Amerigo vespucci biography
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Amerigo Vespucci () was born in Florence, where he worked for the commercial house of the Medici family as a young man. Perhaps he studied astronomy at this time. Sometime between and he moved to Barcelona as a confidential agent of the Medici.
He met Christopher Columbus shortly after the voyage, and Vespucci helped to finance the equipping of the ships for the second expedition. The two were friends: Columbus, in a letter to his son in , speaks favorably about Vespucci, as a witness for his will.
Apparently (though this is debated) Vespucci made four voyages. He said he sailed with the Spanish to Venezuela and Haiti in and to Cape Verde, Venezuela, and Brazil in , and then with the Portuguese to Brazil and Patagonia in and to Brazil again in
The well-traveled Vespucci returned to Seville in , received Spanish citizenship, and three years later was appointed as the "Pilot Major" for the Casa de Contratación. His
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Early Life and Education
Born March 9, , in Florence, Italy, during the height of the Renaissance, Vespucci came from a prominent family with ties to the Medici dynasty. His father, a government notary, and his uncle, respected humanist Dominican friar Giorgio Antonio Vespucci, played influential roles in his education. Immersed in a world of trade and maritime culture from a young age, Vespucci developed interests and aptitude in astronomy, math, navigation and foreign languages.
Early in his career, Vespucci worked for the Medici family as a banker and later supervised fartyg operations in Seville, Spain. Accounts vary, but many believe that Vespucci met Christopher Columbus in Seville in , after Columbus’s historic voyage, and assisted Columbus in preparing for future expeditions.
Did you know? Thefirst use of the name "America" was in , when a new world map was created based on the explorations of Amerigo Vespucci.
History Lists: Explorers Not Named Columbus
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The Ages of
Exploration
Introduction
Although Christopher Columbus is credited for discovering the “New World,” he always believed he had reached Asia. Amerigo Vespucci, however, actually confirmed that it was not Asia, but instead a separate continent. Because of this, North and South America bear his name. Continents bear feminine names. Europe, named by the Greeks, comes from “Europa.” Asia also comes from Greece, and referred to lands east of their homeland. So sticking with a feminine tradition, “America” is a feminine form of Amerigo.
Biography
Early Life
Amerigo Vespucci was born March 9, in Florence, Italy to Nastagio and Lisabetta Vespucci. His father was a notary in the Florence government. The Vespucci family was well-connected, and Amerigo received an excellent education by his uncle Giorgio Antonio. He became fluent in several languages, and had much interest in cartography, astronomy, and navigation techniques. Giorgio was also a teacher to