A Story To Tell: Seeing Through the Minds of Two Admirals
- Eda Ozyesilpinar -
Connecting Reis and Columbus:The Parallelism between the Sources of Columbus and Reis
The Note VI in the Reis map informs his audience about the sources he used to compile his map (see Appendix). He indicates that he used about twenty charts and mappaemundi. Even though which mappaemundi Reis is used is unknown, the fact that he used mappaemundi as sources reveals one of the key connections to Columbus. Considering Pierre d’Ailly’s Imago Mundi and the Columbian map at the Bibliotheque Nationale are both mappaemundi, it is logical to assume that Reis and Columbus had similar visions of the earth (its sphere shape, its measure).
In addition to the mappaemundi Reis used, he also indicates that he used “Jaferiye” which probably referred to Ptolemy’s Geographia (McIntosh, 2000). Reis probably had access to Ptolemy’s work and the maps drawn in Ptolemic style through the rich library and the privileges the Ottoman Empire had during that time period. This is another significant connection between Reis and Columbus since, as it is indicated, Columbus was also familiar with Ptolemy’s Geographia and used a Ptolemic map to form his cosmographic theory.
Importance of the Note V
The note V is the key link in this study, which is used to connect Piri Reis and Christopher Columbus. This long note in the Reis map explains the familiar story of how the shores of the Americas were discovered by Christopher Columbus, how Columbus managed to go on his voyages, what Columbus experienced in the New World, and information about the geography, nature, culture, and the native people of the New World. At the end of the note V, the key evidence connecting Reis and Columbus is presented, which is Reis’s own indication that he used Columbus’s map (which today is lost) to draw the shores and islands of the Americas in the Reis map (see Appendix).
Figure 11. The location of the Note V in the Reis map
The most popular hypothesis about how Reis took possession of Columbus’s map is that while Reis and his uncle were fighting against the Spanish navy, they captured a seaman who had gone on the first three voyages of Columbus as part of his crew. According to Afetinan (1954), this Spanish seaman gave the map to Reis’s uncle and Reis inherited the map from his uncle; in addition, the same Spanish seaman told stories about Columbus’s first three voyages (what he found and what he experienced) to Reis.
Figure 12. Timeline mapping the connections between Reis and Columbus with a focus on locations
Based upon the discussion on the connections between Reis and Columbus, it is clear that Columbus and Reis formed a similar vision of the earth; the sources they used such as mappeamundi and Ptolemic maps reveal that both Reis and Columbus visualized the earth as a spherical space. In addition, Reis’s explanation in his notes emphasizes the idea that Reis also respected and trusted Columbus and his vision and used Columbus’s map as the central source to draw the shores and islands of Americas. These connections between these two admirals and cartographers led this study to explore how their visions of earth are implemented in the Reis map and construct different layers of meaning in the map.