Alonzo de Santa Cruz

Alonso de Santa Cruz, and Alonzo (* 1505 in Seville, † 1567 in Madrid) was a Spanish historian, cartographer, and Kosmograf measuring instrument makers.

Life

Alonso de Santa Cruz was born in 1505 as the son of a wealthy shipowner in Seville. First, he studied in Salamanca. Early on, he learned the shortcomings of the art of navigation. When he broke up with Sebastian Cabot in 1526, to explore the only newly discovered Moluccas and to circumnavigate the earth, landed instead the expedition to the coast of present-day Argentina. There, explored and charted the group in detail the estuary of the Río de la Plata. After five years, Santa Cruz came over Veracruz and the Bahamas back to Spain and began to intensively deal with astrology and cosmology.

In 1535 he began his professional career as Kosmograf at Casa de Contratación. Previously, he had developed a means by which the degrees of longitude could be determined. The application of the instrument he described in his Libro de las Longitudes. In 1539, he was appointed Contino de la Casa Real. This position gave him close contact to the court of Charles V. He taught at times the future king Philip II in the natural sciences. At this time he began work on Islario general, a work in which all the islands of the world should be registered. His investigations led him kosmografischen 1545 to Lisbon, where he met with leading Portuguese cosmographer and sailors. In the 1550s, he returned to Seville, and devoted himself entirely to his research. In addition to geographical works, the Crónica de emerged during this period los Reyes Catolicos and the Crónica del Emperador Carlos V..

From 1554 to Santa Cruz had to go to the court to Madrid again. He was appointed personal adviser of King Philip II in kosmografischen affairs. In addition, he was still mayor of Cosmógrafo Casa de Contratación and consultants of the Consejo de Indias. Alonso de Santa Cruz died in 1567 in Madrid.

He left behind an extensive historical and cartographic work. The only one of him getting card world map from 1542 is located in the Royal Library in Stockholm.

Works

  • Nova verior et integra orbis descriptio lotius, World Map 1542nd
  • Libro de las que hasta agora Longitudes y manera se ha tenido en el arte de navegar, con sus demostraciones y ejemplos, muy alto y muy dirigido al poderoso Señor Don Philipe II de este nombre rey de España ( 1539). Antonio Blázquez, Delgado Aguilera ( eds. ), Sevilla 1921 The book of Longitudes. Bisbee 1992.
  • The maps of America in the Islario General of Alonso de Santa Cruz: cosmógrafo mayor of the Emperor Charles V: with Spanish original texts and a critical introduction, Franz RV Wieser ( eds.) Innsbruck 1908.
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