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Intriguely, Columbus claimed that in 1477, after visiting Bristol, England (which is confirmed), he visited Iceland, where the stories of Markland would have pr

Intriguely, Columbus claimed that in 1477, after visiting Bristol, England (which is confirmed), he visited Iceland, where the stories of Markland would have predominated.

fsckboy 5y ago
interesting! here's what wikipedia says: "In May 1476, [Columbus] took part in an armed convoy sent by Genoa to carry valuable cargo to northern Europe. He probably docked in Bristol, England, and Galway, Ireland. He may have also gone to Iceland in 1477. It is known that in the autumn of 1477, he sailed on a Portuguese ship from Galway to Lisbon, where he found his brother Bartolomeo..."
kitd 5y ago
And Bristol fishermen were known to fish Icelandic waters and beyond. A major backer of their voyages was Welshman Richard ap Meryk, sometimes elided to Ameryk. There's a theory that the fishermen established a processing station in Newfoundland and called it Ameryka in his honour, associating the left-hand side of the pond with that name in voyagers and cartographers minds.
- pbhjpbhj 5y ago
  That's a fun etymology. I thought it was well established that the name America came either directly or indirectly from explorer Amerigo Vespucci.
  - kitd 5y ago
    I agree, it's the more likely source. But as a Welshman, I quite like this one!
- lodovic 5y ago
  I'm pretty sure America was named after Amerigo Vespucci.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
JudgePenitent 5y ago
If I'm not mistaken, the source for Columbus visiting Iceland was by his son Ferdinand (who said his dad left notes laying around and his son figured out he was talking about Iceland) in his biography of his father, written in Spanish, the original of which is lost; Italian copies were made, which was then translated into English as well. I don't know if "Columbus claimed" is the right way to phrase this. Ruddock [1] covers this topic well and also asks pretty pointed questions about the source today, why it exaggerates so much, etc. [1]: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1796276 https://www.jstor.org/stable/1796276
- ZanyProgrammer 5y ago
  Isnt Ruddock the same person who claimed that Cabot and a friar established the only pre Reformation church north of Spanish territory?

Intriguely, Columbus claimed that in 1477, after visiting Bristol, England (which is confirmed), he visited Iceland, where the stories of Markland would have predominated.

fsckboy 5y ago

interesting! here's what wikipedia says: "In May 1476, [Columbus] took part in an armed convoy sent by Genoa to carry valuable cargo to northern Europe. He probably docked in Bristol, England, and Galway, Ireland. He may have also gone to Iceland in 1477. It is known that in the autumn of 1477, he sailed on a Portuguese ship from Galway to Lisbon, where he found his brother Bartolomeo..."

kitd 5y ago

And Bristol fishermen were known to fish Icelandic waters and beyond. A major backer of their voyages was Welshman Richard ap Meryk, sometimes elided to Ameryk. There's a theory that the fishermen established a processing station in Newfoundland and called it Ameryka in his honour, associating the left-hand side of the pond with that name in voyagers and cartographers minds.

pbhjpbhj 5y ago
That's a fun etymology. I thought it was well established that the name America came either directly or indirectly from explorer Amerigo Vespucci.
- kitd 5y ago
  I agree, it's the more likely source. But as a Welshman, I quite like this one!
lodovic 5y ago
I'm pretty sure America was named after Amerigo Vespucci.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

JudgePenitent 5y ago

If I'm not mistaken, the source for Columbus visiting Iceland was by his son Ferdinand (who said his dad left notes laying around and his son figured out he was talking about Iceland) in his biography of his father, written in Spanish, the original of which is lost; Italian copies were made, which was then translated into English as well. I don't know if "Columbus claimed" is the right way to phrase this. Ruddock [1] covers this topic well and also asks pretty pointed questions about the source today, why it exaggerates so much, etc. [1]: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1796276 https://www.jstor.org/stable/1796276

ZanyProgrammer 5y ago
Isnt Ruddock the same person who claimed that Cabot and a friar established the only pre Reformation church north of Spanish territory?