
Where did Bartholomeu Dias explore?
In 1488, Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias (c. 1450-1500) became the first European mariner to round the southern tip of Africa, opening the way for a sea route from Europe to Asia. Dias’ ships rounded the perilous Cape of Good Hope and then sailed around Africa’s southernmost point, Cabo das Agulhas, to enter the waters of the Indian Ocean.
What did Giovanni da Verrazzano want to find?
Giovanni da Verrazano (also Verrazzano) was an Italian explorer commissioned by the king of France to chart the eastern coast of North America, from Florida to Newfoundland. His main goal was to find a passage to Asia via the Pacific Ocean.
Where did Hernando Cortes explore and what did he discover?
What did Hernan Cortes discover on his journey? Hernan Cortés invaded Mexico in 1519 and conquered the Aztec Empire. Hernán Cortés was a Spanish conquistador, or conqueror, best remembered for conquering the Aztec empire in 1521 and claiming Mexico for Spain. He also helped colonize Cuba and became a governor of New Spain.
Where did Giovanni de Verrazano start his journey?
Thus King Francis sent out Giovanni da Verrazano to explore that region, looking for the desired sea route to the South Sea, as the Pacific Ocean was then known. From March to June, 1524, Verrazano sailed from the northern part of today’s Florida to Newfoundland, making many discoveries, such as New York and Narragansett Bays.

When did Verrazzano travel?
Verrazzano's voyage in 1524. Continuing to explore the coast further northwards, Verrazzano and his crew came into contact with Native Americans living on the coast. However, he did not notice the entrances to the Chesapeake Bay or the mouth of the Delaware River.
What was the name of the region that Verrazzano explored?
Verrazzano named the region that he explored Francesca in honor of the French king, but his brother's map labeled it Nova Gallia ( New France ).
Where was Giovanni da Verrazzano born?
The consensus of scholars is that Giovanni da Verrazzano was born in Val di Greve , south of Florence, the capital and the main city of the Republic of Florence, the son of Piero Andrea di Bernardo da Verrazzano and Fiammetta Cappelli. It is generally claimed that he was born in the Castello di Verrazzano, hence its birth indicator (similar to Leonardo da Vinci ). Some alternative theories have been elaborated; for example, certain French scholarship assumes that Verrazzano was born in Lyon, France, the son of Alessandro di Bartolommeo da Verrazano and Giovanna Guadagni. "Whatever the case," writes Ronald S. Love, "Verrazzano always considered himself to be Florentine," and he was considered a Florentine by his contemporaries as well. He signed documents employing a Latin version of his name, "Janus Verrazanus", and he called himself "Jehan de Verrazane" in his will dated 11 May 1526 in Rouen, France (preserved at the Archives départementales de la Seine-Maritime).
Where was Verrazzano born?
It is generally claimed that he was born in the Castello di Verrazzano, hence its birth indicator (similar to Leonardo da Vinci ). Some alternative theories have been elaborated; for example, certain French scholarship assumes that Verrazzano was born in Lyon, France, the son of Alessandro di Bartolommeo da Verrazano and Giovanna Guadagni.
What was Verrazzano's purpose in his voyage?
He was engaged by the King of France to lead a voyage to North America in 1524. The purpose of Verrazzano's journey was to learn more about the continent.
What class is the Verrazzano?
A vessel of the Italian navy, a destroyer of the Navigatori class, was named after Verrazzano. She was launched in 1930 and sunk by a British submarine in 1942.
What is the ferry named after Verrazzano?
A Staten Island Ferry boat that served New York from the 1950s to the 1990s was also named for Verrazzano. The ferry was named the "Verrazzano", while the bridge was named "Verrazano", reflecting the confusion over the spelling of his name. A Little League team on Staten Island is also named for him.
Where did Verrazzano go on his voyages?
Here he joined the maritime service, and began his seafaring career as a navigator on French merchant ships in the Mediterranean.2 He made several voyages to the Levant, the land at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea.3 Verrazzano would gain the skills needed to command a voyage of his own.
Where did Verrazzano sail?
Once again they were greeted peacefully by the Native Americans and treated well. He continued sailing along Long Island Sound in New York, and then on to Block Island and Narragansett Bay in present day Rhode Island. He anchored at Newport Harbour spent 15 days exploring the Rhode Island area.8 Verrazzano and his men continued sailing up the coast to Maine where they had a much different experience with the natives. He was not able to explore the coastland because he was driven off by the local Native American tribes. Verrazzano and his crew then sailed up the coast, and stopped in Newfoundland to resupply. They finished their journey here, and headed back to France. They reached Dieppe on July 8, 1524.
What did Verrazzano do to the North American continent?
But he still made great contributions to North American exploration. In his account of his 1524 voyage to the North American continent, and exploration of the coast from Florida to Newfoundland, Verrazzano recorded details unknown to European mapmakers.
What did Verrazzano suggest to the King?
Verrazzano suggested to the king that he could find a more direct route to the Pacific by way of a Northwest Passage. The king wanted Verrazzano to explore the eastern coast of the New World from Florida up to Newfoundland to find this route.
Why did Verrazzano travel to the New World?
Verrazzano voyaged to the New World in search of a passage to Asia. He had sailed along and explored most of the eastern coast of the United States. Once he reached North America, he followed the coast for several months where he encountered numerous native peoples.
How many ships did Verrazzano have?
He started with four ships: La Dauphine, Santa Maria, La Normande, and Vittoria. However, shortly after departing they were caught in a storm.Two ships, the Santa Maria and Vittoria, were lost in the storm. The La Normande was damaged beyond repair, leaving only La Dauphine seaworthy for Verrazzano’s voyage.4. Voyages.
What is the name of the bridge that Giovanni da Verrazzano built?
Several bridges in North America bear the explorer’s name. Perhaps the most well-known of these is the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge which connects Staten Island and Brooklyn in New York. It was once the longest suspension bridge in the world, and commemorates the achievements of Giovanni da Verrazzano.
Where did Verrazzano explore?
His explorations concluded at the eastern part of Newfoundland. His return to France on July 8, 1524, gave King Francis I his nation’s claim to the New World.
When did Verrazzano sail?
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Verrazzano undertook two more voyages to the Americas. In 1527 he commanded a fleet of ships on an expedition to Brazil that returned profitable dyewood to France. His final voyage began in the spring of 1528, when he sailed with his brother, Girolamo, from Dieppe with two or three ships.
Who was Giovanni da Verrazzano?
Giovanni da Verrazzano, Verrazzano also spelled Verrazano, (born 1485, Tuscany [Italy]—died 1528, Lesser Antilles), Italian navigator and explorer for Franc e who was the first European to sight New York and Narragansett bays. After his education in Florence, Verrazzano moved to Dieppe, France, and entered that nation’s maritime ...
Who were the first Europeans to visit New York?
Giovanni da Verrazzano (1524) and Henry Hudson (1609) were part of that long effort, and they were among the first Europeans to visit and gaze at the vast expanse of New York harbour. The primary result of Hudson’s voyage, and his report of a protected…
Who explored the New World?
Map depicting the European exploration of the New World in the 15th and 16th centuries, including the voyages made by Christopher Columbus, John Cabot, Alonso de Ojeda and Amerigo Vespucci, Pedro Álvares Cabral, Ferdinand Magellan and Juan Sebastián del Cano, Giovanni da Verrazzano, Jacques Cartier, Sir Francis Drake, and others .
Where did the Britannica fleet go?
The fleet sailed to Florida, the Bahamas, and finally the Lesser Antilles. He anchored there off one of the islands (apparently Guadeloupe ), went ashore, and was captured, killed, and eaten by cannibals. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now.

Overview
Giovanni da Verrazzano was an Italian (Florentine) explorer of North America, in the service of King Francis I of France.
He is renowned as the first European to explore the Atlantic coast of North America between Florida and New Brunswick in 1524, including New York Bay and Narragansett Bay.
Early life
The consensus of scholars is that Giovanni da Verrazzano was born in Val di Greve, south of Florence, the capital and the main city of the Republic of Florence, the son of Piero Andrea di Bernardo da Verrazzano and Fiammetta Cappelli. It is generally claimed that he was born in the Castello di Verrazzano, hence its birth indicator (similar to Leonardo da Vinci).
Some alternative theories have been elaborated; for example, certain French scholarship assum…
1522–24 voyage to America
In September 1522, the surviving members of Ferdinand Magellan's crew returned to Spain, having circumnavigated the globe. Competition in trade was becoming urgent, especially with Portugal.
King Francis I of France was impelled by French merchants and financiers from Lyon and Rouen who were seeking new trade routes and so he asked Verrazzano in 1523 to make plans to explore on France's behalf an area between Florida and Terranova, the "New Found Land", with the goal of …
Later life and death
Verrazzano arranged a second voyage, with financial support from Jean Ango and Philippe de Chabot, which departed from Dieppe with four ships early in 1527. One ship was separated from the others in a gale near the Cape Verde Islands, but Verrazzano reached the coast of Brazil with two ships and harvested a cargo of brazilwood before returning to Dieppe in September. The third ship returned later, also with a cargo of brazilwood.
Legacy
The geographic information derived from this voyage had a significant influence on sixteenth-century cartographers. Despite his discoveries, Verrazzano's reputation did not proliferate as much as other explorers of that era. For example, Verrazzano gave the European name Francesca to the new land that he had seen, in accordance with contemporary practices, after the French kin…
Further reading
• Codignola, Luca (1999). "Another Look at Verrazzano's Voyage, 1524". Acadiensis. 29 (1): 29–42. ISSN 0044-5851. JSTOR 30303228.
• Masini, Giancarlo; Gori, Iacopo (1999). How Florence Invented America, New York, Marsilio Publishers.
• Castelnovi Michele (2005), Luoghi e tempi di un errore cartografico: l’istmo di Verrazzano (1524-1593), in Luoghi e tempo nella cartografia, Atti del Convegno nazionale dell’Associazion…
• Codignola, Luca (1999). "Another Look at Verrazzano's Voyage, 1524". Acadiensis. 29 (1): 29–42. ISSN 0044-5851. JSTOR 30303228.
• Masini, Giancarlo; Gori, Iacopo (1999). How Florence Invented America, New York, Marsilio Publishers.
• Castelnovi Michele (2005), Luoghi e tempi di un errore cartografico: l’istmo di Verrazzano (1524-1593), in Luoghi e tempo nella cartografia, Atti del Convegno nazionale dell’Associazione Italiana di Cartografia Trieste aprile 2005, a cura di C. Do…
External links
• Verrazzano Centre for Historical Studies