Amerigo Vespucci

Vespucci was from an Italian city. In 1497 an Italian named Giovanni Caboto went on a voyage on the ocen sea. England paid for the voyage Caboto landed in present day Newfoundland. which is a part of Canada. When he returned to England, he told every one he had found Cathy the land of Great Kublai Khan. The English made Caboto a hero. They even gave him a new name, John Caboto. But not everyone in Europe really believed that Columbus had found the Indians or that Cabota had landed in now what is called China.

Amerigo Vesspucci made three known voyages to America. The first one in 1499. He reported that he also reached America in 1497. but most historians now question this claim. Vespucci was born in Florence, they think on March 9, 1451. They studied navigation as youth, he spent his early career in the banking firm of Lorenzo Di Peier Francesco Di’ Medici of Florence. In 1491, he moved to seville, Spain, and became connected with a company that equipped ships for long voyages. Vesspucci later claimed that he made four voyages to the new world. After what he called his first in 1497, he said he had sighted a vast continent [South America]. In 1499 and 1500. Vespucci took part in an expedition led by the Spanish explorer, Alonso De Ojeda. During this voyage Vespucci’s ship traveled along the coast of Venezuela. In 1501 and 1502, and again in 1503 and 1504 Vespucci sailed with the fleet of Goncalocolo, a Portuguese captain. Both of these expeditions explored the southern coast of Brazil. Vespucci reputation came largely from a letter he wrote to Lorenzo di pier Francesco de’ Medici in 1502 or 1503. In it, Vespucci told of his discovery of a new continent and vividly described it. The letter was published in 1503 or 1504 under the title of Mundus Novus. It became extremely popular and later was published in several editions and translations. The letter established Vespucci as a famous explorer. Vespucci became a Spanish citizen in 1505 and went to work for a government agency that regulated commerce with the new world. He served as a chief navigator for the agency from 1508 until his death.

By Samantha Price and Jade Dalton