Giovan Battista Ramusio
Giovan Battista Ramusio (born July 20, 1485 in Treviso , † July 10, 1557 in Padua ) was an Italian humanist , historian and geographer .
Life
Ramusio first studied in Padua as a student of Pietro Pomponazzi and Aldo Manuzzio . Here he mainly studied the Latin and Greek languages and probably also learned some oriental languages, but mainly devoted himself to cosmography and geography. In October 1505 he accompanied the ambassador of the Venetian Republic Alvise Mocenigo to Paris to the French court, where he stayed until May 1507. Later he went on further diplomatic trips a. a. to Switzerland and Rome, probably also to Apulia. Some testimonies suggest that he was also in Egypt and North Africa. In 1513 he was appointed chancellor and in 1515 secretary of the Venetian Senate. His duties included negotiating with Sebastiano Caboto . Ramusio was acquainted with Girolamo Fracastoro , in whose house he lived from 1546 to 1550, Bernardo Navagero , Gasparo Contarini , Giacomo Gastaldi and Raimondi Torriani . An exchange of letters with Pietro Bembo and Girolamo Fracastoro has survived.
Works
Ramusio has received a foreword to Quintilian and Livius, which appeared in Aldo Manuzzio's printing works in 1514 and 1519 respectively . Ramusio was best known for the publication of the most important travel literature of his time in his monumental work Delle navigationi et viaggi , which was published by Giunti in Venice. Ramusio has probably been collecting material for this publication since 1520. The first volume containing travelogues about Africa was published in 1550; This was followed by a volume on trips to America, without specifying the name of the editor, but with a dedication letter from Ramusio to Fracastoro. A volume on trips to Asia was published posthumously in 1559. This collection reached numerous editions in the 16th century and contributed to the current popularity of many travel reports, including a. the Milione of Marco Polo , the Ramusio an edited version of it published.
- online at Archive.org :
- Primo volume delle navigationi et viaggi nel qual si contiene la descrittione dell'Africa, et del paese del Prete Ianni, con varii viaggi, dal mar Rosso a Calicut & infin all'isole Molucche, dove nascono le Spetiere et la navigatione attorno il mondo li nomi de gli auttori, et le navigationi, et i viaggi piu particolarmente si mostrano nel foglio seguente (1550)
- [1] Secondo volume delle navigationi et viaggi (1583)
- Delle nauigationi et viaggi (first published in 1556)
literature
- Fabio Romanini: "Se fussero più ordinate e meglio steps ...". Giovanni Battista Ramusio correttore ed editore delle Navigationi et viaggi (= Frontiere della modernità - Amerigo Vespucci, l'America, l'Europa. 4). Viella, Rome 2007, ISBN 978-88-8334-272-1 .
- Massimo Donattini: RAMUSIO (Rannusio, Ramusius, Rhamnusius, Rhamusius), Giovanni Battista. In: Raffaele Romanelli (ed.): Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (DBI). Volume 86: Querenghi-Rensi. Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, Rome 2016.
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ramusio, Giovan Battista |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Italian humanist, historian and geographer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 20, 1485 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Treviso |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 10, 1557 |
| Place of death | Padua |