Vespucci, Amerigo

Japanese: ベスプッチ（英語表記）Vespucci， Amerigo

Born: 1454. Florence
Died in 1512 in Seville. Italian merchant, explorer, and navigator. Born the son of a notary, he worked as a banker for the Medici family. In 1491, he went to Seville, which had dealings with the Medici family, and while working for a man named G. Berardi who was preparing ships for departure, he witnessed the preparations for departure of C. Columbus and became acquainted with him. In 1499, he joined a Spanish expedition and explored the coast of South America from present-day Guiana to Brazil, returning to Japan in 1500. Next, in 1501-1502, he led a Portuguese expedition that reached from Guanabara Bay (Bay of Rio de Janeiro) to Rio de la Plata, and became convinced that South America was a new continent separate from the Asian mainland. In 1507, German geographer Martin Waldseemüller proposed in his book "Introduction to the World History" that the new continent be named America after Amerigo Vespucci in honor of his achievements. At first, the name was only for the continent of South America, but later it was changed to the continent of North and South America. In 1805, he was invited by Spain and given a position in the West Indies trading company, and in 1808, he was awarded the title of Chief Navigator. In his later years, he obtained Spanish citizenship and prepared to create a navigational chart based on his own explorations, but he died in 12.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

[生]1454. フィレンツェ
[没]1512. セビリア
イタリアの商人，探検家，航海者。公証人の子として生れ，メディチ家の銀行員として働く。 1491年メディチ家と取引のあるセビリアにおもむき，船舶の出航準備を業としていた G.ベラルディという人物のもとで働く間に，C.コロンブスの出航準備に立会い知合いとなった。 99年スペイン探検隊に加わって現在のギアナからブラジルにかけての南アメリカ沿岸を探検，1500年帰国。次いで 01～02年ポルトガル探検隊を率いてグアナバラ湾 (リオデジャネイロ湾) からリオデラプラタにまで達し，南アメリカがアジア大陸とは別の新大陸であることを確信。 07年ドイツの地理学者マルティン・ワルトゼーミュラーは『世界誌序論』のなかで，アメリゴ・ベスプッチの業績をたたえるために，その名をとって新大陸をアメリカと名づけることを提唱した。最初は南アメリカ大陸のみの名称であったが，のちに南北アメリカ大陸の名称となった。 05年スペインに招かれて西インド諸島商社に席を与えられ，さらに 08年最高航海士の称号を贈られた。晩年にスペイン市民権を得て，自身の探検に基づく航海図の作成を準備したが，12年死亡。

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