Proč se Amerika jmenuje Amerika a ne Kolumbie podle svého objevitele? Italský mořeplavec Amerigo Vespucci ji neobjevil, a nebyl ani tím, kdo jako první překročil Panamskou šíji a spatřil Tichý oceán, aby dokázal, že jde o nový kontinent. Zúčastnil se několika výprav do Nového světa, ale nevedl je. Ovšem psal o nich. Ale jen díky souhře mnoha neuvěřitelných náhod a omylů, které jsou samy o sobě fascinující příběhem, jenž nemá v historii obdoby, dostal nový kontinent jeho jméno.
Ať už to bylo jakkoliv, je zřejmé, že objevitelské plavby byly důležitým hybatelem světových dějin. Evropské doly byly již vyčerpány, docházelo k vývozu drahých kovů, které byly směňovány za koření a další luxusní zboží z Orientu. Svou roli zde sehrálo též hromadění drahých kovů v nejistých dobách.
Celé území kolem úžin Bospor a Dardanely připadlo v roce 1453 po dobytí Konstantinopole Turkům. Obchod ze západu na východ a naopak ustrnul na konci 15. století téměř na mrtvém bodě. Příliv cizokrajného zboží se snížil, stejně tak i zisky arabských a italských obchodníků. Rozšíření tureckého území s sebou přineslo také rozšíření vlivu islámu, čili snahu o šíření křesťanství je možné vnímat jako cestu proti islámu.
Dalším předpokladem pro uskutečnění zámořských objevných plaveb byl pokrok ve vědě a technice. Objevovaly se první teorie o tom, že Země má tvar koule, že to není žádná plovoucí deska. V loděnicích byly vyráběny nové typy lodí, které se mohly plavit i několik měsíců. K orientaci sloužil kompas, na konci středověku podstatně vylepšený, nebo astroláb (historický astronomický přístroj, který byl dříve používán mj.
Roku 1415 Portugalci dobyli přístav Ceuta, čímž začali éru objevných cest. V touze objevit zlato chtěli proniknout do nitra Afriky. To se jim však nepodařilo. Zavedli ale obchod s pobřežní Afrikou (vzácná dřeva, otroci, slonovina). Roku 1450 Portugalci překročili rovník a učinili další objevy v Africe; snažili se obeplutím Afriky dostat do Indie. V letech 1487 - 88 Bartolomeo Diaz dosáhl mysu Bouří (přejmenován na mys Dobré naděje). O deset let později (1497 - 98) Vasco da Gama doplul na Indické pobřeží (město Kalikut). Podařilo se mu navázat obchodní spojení (hlavní zájem byl o koření).
Španělský královský pár (Ferdinand Aragonský a Isabela Kastilská) přijal návrhy Kryštofa Kolumba na cestu do Indie směrem západním. V roce 1492 získali Granadu a ukončili tak reconquistu (opětovné sjednocení říše). V srpnu téhož roku vypluly z přístavu Palos tři lodě (karavely): Santa Maria, Pinta, Niňa. Po sedmdesáti dnech plavby spatřili námořníci zem (ostrov Guanahání z Bahamského souostroví), nazvali jej San Salvador (spasitel). V příštích dnech objevili Kubu (podle Kolumba to bylo bájné Zipango), Espagnolu. Kolumbus byl přesvědčen, že doplul do Indie.
Nový kontinent dostal název Amerika, podle obecně přijímané teorie je to podle křestního jména Ameriga Vespucciho. Amerigo Vespucci (9. 3. 1454 - 22. 2. 1512) byl italský obchodník, mořeplavec a kartograf, po němž je pojmenována Amerika.
Život a kariéra Ameriga Vespucciho
Amerigo Vespucci pocházel z rodiny florentského notáře. Pracoval v Seville jako obchodní zástupce florentské obchodní firmy Bernardi, která se podílela na financování Kolumbovy první výpravy. Sometime after he settled in Seville, Vespucci married a Spanish woman, Maria Cerezo. Very little is known about her; Vespucci's will refers to her as the daughter of celebrated military leader Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba.
Montefioralle, a frazione of the comune of Greve in Chianti, Italy. Amerigo Vespucci was the third son of Nastagio Vespucci, a Florentine notary for the Money-Changers Guild, and Lisa di Giovanni Mini. The family resided in the District of Santa Lucia d'Ognissanti along with other families of the Vespucci clan. Earlier generations of Vespucci had funded a family chapel in the Ognissanti church, and the nearby Hospital of San Giovanni di Dio was founded by Simone di Piero Vespucci in 1380.
Amerigo's career path seemed less certain; instead of following his brothers to the university, he remained in Florence and was tutored by his uncle, Giorgio Antonio Vespucci, a Dominican friar in the monastery of San Marco. Fortunately for Amerigo, his uncle was one of the most celebrated humanist scholars in Florence at the time and provided him with a broad education in literature, philosophy, rhetoric, and Latin. He was also introduced to geography and astronomy, subjects that played an essential part in his career.
In 1478, Guido Antonio Vespucci, Amerigo's other uncle, led a Florentine diplomatic mission to Paris and invited his younger cousin, Amerigo Vespucci, to join him. Amerigo's role is not clear, but it was likely as an attache or private secretary. Along the way they had business in Bologna, Milan, and Lyon. Their objective in Paris was to obtain French support for Florence's war with Naples. After his return from Paris, Amerigo worked for a time with his father and continued his studies in science.
In 1482, when his father died, Amerigo went to work for Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de' Medici, head of a junior branch of the Medici family. Although Amerigo was twelve years older, they had been schoolmates under the tutelage of Giorgio Antonio Vespucci. In 1488, Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco became dissatisfied with his Seville business agent, Tomasso Capponi. He dispatched Vespucci to investigate the situation and provide an assessment of a suggested replacement, Florentine merchant Gianotto Berardi. By 1492, Vespucci had settled permanently in Seville. His motivations for leaving Florence are unclear; he continued to transact some business on behalf of his Medici patrons but more and more he became involved with Berardi's other activities, most notably his support of Christopher Columbus's voyages.
Vespucci was the executor of Berardi's will, collecting debts and paying outstanding obligations for the firm. Afterwards he was left owing 140,000 maravedis. Historian Fernández-Armesto speculates that she may have been Gonzalo's illegitimate offspring and a connection that would have been very useful to Vespucci.
Plavby Ameriga Vespucciho
The evidence for Vespucci's voyages of exploration consists almost entirely of a handful of letters written by him or attributed to him. Historians have differed sharply on the authorship, accuracy and veracity of these documents. Consequently, opinions also vary widely regarding the number of voyages undertaken, their routes, and Vespucci's roles and accomplishments.
Starting in the late 1490s Vespucci participated in two voyages to the New World that are relatively well-documented in the historical record. Two others have been alleged but the evidence is more problematic.
První plavba (1497-1498)
A letter, addressed to Florentine official Piero Soderini, dated 1504 and published the following year, purports to be an account by Vespucci of a voyage to the New World, departing from Spain on 10 May 1497, and returning on 15 October 1498. This is perhaps the most controversial of Vespucci's voyages, as this letter is the only known record of its occurrence, and many historians doubt that it took place as described. Certain earlier historians, including contemporary Bartolomé de las Casas, suspected that Vespucci incorporated observations from a later voyage into a fictitious account of this supposed first one, so as to gain primacy over Columbus and position himself as the first European explorer to encounter the mainland. Others, including scholar Alberto Magnaghi, have suggested that the Soderini letter was not written by Vespucci at all, but rather by an unknown author who had access to the navigator's private letters to Lorenzo de' Medici about his 1499 and 1501 expeditions to the Americas, which make no mention of a 1497 voyage.
Druhá plavba (1499-1500)
In 1499, Vespucci joined an expedition licensed by Spain and led by Alonso de Ojeda as fleet commander and Juan de la Cosa as chief navigator. Their intention was to explore the coast of a new landmass found by Columbus on his third voyage and in particular investigate a rich source of pearls that Columbus had reported. Vespucci and his backers financed two of the four ships in the small fleet. His role on the voyage is not clear. Writing later about his experience, Vespucci gave the impression that he had a leadership role, but that is unlikely, due to his inexperience. Instead, he may have served as a commercial representative on behalf of the fleet's investors.
The vessels left Spain on 18 May 1499 and stopped first in the Canary Islands before reaching South America somewhere near present-day Suriname or French Guiana. From there the fleet split up: Ojeda proceeded northwest toward modern Venezuela with two ships, while the other pair headed south with Vespucci aboard. The only record of the southbound journey comes from Vespucci himself. He assumed they were on the coast of Asia and hoped by heading south they would, according to the Greek geographer Ptolemy, round the unidentified "Cape of Cattigara" and reach the Indian Ocean. They passed two huge rivers (the Amazon and the Para) which poured freshwater 25 miles (40 km) out to sea. They continued south for another 40 leagues (about 240 km or 150 mi) before encountering a very strong adverse current which they could not overcome. Forced to turn around, the ships headed north, retracing their course to the original landfall. From there Vespucci continued up the South American coast to the Gulf of Paria and along the shore of what is now Venezuela.
At some point they may have rejoined Ojeda but the evidence is unclear. In the late summer, they decided to head north for the Spanish colony at Hispaniola in the West Indies to resupply and repair their ships before heading home.
Třetí plavba (1501-1502)
In 1501, Manuel I of Portugal commissioned an expedition to investigate a landmass far to the west in the Atlantic Ocean encountered unexpectedly by a wayward Pedro Álvares Cabral on his voyage around Africa to India. That land would eventually become present-day Brazil. The king wanted to know the extent of this new discovery and determine where it lay in relation to the line established by the Treaty of Tordesillas. Any land that lay to the east of the line could be claimed by Portugal.
Coelho's fleet of three ships left Lisbon in May 1501. Before crossing the Atlantic they resupplied at Cape Verde, where they encountered Cabral on his way home from his voyage to India. This was the same expedition that had found Brazil on its outward-bound journey the previous year. Coelho left Cape Verde in June, and from this point Vespucci's account is the only surviving record of their explorations. On 17 August 1501 the expedition reached Brazil at a latitude of about 6° south. Upon landing it encountered a hostile band of natives who killed and ate one of its crewmen. Sailing south along the coast they found friendlier natives and were able to engage in some minor trading. At 23° S they found a bay which they named Rio de Janeiro because it was 1 January 1502. On 13 February 1502, they left the coast to return home. Vespucci estimated their latitude at 32° S but experts now estimate they were closer to 25° S.
Čtvrtá plavba (1503-1504)
In 1503, Vespucci may have participated in a second expedition for the Portuguese crown, again exploring the east coast of Brazil. There is evidence that a voyage was led by Coelho at about this time but no independent confirmation that Vespucci took part. The only source for this last voyage is the Soderini letter; but several modern scholars dispute Vespucci's authorship of that letter and it is uncertain whether Vespucci undertook this trip.
Poslední léta
By early 1505, Vespucci was back in Seville. His reputation as an explorer and navigator continued to grow and his recent service in Portugal did not seem to damage his standing with King Ferdinand. On the contrary, the king was likely interested in learning about the possibility of a western passage to India. In February, he was summoned by the king to consult on matters of navigation.
From 1505 until his death in 1512, Vespucci remained in service to the Spanish crown. He continued his work as a chandler, supplying ships bound for the Indies. He was also hired to captain a ship as part of a fleet bound for the "spice islands" but the planned voyage never took place. In March 1508, he was named chief pilot for the Casa de Contratación or House of Commerce which served as a central trading house for Spain's overseas possessions. He was paid an annual salary of 50,000 maravedis with an extra 25,000 for expenses. In his new role, Vespucci was responsible for ensuring that ships' pilots were adequately trained and licensed before sailing to the New World.
Vespucci wrote his will in April 1511. He left most of his modest estate, including five household slaves, to his wife. His clothes, books, and navigational equipment were left to his nephew Giovanni Vespucci. He requested to be buried in a Franciscan habit in his wife's family tomb.
Odkaz Ameriga Vespucciho
Vespucci's voyages became widely known in Europe after two accounts attributed to him were published between 1503 and 1505. The Soderini letter (1505) came to the attention of a group of humanist scholars studying geography in Saint-Dié, a small French town in the Duchy of Lorraine. Led by Walter Lud, the academy included Matthias Ringmann and Martin Waldseemüller. In 1506, they obtained a French translation of the Soderini letter as well as a Portuguese maritime map that detailed the coast of lands recently discovered in the western Atlantic. In April 1507, Ringmann and Waldseemüller published their Introduction to Cosmography with an accompanying world map. The Introduction was written in Latin and included a Latin translation of the Soderini letter.
I see no reason why anyone could properly disapprove of a name derived from that of Amerigo, the discoverer, a man of sagacious genius. A thousand copies of the world map were printed with the title Universal Geography According to the Tradition of Ptolemy and the Contributions of Amerigo Vespucci and Others. The Introduction and map were a great success and four editions were printed in the first year alone. The map was widely used in universities and was influential among cartographers who admired the craftsmanship that went into its creation. In the following years, other maps were printed that often incorporated the name America. In 1538, Gerardus Mercator used America to name both the North and South continents on his influential map.
Many supporters of Columbus felt that Vespucci had stolen an honour that rightfully belonged to Columbus.
Zdroje informací o Vespucciových cestách
Knowledge of Vespucci's voyages relies almost entirely on a handful of letters written by him or attributed to him. Two of these letters were published during his lifetime and received widespread attention throughout Europe. Several scholars now believe that Vespucci did not write the two published letters in the form in which they circulated during his lifetime.
- Mundus Novus (1503) was a letter written to Vespucci's former schoolmate and one-time patron, Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de' Medici. Originally published in Latin, the letter described his voyage to Brazil in 1501-1502 serving under the Portuguese flag. The document proved to be extremely popular throughout Europe. Within a year of publication, twelve editions were printed including translations into Italian, French, German, Dutch and other languages.
- Letter to Soderini (1505) was a letter ostensibly intended for Piero di Tommaso Soderini, the leader of the Florentine Republic. It was written in Italian and published in Florence around 1505. It is more sensational in tone than the other letters and the only one to assert that Vespucci made four voyages of exploration. The authorship and the veracity of the letter have been widely questioned by modern historians.
The remaining documents were unpublished manuscripts; handwritten letters uncovered by researchers more than 250 years after Vespu...
Plachetnice Amerigo Vespucci
Po dlouhých třech letech se do přístavu hlavního města Sardinie, Cagliari vrátila v pátek 21.6.2019 nádherná plachetnice Amerigo Vespucci, výcviková loď italského námořnictva, definovaná velice často jako „nejkrásnější loď světa“. Vzhledem k tomu, že jsem si tentokrát dokázala udělat čas na prohlídku tohoto skvostu mezi plavidly brázdícími hladiny moří i oceánů, ráda se podělím o několik fotografií a informací o tomto velice zajímavém a krásném plavidle.
V přístavu v Cagliari zakotvila plachetnice v 8,30 hodin v pátek ráno a v neděli ráno odplula. Po dva dny byla bezplatně přístupná zájemcům o prohlídku lodi…. fronty byly velmi dlouhé. Ve 20. letech 20. století potřebovalo italské válečné námořnictvo výcvikové lodě, aby poskytlo začínajícím námořníkům co nejlepší zkušenost s prací na moři pod plachtami v různých klimatických podmínkách. Proto se rozhodlo objednat dvě sesterské školní plachetnice. Obě lodi byly postaveny jako repliky lodí pocházejících z 18. století. Podle projektu, který vycházel z bitevní lodi 3. třídy se 74 děly na palubě.
Tak vznikly dvě plachetnice - Amerigo Vespucci a Cristoforo Colombo. Stavbu těchto unikátních plavidel realizovala královská loděnice v Castellamare di Stabía u Neapole. Plachetnice Amerigo Vespucci byla spuštěna na vodu 22. února 1931 a do vojenské služby vstoupila 15. října 1931 v přístavu Janov. Plachetnice dostala své jméno po známém italském námořníkovi a kartografovi, po kterém získal jméno i nový kontinent - Amerika.
Zatímco Amerigo Vespucci i nadále slouží jako výcviková loď italského námořnictva, jeho „dvojče“, nebo možná lépe jeho sesterská loď jménem Cristoforo Colombo, neměla to štěstí. Po válce byla jako součást válečných reparací odevzdána do Sovětského svazu. Tam se po nějakou dobu využívala na Černém moři. Její poslání bylo totožné, sloužila jako výcviková loď.
Báze plachetnice Amerigo Vespucci se dnes nachází v italském přístavu La Spezia, kde v průběhu zimy probíhají veškeré práce spojené s údržbou lodi. Trup lodi je natřen černou barvou se dvěma bílými pruhy přes okénka, což vytváří dojem řady dělových střílen. Na palubě jsou umístěna dvě otočná děla určená pro slavnostní salvy. Prkna paluby jsou z teakového dřeva a musí se měnit každé tři roky, aby byla v perfektním stavu Příď a záď jsou bohatě zdobené rozsáhlými ornamenty. Na přídi je galionová figura Ameriga Vespucciho v životní velikosti.
Rychlost: 10 uzlů (19 km/h) - Při motorové plavbě rychlostí 6,5 uzlů může loď uplout až 5450 km. Pokud se plachetnice plaví pod plachtami, může dosáhnout rychlosti až 16 uzlů (cca 30 km/h). Posádku tvoří: 264 členů posádky. 15 důstojníků, 64 poddůstojníků a 185 námořníků. Nastupuje také 80 dobrovolníků a 100 studentů z námořní akademie v Livornu. Obsazenost lodi tak může být i přes 400 osob.
Plachetnice má celkem 26 plachet, jejichž celková plocha činí 2.635 m². Plachty jsou z tradiční kvalitní, těžké a pevně tkané plachtoviny (it. tela olona). Lanoví lodě bylo vyrobeno z klasického konopí a jeho délka překvapí - 36 km. Ačkoli bylo plavidlo projektováno jako třístěžňová loď z dob válečných plachetníků, měla nová loď i mnoho moderních prvků včetně ocelového trupu, ocelových stěžňů a ráhen. Loď byla vybavena i dieselelektrickou jednotkou Fiat/Marelli o výkonu 1417 kW. Dnešní diesel-elektrický motor umožňuje lodi dosáhnout rychlost až 10 uzlů. Při motorové plavbě rychlostí 6,5 uzlů může loď uplout až 5 450 km.
Od roku 1946 do roku 1952 se jednalo o jedinou plachetnici italského námořnictva. V roce 1952 se další plachetnicí stala loď Ebe, škunerová briga postavená v roce 1921. Po ní následovala ještě plachetnice Palinuro. V současné době je Amerigo Vespucci nejstarší lodí italského námořnictva v provozu.
Jedná se o školicí - výcvikovou loď. Výše bylo zmíněno, že může pojmout až 100 nových kadetů, kteří na palubě tráví 4 až 6 měsíců výcviku. Loď tento vzdělávací cyklus absolvovala již 71krát. Jedná se o různé trasy. Nejčastěji loď směřovala do severní Evropy, a to 37krát. 20krát do Středozemního moře, 4krát do východního Atlantiku, 7x do Severní Ameriky a 1krát do Jižní Ameriky. V roce 2002 dokonce podnikla plavbu kolem světa. Plachetnice má i další poslání. Loď Amerigo Vespucci reprezentuje Itálii po celém světě. Je do slova a do písmene vlajkovou lodí Itálie. Plachetnice je velice často definována jako velvyslanec italského umění, kultury a inženýrství na moři. Tato loď představuje svou elegancí a krásou pověstné „Made in Italy“.
Aktivity plachetnice Amerigo Vespucci
- Během italských výcvikových kampaní, kdy studenti akademie - kadeti, nastoupí na několik měsíců na loď po prvním ročníku docházky a vyrážejí na moře
- Během plavby a následných zastávek v národních i mezinárodních přístavech
- V zimních měsících, kdy zůstává zakotvena v přístavu v La Spezia
- Během slavností sv. Josefa a sv. Amerigo Vespucci.
STS Amerigo Vespucci belongs to the Italian Navy. She was launched on 22nd February 1931 and commissioned in June, same year. The ship was built to resemble a wooden warship of the early nineteenth century (and, because of this, the two white stripes on black hull recall the two lines of guns): nevertheless, the hull is made of steel riveted plates, as well as the two lowest thirds and the three lowest yards of each mast. Amerigo Vespucci is a full square rigged ship; she usually carries 24 sails made of canvas (2 to 4 mm.) for a total surface of 2.600 square meters. The overall length is 101 meters (70 meters on waterline), the main-mast is 54 meters tall above the sea level, the maximum draught is 7.30 meters and the displacement is 4.100 tons. The permanent crew is 270, plus up to 150 cadets.
Amerigo Vespucci carries out mainly two kinds of activity: training campaigns for Naval Academy cadets and showing-the-flag in support of national diplomacy. She began her career as Training Ship for the Naval Academy cadets soon after the launch. From 1931 till 2005, in addition to many short cruises around Italy, she has carried out 71 training campaigns in the Mediterranean Sea, Northern Europe and Atlantic Ocean; in 2002/2003 she sailed around the world, spending several months in New Zealand on the occasion of America’s Cup. On board, the cadets learn the basic rules “to live at sea”, as well as all the specific teachings in seamanship, navigation, operation of drive systems and auxiliaries, management of logistics, administrative and medical issues.
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