Amerigo Vespucci ) Italian Navigator and Explorer )

America was named after Amarigo Vespucci, a Florentine navigator and explorer who played a prominent role in exploring the New World. Navigator and explorer Amarigo Vespucci, the third son in a cultured family, was born on March 9, 1451, in Florence, Italy. Although born in Italy, Vespucci became a naturalized citizen of Spain in 1505. Vespucci and his parents were friends of the wealthy and tempestuous Medici family, who ruled Italy from the 1400s to 1737s. Vespucci's father worked as a notary in Florence, while his older brothers headed off to the University of Pisa in Tuscany. Vespucci received his early education from his paternal uncle, a Dominican friar named When Vespucci was in his early twenties, another uncle, Guido Antonio Vespucci, gave him one of the first of his many jobs. Guido Antonio Vespucci, who was ambassador of Florence under King Louis XI of France, sent his nephew on a brief diplomatic mission to Paris. The trip likely awakened Vespucci's fascination with travel and exploration. In the years before Vespucci embarked on his first voyage of exploration, he held a string of other jobs. When Vespucci was 24 years old, his father pressured him to go into business. Vespucci obliged. At first he undertook a variety of business endeavors in Florence. Later, he moved on to a banking business in Seville, Spain, where he formed a partnership with another man from Florence. In the late 1490s, Vespucci became affiliated with merchants who supplied Christopher Columbus on his later voyages. In 1496, after Columbus returned from his voyage to America, Vespucci had the opportunity to meet him in Seville. The conversation piqued Vespucci's interest in seeing the world with his own eyes. Vespucci knew that King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain were willing to fund subsequent voyages by other explorers. Then in his 40s, Vespucci, enticed by the prospect of fame, decided to leave his business behind and become an explorer before it was too late. According to a letter that Vespucci might or might not have truly written, on May 10, 1497, he embarked on his first journey, departing from Cádiz with a fleet of Spanish ships. The controversial letter indicates that the ships sailed through the West Indies and made their way to the mainland of Central America within approximately five weeks. If the letter is authentic, this would mean that Vespucci discovered Venezuela a year before Columbus did. Vespucci and his fleets arrived back in Cádiz in October 1498. In May 1499, sailing under the Spanish flag, Vespucci embarked on his next expedition. As a navigator under the command of Alonso de Ojeda, crossing the equator, they traveled to the coast of what is now Guyana, where it is believed that Vespucci left Ojeda and went on to explore the coast of Brazil. During this journey Vespucci is said to have discovered the Amazon River and Cape St. Augustine. On May 14, 1501, Vespucci departed on another transatlantic journey. Now on his third voyage, Vespucci set sail for Cape Verde, this time in service to King Manuel I of Portugal. Vespucci's third voyage is largely considered his most successful. Vespucci's ships sailed along the coast of South America from Cape Souroc to Patagonia. Along the way, they discovered present-day Rio de Janeiro and Rio de la Plata. Vespucci and his fleets headed back via Sierra Leone and the Azores. Believing he had discovered a new continent, in a letter to Florence, Vespucci called South America the New World. His claim was largely based on Columbus' earlier conclusion, in 1498, when passing the mouth of the Orinoco River, Columbus had determined that such a big outpouring of fresh water must come from land of continental proportions. Vespucci decided to start recording his accomplishments, writing that accounts of his voyages would allow him to leave some fame behind me after I die. There is some speculation as to whether Vespucci made additional voyages. Based on Vespucci's accounts, some historians believe that he embarked on a fifth and sixth voyage with Juan de la Cosa, in 1505 and 1507, respectively. Other accounts indicate that Vespucci's fourth journey was his last. In 1505, Vespucci, who was born and raised in Italy, became a naturalized citizen of Spain. Three years later, he was awarded the office of Piloto Mayor, or Master Navigator, of Spain. In this role, Vespucci's job was to recruit and train other navigators, as well as to gather data on continued New World exploration. Vespucci held the position for the remainder of his life. On February 22, 1512, Vespucci died of malaria in Seville, Spain. Amerigo Vespucci was held in such high esteem that in 1507 the German cartographer Martin, 1470-1521, named this new region America to honor Vespucci's achievements as a geographer.