Amerigo Vespucci Research Paper

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It is never too late to take an adventure and chase your dreams. One talented mid-aged explorer had many contributions to the Renaissance period. Some of them being his map making and navigational skills. Many know his name, but few truly know who he was. He was a “navigator and explorer who played a prominent role in exploring the new world” (Bio. Web.). So little was written on this man, but so much can be found on who inspired him to begin exploring, Christopher Columbus. Amerigo Vespucci is the man that will be spoke of in this essay. Vespucci was an Italian explorer just like Christopher Columbus, but they sailed under different flags. Vespucci was a mapmaker and a merchant out of Florence. Vespucci was known as “a skilled navigator, and …show more content…
His fathers’ name was Ser Nastagio Vespucci and his mother was Lisabetta Mini. Vespucci was the third son born to Ser Nastagio. Amerigo’s “entire family was cultured and friendly” (Encyclopedia. Web.). Ser Nastagio “worked as a notary in Florence” (Bio. Web.). Vespucci’s father missed out on a large amount of his childhood, so he was raised by his uncle. As Vespucci’s brothers went off to college in Tuscany, and he received his early education from his uncle, Giorgio Antonio Vespucci. Giorgio went on teaching Amerigo everything he needed to know from geography, astronomy, and cosmography. Vespucci grew very fond of Cosmography. Since he was a young boy “he was very interested in astronomy and maps”, and was “curious about the explorers and their adventures” (Matsumoto. Web.). When Amerigo was in his 20s, “Giorgio Antonio gave him one of his first of many jobs” (Bio. Web.). This job was a brief mission to Paris, which “awakened Vespucci’s fascination with travel and exploration” (Bio. Web.). When he was the age of 24, “his dads pressured him to go into business” (Bio. Web.). Vespucci later “moved on to a banking business in Seville, Spain” (Bio. Web.). In 1490, his business began struggling to make profits. In the late years of 1490, Vespucci met with Christopher Columbus and the conversation sparked his interest of “seeing the world with his own eyes” (Bio. Web.). He was aware that “King …show more content…
He gave it up, because he felt “there [was] no more work for him in Portugal” (Encyclopedia. Web.). Vespucci went back “to Seville, where he settled permanently and where he had earlier married Maria de Cerezo” (Encyclopedia. Web.). At this point in time, “he was middle-aged, and the fact that there were no children might indicate that Maria was also past her youth” (Encyclopedia. Web.). In 1508, Vespucci was “awarded the office of piloto mayor, or master navigator, of Spain” (Bio. Web.). The roles of master navigator was just “to recruit and train other navigators” (Bio. Web.). The role also came with “great responsibility, which included [examining] the pilots’ and ship masters’ licenses. He also had to prepare the official map [with] the routes to the lands”. (History. Web.). Vespucci continued this role until he passed away. On February 22, 1512, Vespucci passed away at almost 58 years old due to malaria in Seville, Spain. Vespucci is buried back in his birthplace of Florence, Italy. Italy built a ship in Vespucci’s memory in 1931 that was simply named “Amerigo Vespucci”, and it is said that they made one in honor of Christopher Columbus as well. In 2012, there was a coin that was minted in Vespucci’s

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