the general public. In Spain, they were not going to hide the fact that discoveries were made. But they were in no hurry to talk about them in detail. After all, this information was part of commercial and government interests. 16 years after the discoveries of Columbus, in the countries of Europe there was an obvious lack of information about the lands in the west.
The letters of Amerigo Vespucci were the first to vividly describe the New World and were accepted by many as revelations. Among the admirers of the Florentine was the professional geographer Waldseemüller. There is nothing strange about this. Moreover, after the publication of the letters were highly appreciated by the Spanish king Ferdinand. In 1508, he appointed Vespucci as the main navigator of Spain with a good salary, and even poured out an order of coins to open a navigator school.
It is believed that the name America appears for the first time on Waldseemüller's map. “Another quarter of the world was discovered by Americus Vesputius,” wrote Waldseemüller. - and I do not understand why someone should rightfully forbid it to be called American, like the Land of Americus or America, from its discoverer Americus, a man of discerning character. " Well, Waldseemüller clearly got excited, calling Vespucci the discoverer. But, in any case, it becomes clear where the legs grow from. Amerigo Vespucci made the first detailed description, came to the conclusion that the new mainland was not Asia, and as a result got his name on the map.
Everything seems simple and straightforward, if not for the skeptics. They argue that Waldseemüller's words are misunderstood. He did not at all name America after Amerigo, but made an attempt to explain why it is called that. The name America, they say, predates Waldseemüller's map. Is that really true? Let's take a look at their versions of the appearance of this name.
How did the Italian give the Welsh name to America?
John Cabot in America. A picture from a book a century ago
Many British and Canadians believe that the name America comes from the name of Richard America, the sheriff of the English city of Bristol. This version appeared in 1911 thanks to the Bristol local historian Alfred Hadd. He found in the Bristol Chronicle a curious entry under the year 1497: "On the day of St. John the Baptist, the land of America was found."
At the end of the 15th century, Bristol was one of the most commercially active ports in the northern seas of Europe. Bristol merchants, fishermen and pirates sailed in the Baltic Sea, to the shores of Norway and Iceland. In 1496, the fifty-ton ship Matthew left Bristol harbor in a westerly direction. Japan and China were his targets. The ship was caught in a storm and was forced to return. The following year, the Matthew sailed westward again. Successful this time. On June 24, 1497, the team landed on the opposite side of the Atlantic Ocean. It is believed that it was the coast of the Canadian peninsula of Nova Scotia or the island of Newfoundland. The English expedition was led by the Italian Giovanni Cabotto, or John Cabot.
About as much is known about the date and place of birth of John Cabot as about his compatriot Christopher Columbus. That is, almost nothing. The year of birth is considered to be 1450. Some researchers believe that Cabot saw the light of day in Venice, others - that in Genoa, still others - that in the Kingdom of Naples. Cabot himself considered himself a citizen of the Genoese Republic. In 1490 he went bankrupt and fled from Genoa to Spanish Valencia, where he contracted to build a port. Apparently, he was still the builder, because the port was never built.
John was quite impressed by the news that Columbus's 1492 expedition had reached unknown lands in the west. However, why unknown? Cabot, like most of his contemporaries, believed that Columbus had reached Asia. He immediately drew up his own project of sailing across the northern seas. The meaning of Cabot's idea was that the further to the north, the shorter the parallels are. Consequently, the northern route to the west was shorter and more economical than the southern one. In theory, the Genoese was supposed to submit his project to the monarchs of Spain and Portugal. Alfred Hudd writes about this, but there is no clear information about Cabot's requests.
In 1495, John Cabot and his family moved to London, where, with the support of the bankers of Florence, he received a royal patent allowing navigation across the Atlantic Ocean. The expedition was funded by private entrepreneurs - Italian and Bristol merchants. It was then that Cabot had to meet Sheriff Richard America. Americas came from Wales and belonged to the Welsh aristocratic family of the Up-Meraiks. Actually, Americas is an English-language distortion of the Welsh surname. Our sheriff's position is usually associated with American films, where the sheriff is the local police officer. In England, the sheriff was a representative of the king who was in charge of finances and was in charge of collecting taxes. As a rule, he did not hesitate to pursue his own entrepreneurial career, since working under a royal roof is always more pleasant than on his own. Some researchers report that Richard Americ was the host of "Matthew". They have no evidence, but such a turn of affairs is quite possible. In any case, the sheriff had to take part in the preparation of the expedition.
I must say that like all Italians of the Renaissance, John Cabot was a vain and extravagant man. As a doctor, he invited a hairdresser to the ship, to whom he promised that he would call some island by his name. It seems that such promises he made not only to him. It is not surprising if the land he discovered on June 24, 1497 as a result received the name of the Bristol sheriff.
Unfortunately, there is not a lot of information about John Cabot's voyage across the ocean. It looks like it was a commercial failure. Nevertheless, after his return, Cabot received a warm welcome from the king. As a reward, he was given a lump sum of 10 pounds and another 20 pounds in annual pension. To be clear, £ 5 was considered the normal annual salary of a laborer at the time. Just ridiculous money when compared to how much Christopher Columbus and his descendants received. In 1498 Cabot again applied for a sailing patent and received it again. But the expedition of 1498 ended tragically for him. Neither he nor his companions returned back.
The Bristol Chronicle was completed in 1506, and even if the entry in 1497 was made at the end of the writing, it is older than Waldseemüller's map by about a year. Therefore, the version of the local historian Alfred Hadd looks like a solid objection to the supporters of the traditional version of Amerigo Vespucci.
By the way, another curious fact is connected with the swimming of John Cabot. From the end of the 16th century, in European literature, the Indians of North America began to be called Redskins. This may seem strange, considering that the skin of the Indians is not at all red, neither Christopher Columbus nor Amerigo Vespucci reported anything about this. The reason was the work of the English travel historian Richard Hacklath. He used information from the Cabot expedition, who was visiting Newfoundland, inhabited by the Beotuk Indians. Beotuk had a custom of dyeing their skin with ocher, so they appeared to be red-skinned. This is how the British created a nickname for all Indians. Probably the same could have happened with the name America.
Scandinavian roots of the name America?
Christopher Columbus and his companions were not the first Europeans to come to America. Thanks to the records of Scandinavian folklore and archaeological finds from the last century, we know that the first Europeans in America were the Scandinavian Vikings. In 982, Icelander of Norwegian descent Eric Raudi discovered Greenland, where two Scandinavian colonies emerged. Around the year 1000, his son Leif made his way to neighboring America. The Greenlanders made two attempts to colonize the North American shores, but did not succeed in this due to clashes with local residents.
In the 15th century, the Greenlandic settlement was finally abandoned. About the mysterious disappearance of the Greenland Vikings. For a while, the memory of the Vikings in America was erased. However, we have preserved the names that the Vikings gave to the American shores they discovered - Vinland, Helluland and Markland. In the thirties of the XX century, Scandinavian scientists tried to ascribe the name America to their ancestors. They argued that in translation from the ancient Scandinavian languages Omerike means something like "far beyond" or "Eric's property". And of course they found an explanation of how this name could have gotten to Waldseemüller's map and the Bristol Chronicle. The Scandinavian peoples had strong ties with Germany and England.
The Scandinavian hypothesis is good in that to some extent it reconciles the first two versions, but bad in that the word "Omerike" first occurs in the texts of those who put forward it, that is, in the 20th century.
Did Columbus really give the name to America?
In Latin America, a popular version is that the name America came to Europe from Indian languages. It was first expressed by the French geologist Jules Marcoux, who lived in the 19th century. He discovered on the territory of modern Nicaragua a mountain named America. The Mesquito Indians reported that this was the name of one of the tribes that previously lived near the mountain. Markou decided that while exploring the Caribbean, Christopher Columbus could hear the name and give it to the Central American mainland.
The version is interesting, because it recognizes the primacy of Christopher over Amerigo. Christopher opened and Christopher gave the name. Let not in honor of himself, but used the local word. The problem with this version is that Columbus never used the name America in any of our sources.
Text: Dmitry Samokhvalov
Illustrations courtesy of the wikimedia foundation
If you have anything to add on the topic, feel free to comment.
Back in school, in geography lessons, we learned that America was discovered by Christopher Columbus, although he aspired to India. Thanks to his greatest delusions, and perseverance in achieving his goals, he left the brightest mark in history.
But here the question immediately arises: why was this continent not given the name of the great discoverer? Why is it called America? Why wasn't the continent named Colombia?
Christopher Columbus was not given to be immortalized in the name of the continent, which he discovered by pure chance. We all know that he aspired to India. His mistake was that he underestimated the real size of the Earth.
Misguided, he believed that where the whole mainland is located, Japan and China should have been located. There is no doubt, if the great navigators and travelers knew about the true dimensions of our planet, they would have discovered this continent much later.
The reason lies on the surface. The land discovered by the navigator was not allowed to bear his name. Just before his death, a book appeared, which was believed to have been written by the famous traveler Amerigo Vespucci. In it, with a sense of delight and joy, it tells the story of the discovery of paradise on earth, which he examined during one of his expeditions.
Nobody remembered about Columbus, which was the intricacy of the share or the trick of the publisher. At the same time, Vespucci did not even know about it. The author used a private letter-report from Amerigo Vespucci as evidence.
Despite the fact that Columbus made the discovery of several islands, and even landed on the coast of South America, he, without deviating from his goal, was sure that he had discovered India, calling its inhabitants in no way other than Indians. At the same time, Vespucci began to claim that he was the first to land on this mainland.
At the same time, in the sent reports, he indicated exactly this. His friends from Italy did not remain silent about this, and the fact of the discovery of America was appropriated by Vespucci. Accordingly, at first, he himself put the territory open to him on the map. Then the German and French cartographers who compiled the maps after him mapped this continent on the maps of Central and North America, while giving it the name America.
After the publication of the book about the discovery of Amerigo Vespucci, this book naturally became widely known. It has been translated into many languages of the world. And in 1507, an offer was made to give the mainland the name "America" in honor of the navigator Vespucci.
The falsification, of course, was discovered. But, alas, no one changed the name. That is why the continent is not called Colombia, and we all use the name that has become familiar to everyone - "America".
If you ask the question after whom America is named, many will not hesitate to answer - Amerigo Vespucci. But is it really so? Who actually discovered the "New World"? Historians have been looking for an answer to these questions for a long time. Let's figure out who named it and who first opened it?
Historical injustice
It is very difficult to answer who America is named after. Indeed, for many centuries, some of the facts have been hidden, and some documents have been lost. However, very often in print media you can find articles that talk about historical injustice. According to many, the discoverer of the new continent was, however, his name was never immortalized, and America was named after another traveler.
But at the same time, experts say that Columbus did not open the "New World". And there is no injustice. The purpose of the expeditions of Christopher Columbus was the search for the West Indies. For this discovery he received a laurel branch. The traveler was looking for new trade routes so that ships could not sail past Asia, which was restless at that time. So why Columbus? He didn't call America America. And this is a fact.
Amerigo Vespucci
After Columbus, there were still many travelers who sought to discover new lands. Amerigo Vespucci followed him. He traveled frequently along the eastern and northern shores of the new continent. It is worth noting that the maps of Christopher Columbus practically did not change anything in the maps of Magellan. As for the documents, they made it possible to get an accurate picture of America as a new continent.
It is worth noting that the travelers were good friends. Amerigo Vespucci often helped Columbus equip expeditions. According to contemporaries, this man was smart, kind, honest and had talents. Thanks to him, not only notes were created about the new lands, but also about their flora and fauna, the starry sky, the customs of the local population. Many believe that some of the facts were slightly exaggerated.
Which traveler is America named after?
Amerigo Vespucci never sought to take the place of a friend. He did not claim the laurels of Christopher Columbus. After the new continent was named, the sons of the discoverer did not even make claims to Amerigo. At one time, Vespucci proposed to call the discovered continent "New World". However, it is not his fault that Martin Waldseemülle from Lorraine, the cartographer, declared Amerigo the fourth discoverer. This man was one of the best specialists of that time. It was to him that Vespucci handed over his works and all the materials. This fact influenced the choice of the final name for the continent. As a result, "New World" became America.
After 30 years, this name has become official and generally recognized. It was even indicated in the maps of Mercator and extended to the lands located in the north. But that's just one version of who America was named after. There are other variants of the story as well.
Another version
So who is America named after? There are several versions. The latter even has documentary evidence. Together with the expeditions of Vespucci and Columbus, another navigator, Giovanni Caboto, a native of Barcelona, went to the shores of the new continent several times. His travels were financed by the philanthropist Ricardo Americo. Cabot's expedition reached the coast of Labrador. The team of this traveler set foot on the lands of the new continent before Amerigo Vespucci. Cabot is the first navigator to compile an accurate map of the coast of North America, from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland.
Experts suggest that the new lands were named after the patron of the arts, Ricardo Americo. In addition, there are official marks in the Bristol calendar that date back to 1497. The documents indicate that merchants from Barcelona found new lands that arrived there on the ship "Matthew". This event took place on June 24 - the day of St. John the Baptist.
Or maybe everything was different?
Some historians believe that America was discovered long before the travels of Columbus, Vespucci, and Cabot. The first mention of new lands, in their opinion, is subsidized by the 4th century BC. It was visited by Greeks and Romans. There are myths among the Aztecs, which speak of bearded white gods who came from the east. However, apart from the legends, nothing remained.
There is also a version that the Vikings were the first to set foot on the lands of America, and this happened about 500 years before the travels of Columbus. To prove this, documents are cited, which speak of several settlements that were left in Greenland.
Finally
Now you know who America is named after. There is evidence that Vespucci changed his nicknames and began to call himself after the new continent. All these versions have been proven and have a right to exist. It follows from this that Christopher Columbus was not offended by anyone. After all, America was discovered even before him.
After whom was America named?
NOT at all in honor of the Italian merchant, navigator and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci. America is named for the Welshman Richard America, a wealthy merchant from Bristol.
Amerik funded the second transatlantic expedition of John Cabot - the English name of the Italian navigator Giovanni Caboto - whose voyages in 1497 and 1498 provided the foundation for subsequent British claims to Canada. In 1484, Cabot moved from Genoa to London and from Henry VII himself received permission to search for the unexplored lands of the West.
In May 1497, Cabot reached the coast of Labrador on his small ship Matthew, becoming the first officially registered European to set foot on American soil - two years before Vespucci.
Cabot mapped the coast of North America from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland.
As the main sponsor of the expedition, Richard of America, of course, expected the newly discovered lands to be named after him. In the Bristol calendar, we read the entry for that year:
“... on the day of St. John the Baptist found the land of America by merchants from Bristol, who arrived by ship from Bristol with the name 'Matthew'.
It seems to us that the recording makes it clear how everything really happened.
And although the author's manuscript of the calendar has not survived, there are a number of other documents of that time, where he is mentioned more than once. This is the first ever use of the word "America" as a name for a new continent.
The earliest surviving map with the same name is the large map of the world by Martin Waldsmüller in 1507. However, it only applies to South America. In his notes, Valdsmüller suggests that America is most likely derived from the Latin version of the name Amerigo Vespucci. It was Vespucci who discovered South America and mapped its coastline in 1500-1502.
It turns out that Valdsmuller did not know for sure and was simply trying to somehow explain the word that he met on other cards - including the Cabot card. The only place where they knew and actively used the term "America" was Bristol - a city that Valdsmüller, who lived in France, hardly ever visited. Moreover, in his 1513 world map, he already replaces the word "America" with " Terra incognita"(Unknown country (lat.)).
Amerigo Vespucci has never been to North America. All early maps of this country and trade with it were English. Moreover, Vespucci himself never used the name "America" for his discovery.
By the way, there are good reasons for this. New countries and continents have never been named in someone's honor by the name of a person - only by his last name (Tasmania, Van Diemen's Land or Cook Islands).
If an Italian researcher deliberately decided to name America after himself, it would become the "Land of Vespucci" (or "Vespuccia").
