Date Published:
April 2005

L’Encyclopédie de l’histoire du Québec / The Quebec History Encyclopedia

Giovanni da Verrazano

Verrazano, Giovanni da (1486?1528), explorer, was born at Florence, Italy, about 1486, and about. 1505 entered the maritime service of France. In 1524 he sailed from the Azores on a voyage of exploration to North America. He made his landfall on the coast of Florida, and explored the coast northward as far as the gulf of St. Lawrence. A map or planisphere of his discoveries was drawn in 1529 by his brother Gerolamo, who accompanied him; and on this map appears for the first time the name "Gallia Nova" ( New France ). In 1528 Verrazano set out on a second voyage to America , but was killed and eaten by cannibals, on an island which appears to have been one of the lesser Antilles. See J. C. Brevoort, Verrazano the navigator (privately printed, 1874), H. C. Murphy, The voyage of Verrazano (New York, 1875), B. F. De Costa, Verrazano the explorer (New York, 1880), S. E. Dawson, The St. Lawrence basin (London, 1905), New light on the Verrazzano brothers (Geographical Journal, 1910), and More new light opt the Verrazzano brothers (Geographical Journal, 1926).

Source: W. Stewart Wallace, ed., The Encyclopedia of Canada, Vol. VI, Toronto, University Associates of Canada, 1948, 398p., pp. 235-236.