Amerigo Vespucci

Many people disagree on my true birthdate. However many seem to agree that it's in March and somewhere in the 1450's. I was the third son in a cultured family and my father worked as a notary in Florence where I lived. My family was friends with the wealthy Medici family who ruled Italy from the 1400's to 1737. While my older brothers headed to the University of Pisa in Tuscany, I recieved my early education from my uncle Antonio Vespucci. When I was older, I studied philosophy at the University of Pisa, served as a secretary to an uncle, then returned to Florence. Before I went on my first voyage my father pressed me to go into business, so I took on a variety of business' in Florence. One job I had was as the manager of a trading firm owned by the rulers of Florence. I then moved on to banking in Seville where I worked with a man named Gianetto Berardi. Soon after when I was still in my early 20's one of my uncles Guido Antonio Vespucci, ambassador of Florence, sent me on a diplomatic mission to Paris. This mission is probably what awakened my interest in travel and exploration. Later in my life, on May 10th 1497 I sailed on my first voyage from Cadiz in Southern Spain with a fleet of four ships commanded by Alonso de Ojeda who sailed with Columbus on Columbus' second voyage. Our ships reached the northern coast of South America after a quick crossing of 24 days. Ojeda and I went seperate ways, me going South. I became the first person to sight the coast of Brazil on June 27,1499. Later in life I went on a second voyage in the service of Portugal. I then became a naturalized citizen of Spain in 1505. I died of Malaria in Seville Spain 2/22/1512 a month shy of 58.

Goals and Discoveries

My reasoning for my second and/or/not my third voyage were that there might be a passage to Asia through the New World. On my third voyage I entered the harbor of Rio de Janeiro. When I found it, I believed I had found a New Continent so I called it the New World. Also I am now considered the discoverer of the Rio de la Plata.

Lasting Impact

One of my lasting impacts is that America was named after me.

Citations

Saari, Peggy, and Daniel B. Baker. "Amerigo Vespucci." Explorers ' Discoverers. from Alexander the Great to Sally Ride. Vol. 4. Detroit: UXL, 1995. N. pag. Print."Amerigo Vespucci." Bio.com. A'E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2014.

Amerigo Vespucci

Biography

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