Richard Hakluyt

Memorial plaque to Richard Hakluyt in Bristol Cathedral

Richard Hakluyt (* around 1552 in London or Herefordshire , † October 23, 1616 in London) was an English geographer and writer.

Life

Richard Hakluyt studied at Oxford and, as a professor of cosmography, introduced the use of globes in English school lessons. From 1583 to 1588 he worked in Paris and in 1584 accompanied the English ambassador there as a chaplain . Returning to London in 1588, he began his editions The Principal Navigations . In 1590 he married a relative of the circumnavigator Thomas Cavendish . In 1605 he received a prebend at Westminster Abbey and the rectorate in Suffolk .

His main work is The principal navigations, voyages and discoveries of the English nation etc. (published 1589 and revised 1598–1600). This book contained travel reports from captains and explorers who primarily visited areas that could be of importance for the English export economy - but also a lot of unproven, such as a description of the Magnetberg .

The Hakluyt Society , founded in London in 1846, was named after him and has since published a series of historical travel reports of expeditions and discoveries in scientifically commented book form (see overview ).

literature

• Vera Nünning : Richard Hakluyt. In: Heinz Ludwig Arnold (Hrsg.): Kindlers Literatur Lexikon . 3rd, completely revised edition. 18 volumes. Metzler, Stuttgart / Weimar 2009, ISBN 978-3-476-04000-8 , vol. 7, p. 4 f.
• Hermann Schreiber: Hakluyt Society . In: Heinrich Pleticha, Siegfried Augustin: Lexicon of adventure and travel literature from Africa to Winnetou. Edition Erdmann in K. Thienemanns Verlag, Stuttgart, Vienna, Bern 1999, ISBN 3 522 60002 9 , p. 110 f.

Web links

Commons : Richard Hakluyt  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Literature by and about Richard Hakluyt in the catalog of the German National Library
• Hakluyt Society
• His principal navigations can be found here: [1] , z. B. Vol. 1 [2] , a total of 12 volumes (English)