André Thevet facts for kids
André Thevet (1516 – November 23, 1590) was a French priest, explorer, and writer. He traveled to many places in the 1500s, including the Near East and South America. His most famous book was The New Found World, or Antarctike. This book shared his own experiences and information from other sources about a French settlement called France Antarctique, which was near what is now Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Contents
Life
André Thevet's Early Life and Travels
André Thevet was born in Angoulême, a town in southwestern France. When he was just ten years old, he joined a group of Franciscan priests in Angoulême. In 1549, with help from an important church leader named John, Cardinal of Lorraine, Thevet went on a long trip. He explored parts of Asia, Greece, Rhodes, Palestine, and Egypt. He even went with the French ambassador to Istanbul.
Journey to South America
Soon after his first big trip, Thevet sailed again. This time, he was a chaplain (a priest who serves in the military) for a fleet led by Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon. Their goal was to start a French colony near what is now Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Thevet arrived there on November 10, 1555. However, he only stayed in the colony for about ten weeks before returning to France.
After his travels, Thevet became a chaplain for Catherine de Médici, who was the Queen of France. Later, he worked for the king. Thevet passed away in Paris on November 23, 1590.
Written Works
Books About His Journeys
After returning to France from the Near East in 1554, Thevet published a book about his trip called Cosmographie du Levant.
When he came back from the Americas, Thevet published another important book in 1557 or 1558. It was titled Les singularitez de la France Antarctique, which means "The Peculiarities of Antarctic France." Even though the book seemed to be based only on his own experiences, Thevet also used information from other published books and stories from other explorers and sailors. He even included details from Indigenous Canadians who had been brought to France. An English version of this book, The New Found World, or Antarctike, was printed in 1568.
Discoveries and Descriptions
Thevet's books are valuable because they included information from many different sources that weren't printed elsewhere. Even with some mistakes, his work helps us understand the cultures of eastern Canada and Brazil from that time. Les singularitez de la France Antarctique was the first European book to describe plants like manioc, pineapple, peanut, and tobacco. It also described animals such as the macaw, sloth, and tapir. The book even included a story about cannibalism, which influenced a famous essay by the writer Montaigne.
Later Works
Once Thevet became a cosmographer (someone who studies and maps the universe) for the French court, he started writing his Cosmographie Universelle. This huge work was meant to describe every part of the known world. He also published a collection of biographies in 1584 called Vrais pourtraits et vies des homes illustres, which means "True Portraits and Lives of Famous Men." He also left behind two books that were never published: Grand Insulaire (an almanac of islands) and Histoire de deux voyages (a story of his two main travels).
Works
- 1554 Cosmographie de Levant
- 1557/8 Les singularitez de la France Antarctique (also known in English as The New found vvorlde, or Antarctike)
- 1575 La Cosmographie Universelle d'Andre Thevet Cosmographe dv Roy
- 1584 Vrais pourtraits et vies des hommes illustres
- Grand Insulaire (unpublished)
- Histoire de deux voyages (unpublished)
Images for kids
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André Thevet's Cosmographie du Levant, published in 1556.
See also
In Spanish: André Thevet para niños
- Antarctic France
- Old Tupi
