Giovanni da Verrazano (c. 1485 – 1528).

Giovanni da Verrazano^[1] (c. 1485 – c.1528) was an Italian explorer of North America, in the service of the French crown. He is renowned as the first European to explore the Atlantic coast of North America between South Carolina and Newfoundland in 1524, including New York Harbor where the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is named in his honor. Download high resolution version (489x736, 67 KB)Representation of Giovanni Verrazzano. ... Download high resolution version (489x736, 67 KB)Representation of Giovanni Verrazzano. ... The designation C: (sometimes C: ) is the drive letter that refers to the main partition (or portion of an hard drive) on an MS-DOS or Windows personal computer. ... // Events August 5-7 - First outbreak of sweating sickness in England begins August 22 - Battle of Bosworth Field is fought between the armies of King Richard III of England and rival claimant to the throne of England Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond. ... See also explorations, sea explorers, astronaut, conquistador, travelogue, the History of Science and Technology and Biography. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... European redirects here. ... The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of the Earths surface. ... New York Harbor is a geographic trem that refers collectively to the bays and tidal estuaries near the mouth of the Hudson and adjacent rivers in the vicinity of New York City. ... The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is a double-decked suspension bridge that connects the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn in New York City at the Narrows, the reach connecting the relatively protected upper bay with the larger lower bay. ...

Biography

Giovanni da Verrazano was born at Val di Grev, near the city of [[Florence]], in [[Tuscany]], [[Italy]], in about [[1485]] and died in [[1528]] in the Lesser Antilles. Although Verrazano left a detailed account of his journey to North America, many of the other details about his life remain unknown. He was born approximately 30 miles (48 km) south of Florence at Castello Verrazano, his family's castle. His date of birth is uncertain, but it was around 1485. In 1507, he moved to Dieppe, to pursue a maritime career. He made several voyages to the eastern Mediterranean, and also visited Newfoundland. Location of the Lesser Antilles (green) in relation to the rest of the Caribbean Islands of the Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles, also known as the Caribbees,[1] are part of the Antilles, which together with the Bahamas and Greater Antilles form the West Indies. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... Dieppe is a town and commune in the Seine-Maritime département of Haute-Normandie (eastern Normandy), France. ... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ... Newfoundland —   (stress on final syllable; for mispronunciations, see Newfoundland travel guide from Wikitravel)— (French: , Irish: ) is a large island off the east coast of North America, and the most populous part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. ...

In 1524 he was sent by King Francis I of France to explore the region between Florida and Newfoundland for a route to the Pacific Ocean. He made landfall near Cape Fear on or around March 1, as recorded in his personal journals. He initially sailed south along the coast of present-day South Carolina, then turned north again. Sailing along the Outer Banks of present-day North Carolina, he thought it was a narrow strip of land beyond which was open ocean - it is actually the estuary of the Pamlico Sound and the Albemarle Sound. This mistake led mapmakers, starting with Visconte Maggiolo in 1527 and Giovanni's brother Girolamo da Verrazano in 1529, to draw North America as being almost split in two by the "Sea of Verazzano", the two parts connected by a thin land bridge on the east coast. It would take a century for this error to be corrected. Events March 1, 1524/5 - Giovanni da Verrazano lands near Cape Fear (approx. ... Francis I (François Ier in French) (September 12, 1494 – March 31, 1547), called the Father and Restorer of Letters (le Père et Restaurateur des Lettres), was crowned King of France in 1515 in the cathedral at Reims and reigned until 1547. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is about the geographical feature on the coast of North Carolina. ... March 1 is the 60th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (61st in leap years). ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston(1670-1789) Columbia(1790-present) Largest city Columbia Largest metro area Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson Area  Ranked 40th  - Total 34,726 sq mi (82,965 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 260 miles (420 km)  - % water 6  - Latitude 32°430N to 35... North Carolinas Outer Banks separating the Atlantic Ocean (east) from Albemarle Sound (north) and Pamlico Sound (south). ... This article is the current U.S. Collaboration of the Week. ... Estuaries and coastal waters are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth, providing ecological, economic, cultural, and aesthetic benefits. ... Pamlico Sound with the southern Outer Banks. ... Albemarle Sound with the northern Outer Banks. ... Visconte Maggiolo was born in 1478 in Florence, Italy. ... Events January 5 - Felix Manz, co-founder of the Swiss Anabaptists, was drowned in the Limmat River in Zürich by the Zürich Reformed state church. ... Events April 22 - Treaty of Saragossa divides the eastern hemisphere between Spain and Portugal, stipulating that the dividing line should lie 297. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Verrazano's voyage of 1524.

He made landfall several times and interacted with the Native Americans of the coast. He missed the Chesapeake Bay and likewise did not record the existence of the Delaware River further north. According to his journals, he sailed along the coast of present-day New Jersey and entered Lower New York Bay. He anchored in the Narrows, the strait between Staten Island and Long Island, where he received a canoe party of Lenape. A party of his sailors may have taken on fresh water at a spring called "the watering place" on Staten Island -- a monument stands in a tiny park on the corner of Bay Street and Victory Boulevard at the approximate spot -- but Verrazano's descriptions of the geography of the area are a bit ambiguous. It is fairly firmly held by historians that his ship anchored at the approximate location where the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge touches down in Brooklyn today. He also observed what he believed to be a large freshwater lake to the north (apparently Upper New York Bay, also called New York Harbor). He apparently did not penetrate deeply enough into New York Harbor to observe the existence of the Hudson River. Approximate route of the voyage of Giovanni da Verrazano in North America in 1524. ... Approximate route of the voyage of Giovanni da Verrazano in North America in 1524. ... Events March 1, 1524/5 - Giovanni da Verrazano lands near Cape Fear (approx. ... An Aani (Atsina) named Assiniboin Boy. ... Chesapeake Bay - Landsat photo Chesapeake Bay where the Susquehanna River empties into it. ... The Delaware River is a river on the Atlantic coast of the United States. ... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Area  Ranked 47th  - Total 8,729 sq mi (22,608 km²)  - Width 70 miles (110 km)  - Length 150 miles (240 km)  - % water 14. ... Lower New York Bay is the section of New York Bay outside of the Narrows and open directly to the Atlantic Ocean. ... New York Harbor, as seen in a TERRA satellite image. ... Staten Island, in yellow, lies to the southwest of the rest of New York City. ... Mercator projection of Long Island Long Island is an island in New York, USA. It has an area of 1,377 square miles (3567 km²) and a population of 7. ... A canoe is a relatively small boat, typically human-powered, but also commonly sailed. ... The Lenape or Lenni-Lenape (later named Delaware Indians by Europeans) were, in the 1600s, loosely organized bands of Native American people practicing small-scale agriculture to augment a largely mobile hunter-gatherer society in the region around the Delaware River, the lower Hudson River, and western Long Island Sound. ... The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is a double-decked suspension bridge that connects the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn in New York City at the Narrows, the reach connecting the relatively protected upper bay with the larger lower bay. ... Upper New York Bay, sometimes called Upper New York Harbor or the Upper Bay, is the northern area of New York Harbor inside the Narrows. ... The Hudson River, called Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk in Mahican, is a river running mainly through New York State but partly forming the boundary between the states of New York and New Jersey. ...

From New York Harbor, he continued along the south coast of Long Island, then crossed Block Island Sound and entered Naragansett Bay, where he probably met the Narragansett people. He followed the coast further east and north to Maine, skirted the southeast coast of Nova Scotia, then returned to France by way of Newfoundland. Block Island Sound, shown shaded in red, between the coast of the Rhode Island and Block Island. ... Narragansett Bay, shown in pink Narragansett Bay is a fjord on the north side of Rhode Island Sound, forming an expansive natural harbor as well as a small archipelago. ... The Narragansett tribe, or more accurately Nahahiganseck Sovereign Nation, are a Native American tribe who controlled the area surrounding Narragansett Bay in present-day Rhode Island, and also portions of Connecticut, and eastern Massachusetts. ... Official language(s) None (English de facto) Capital Augusta Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 39th  - Total 33,414 sq mi (86,542 km²)  - Width 210 miles (338 km)  - Length 320 miles (515 km)  - % water 13. ... Motto: Munit Haec et Altera Vincit (Latin: One defends and the other conquers) Official languages None (English,French,Gaelic) Flower Trailing arbutus Tree Red Spruce Bird Osprey Capital Halifax Largest city Halifax Lieutenant-Governor Mayann E. Francis Premier Rodney MacDonald (PC) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 11 10 Area... Newfoundland —   (stress on final syllable; for mispronunciations, see Newfoundland travel guide from Wikitravel)— (French: , Irish: ) is a large island off the east coast of North America, and the most populous part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. ...

Later, Verrazano made two more voyages to the Americas. On the first, he cut logwood in Brazil. The cause of Verrazano's death is not known for certain. According to some sources, he was killed in 1528 on his third voyage to the New World by the natives of Lesser Antilles. According to other sources, he was captured by the Spanish and hanged as a pirate in Cadiz. Binomial name Haematoxylum campechianum The Logwood tree (Haematoxylum campechianum) was once an important source of red dye. ... Events June 19 - Battle of Landriano - A French army in Italy under Marshal St. ... Location of the Lesser Antilles (green) in relation to the rest of the Caribbean Islands of the Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles, also known as the Caribbees,[1] are part of the Antilles, which together with the Bahamas and Greater Antilles form the West Indies. ... Look up pirate and piracy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about the Spanish city. ...

Modern reputation

Although Verrazano was the first recorded European to visit the East Coast of the present-day United States, his reputation did not endure and proliferate as much as other explorers of that era. As a prime example, in accordance with the practices of the time, Verrazono gave a European name to the new land he had seen, Francesa, after the king. This and other names he bestowed on features he discovered have not survived.

The most important evidence Verrazano's voyage is a long letter he wrote Francis I describing the geography, flora, fauna and native population of the east coast of North America. In the 19th and early 20th centuries there was a great debate in the United States about the letters authenticity, some considered it a fake by someone who had not been on the voyage.^[2] Others thought it was true, and it is almost universally accepted as authentic today^[3], particular after the discovery of the letter signed by Francis I which referred to Verrazono's letter.^[4] This debate minimized considerably Verrazano's reputation (in the United States at least) as the European discoverer of the mid-Atlantic coast of North America, but he has always remained a French and Italian hero.

Verrazano's obscure reputation was particularly true in New York City, where the 1609 voyage of Henry Hudson came to be regarded as the de facto start of the European exploration of New York. It was only with great effort in the 1950s and 1960s that Verrazano's name and reputation as the European discoverer of the harbour was re-established, during an effort to have the newly built Narrows bridge named after him. See Naming controversy of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. A Staten Island ferryboat that served New York from the 1950s to the 1990s was also named for him (oddly, the ferry was named the "Verrazzano", while the bridge, another Staten Island landmark, was named "Verrazano", indicating the ongoing confusion over the spelling of his name). There are numerous other commemorations on Staten Island itself to the explorer -- a Little League is named for him, for instance -- reflecting not only his connection to Staten Island but also the large number of descendents of Italian immigrants who live there. Nickname: Big Apple, City that never Sleeps Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ... No portrait of Hudson is known to be in existence. ... The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is a double-decked suspension bridge that connects the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn in New York City at the Narrows, the reach connecting the relatively protected upper bay with the larger lower bay. ...

Notes

External links

• Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
• "Giovanni da Verrazzano (Giovanni da Verrazano)" at Greve in Chianti
• "The Written Record of the Voyage of 1524 of Giovanni da Verrazano as recorded in a letter to Francis I, King of France, July 8th, 1524"
• Verrazzano in the Catholic Encyclopedia