Peter Martyr d'Anghiera ( la, Petrus Martyr Anglerius or ''ab Angleria''; it, Pietro Martire d'Anghiera; es, Pedro Mártir de Anglería; 2 February 1457 – October 1526), formerly known in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ...
as Peter Martyr of Angleria,
[D'Anghiera, Peter Martyr. ''De Orbo Novo'' . Trans. Richard Eden a]
''The decades of the newe worlde or west India conteynyng the nauigations and conquestes of the Spanyardes with the particular description of the moste ryche and large landes and Ilands lately founde in the west Ocean perteynyng to the inheritaunce of the kinges of Spayne'', , §3.
William Powell (London), 1555. was an Italian
historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...
at the service of
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
during the
Age of Exploration
The Age of Discovery (or the Age of Exploration), also known as the early modern period, was a period largely overlapping with the Age of Sail, approximately from the 15th century to the 17th century in European history, during which seafaring ...
. He wrote the first accounts of explorations in
Central
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...
and
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sou ...
in a series of letters and reports, grouped in the original
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
publications of 1511 to 1530 into sets of ten chapters called "decades." His ''Decades'' are of great value in the history of geography and discovery. His ''De Orbe Novo'' (On the New World, 1530) describes the first contacts of Europeans and
Native Americans, Native American civilizations in the Caribbean and North America, as well as Mesoamerica, and includes, for example, the first
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
an reference to
India rubber. It was first translated into English in 1555, and in a fuller version in 1912.
Life
Martyr was born on 2 February 1457 at
Lake Maggiore in
Arona in
Piedmont
it, Piemontese
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 =
, demographics1_title2 ...
and later named for the nearby city of
Angera. He studied under Giovanni Borromeo, then the count of Arona. He went to Rome at the age of twenty and met important men in the hierarchy of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
. After meeting the Spanish ambassador in Rome, Martyr accompanied him to
Zaragoza
Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Province of Zaragoza, Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Ara ...
in August 1487. Martyr soon became a notable figure among the
humanists
Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry.
The meaning of the term "human ...
of Spain. In 1488 he lectured in
Salamanca on the invitation of the
university
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...
. The
new learning was supported by highly placed patrons in the society. Martyr would become
chaplain
A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intelligence ...
to the court of
Ferdinand and Isabella
The Catholic Monarchs were Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, whose marriage and joint rule marked the ''de facto'' unification of Spain. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being bo ...
.
After 1492, Martyr's chief task was the education of young nobles at the Spanish court. In 1501 he was
sent to Egypt on a diplomatic mission to dissuade the
Sultan of Egypt
Sultan of Egypt was the status held by the rulers of Egypt after the establishment of the Ayyubid dynasty of Saladin in 1174 until the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517. Though the extent of the Egyptian Sultanate ebbed and flowed, it generall ...
from taking vengeance on the
Christians
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ� ...
in Egypt and
Palestine for the defeat of the
Moors
The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages.
Moors are not a distinc ...
in Spain and the
Fall of Granada. This he achieved by strongly asserting that there were no forced conversions and that Granada Muslims had asked for baptism of their own volition - plus, more importantly, promising Spanish help to Egypt against the threat of conquest by the
Ottomansbr>
He described his voyage through Egypt in the ''Legatio Babylonica,'' which was published in the 1511 edition of his ''Decades''. Following the success of this mission, he received the title of ''maestro de los caballeros'' (master of knights).
In 1520 Martyr was given the post of chronicler (''cronista'') in the newly formed
Council of the Indies, commissioned by
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain ( Castile and Aragon) fr ...
to describe what was occurring in the explorations of the
New World
The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. ...
. In 1523 Charles gave him the title of
Count Palatine
A count palatine (Latin ''comes palatinus''), also count of the palace or palsgrave (from German ''Pfalzgraf''), was originally an official attached to a royal or imperial palace or household and later a nobleman of a rank above that of an ord ...
, and in 1524 called him once more into the Council of the Indies. Martyr was
invested
Investment is the dedication of money to purchase of an asset to attain an increase in value over a period of time. Investment requires a sacrifice of some present asset, such as time, money, or effort.
In finance, the purpose of investing is ...
by
Pope Clement VII
Pope Clement VII ( la, Clemens VII; it, Clemente VII; born Giulio de' Medici; 26 May 1478 – 25 September 1534) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 November 1523 to his death on 25 September 1534. Deemed "the ...
, as proposed by Charles V, as
Abbot
Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. Th ...
of
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...
. Although Martyr never visited the island, as abbot he directed the construction of the first stone
church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
* Chri ...
there.
He died in
Granada
Granada (,, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the c ...
in 1526.
Works
Peter Martyr was a prolific writer. He is estimated to have composed some eight hundred letters addressed to various illustrious persons relating events in Spain and the Spanish court, written in a journalistic style, often quite gossipy. Moving in court circles, Peter Martyr was personally acquainted with most of the leading figures of the day, and it is from his letters that historians have drawn much of the details about their physical appearance, personality, quirks and anecdotes.
It was as a chronicler that Martyr performed his most notable literary work. He collected documents and accounts from the discoverers as well as personally interviewing them. He learned from the letters of
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
* lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo
* es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón
* pt, Cristóvão Colombo
* ca, Cristòfor (or )
* la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
and made use of the reports of the Council of the Indies. He had a great grasp of geographical issues; he was the first European to realize the significance of the
Gulf Stream
The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension the North Atlantic Drift, is a warm and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida and up the eastern coastline of the Unit ...
.
In 1511, his publications included the first historical account of the Spanish discoveries: ''Opera, Legatio Babylonica, Oceanidecas, Paemata, Epigrammata'' (Seville, 1511). The ''Decas'' consisted of ten reports, two of which Martyr had previously sent as letters describing the voyages of Columbus, to Cardinal
Ascanius Sforza in 1493 and 1494. In 1501 Martyr, as requested by the Cardinal
Luigi d'Aragona, added eight chapters on the voyage of Columbus and the exploits of
Martin Alonzo Pinzón. In 1511 he added a supplement giving an account of events from 1501 to 1511.
Jointly with this ''Decade'', he published a narrative of his experiences in Egypt with a description of the inhabitants, their country, and history. By 1516 he had finished two other ''Decades'':
* The first was devoted to the exploits of
Alonso de Ojeda,
Diego de Nicuesa, and
Vasco Núñez de Balboa
* The second gave an account of
Balboa's discovery of the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the conti ...
, Columbus' fourth voyage, and the expeditions of
Pedrarias Dávila.
* Three appeared together at
Alcalá de Henares in 1516 under the title: ''De orbe novo decades cum Legatione Babylonica''.
* The ''Enchiridion de nuper sub D. Carolo repertis insulis'' (Basle, 1521) was printed as the fourth ''Decade'', describing the voyages of
Francisco Hernández de Córdoba,
Juan de Grijalva, and
Hernán Cortés.
* The fifth ''Decade'' (1523) dealt with the conquest of Mexico and the
circumnavigation
Circumnavigation is the complete navigation around an entire island, continent, or astronomical body (e.g. a planet or moon). This article focuses on the circumnavigation of Earth.
The first recorded circumnavigation of the Earth was the ...
of the world by
Ferdinand Magellan.
* The sixth ''Decade'' (1524) gave an account of Dávila's discoveries on the west coast of
America
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
.
* The seventh ''Decade'' (1525) had collected descriptions of the customs of the natives in present-day
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
, including the "Testimony of
Francisco de Chicora Francisco de Chicora was the baptismal name given to a Native American kidnapped in 1521, along with 70 others, from near Winyah Bay by Spanish explorer Francisco Gordillo and slave trader Pedro de Quexos, based in Santo Domingo and the first Eur ...
", a Native American taken captive there; as well as those of natives in
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...
,
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and s ...
,
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...
, and
Darién.
* The eighth ''Decade'' (1525) told the story of the march of Cortés against
Cristobal de Olid, who attempted to set up an independent state in Honduras.
In 1530 the eight ''Decades'' were published together for the first time at Alcalá. Later editions of single or of all the ''Decades'' appeared at
Basel
, french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese
, neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (B ...
(1533),
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...
(1574),
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
(1587), and
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
(1892). A German translation was published in Basle in 1582; an English version may be found in Arber, ''The first three English books on America'' (Birmingham, 1885); a French one by
Gaffarel in ''Recueil de voyages et de documents pour servir à l'histoire de la Geographie'' (Paris, 1907).
Martyr also wrote the historical account, ''Opus epistolarum,'' although it was not edited or published until after his death. This collection consists of 812 letters to or from ecclesiastical dignitaries, generals, and statesmen of Spain and Italy, dealing with contemporary events, and especially with the history of Spain between 1487 and 1525. It was published first at Alcalá in 1530; a new edition was issued by the
House of Elzevir at
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
in 1670.
Editions
* Peter Martyr d'Anghiera, ''De orbe novo'', translated from the Latin with notes and introduction by Francis Augustus MacNutt, New York: Putnam, 1912. 2 vols.
* Peter Martyr d'Anghiera, ''Decadas del nuevo mundo'', 1944
* Petrus Martyr de Anghieria, ''Opera: Legatio Babylonica, De Orbe novo decades octo, Opus Epistolarum'', Graz: Akademische Druck- U. Verlagsanstalt, 1966
References
Further reading
*
*
*
*
* Nugent, Elizabeth M. (1969) "Peter Martyr D’Anghiera." in ''The Thought & Culture of the English Renaissance.'' Springer, Netherlands. pp. 511–518.
*
*
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anghiera, Peter Martyr d
Italian diplomats
16th-century Italian historians
Spanish diplomats
16th-century Spanish historians
16th-century Mesoamericanists
Italian chroniclers
Spanish chroniclers
Spanish exploration in the Age of Discovery
1457 births
1526 deaths
Historians of Mesoamerica
Italian Mesoamericanists
People from Arona, Piedmont
People of the Colony of Santo Domingo
16th-century Latin-language writers