Francesco Negri (explorer)

Francesco Negri

Depiction of Negris in his book from 1700

Francesco Negri (born March 27, 1623 in Ravenna , † December 27, 1698 ibid) was an Italian explorer and Catholic clergyman.

Life

Negri was born the only son to a wealthy family. He studied philosophy , science , geography , astronomy and languages. After completing his studies, he joined the Franciscan order , which meant a break with his family. He worked as a pastor. Negri was interested in northern Scandinavia and was surprised that foreign continents were being explored, but parts of Europe were still undescribed. He was fascinated by the idea that people in the north live in regions that are so cold that agriculture is impossible there.

In 1663 Negri set out for Sweden and traveled up north to the Tornedalen valley . The attempt to penetrate further north to the north coast of Scandinavia failed, however. He therefore traveled back to Stockholm . In Stockholm he dived with a diving bell in search of the wreck of the Vasa . When the Vasa was finally lifted in 1961, a diving bell was made according to his traditional description. Negri set out north again in 1664 via Copenhagen , Bergen and Trondheim . In late autumn 1664 he visited the Chancellor Ove Bjelke on Østråt . Bjelke had spent a study visit to Italy in his youth. Attempts to dissuade Negri from the project further north in winter were unsuccessful. Negri continued his journey unaccompanied by boat or horse-drawn cart and finally reached the North Cape . There he met a clergyman with whom he could communicate in Latin . Presumably it was the pastor of Kjelvik on Magerøya .

On his trip, Negri made extensive notes and sketches on the topography and the life of the local population. He described cattle breeding, whale and fishing, the use of seabirds and building practices by Sami and Norwegians . In terms of seeds, he made a distinction between coastal and reindeer seeds. Negri learned to ski on his trip.

On his return to Italy he worked on the manuscript for a scientific travelogue all his life. He gathered further information and planned another North Cape tour to collect further material and check his records. However, when he was 60 years old, an application to the Grand Duke of Toscana for assistance with the trip was rejected. Negri maintained contact with scholars, especially around the academy in Florence , but also with Swedish scientists. An exchange of letters also connected him with Shefferus , the author of Lapponia .

His book was not published until 1700 in Padua after his death. It comprises eight travel letters, with the eighth covering the North Cape and Finnmark. Four more editions appeared by 1929, all in Italian . Despite its scientific activity, Negri is also considered the first North Cape tourist.

plant

• Viaggio Settentrionale , Padua 1700 (posthumous)

literature

• Kjersti Skavhaug , Zum Nordkap, Famous journeys from the Viking Age to 1800 , Nordkapplitteratur A / S, Honningsvåg, 2nd edition 1994, ISBN 82-7579-0069 , page 33 ff.

Web links

Commons : Francesco Negri  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Kjersti Skavhaug, To the North Cape, Famous Journeys from the Viking Age to 1800 , North Cape Splitteratur A / S, Honningsvåg, 2nd edition 1994, ISBN 82-7579-0069 , page 35.