Jehuda Cresques

Jude Cresques (* 1350 in Mallorca, † to 1427 in Sagres ), also Jafuda or Judah Cresques or Jaume Riba, Jacome Ribas (Latin: Jacobus Ribus ), was a Jewish cartographer of the Catalan school. He is regarded as a teacher and mediator between the Catalan cartographers and the resulting Portuguese school of cartography in Sagres under Henry the Navigator.

Jude Cresques, was born as the son of another well-known cartographers of the Catalan School, Abraham Cresques (around 1325-1387 ). Under the direction of the Father Jude Cresques was involved in the development of the famous 1375 completed the Catalan Atlas (now in the National Library ). The peculiarity of the " Catalan Atlas " was that in addition to the results of the Catalan " portulani " ( detailed charts mostly the lake areas of the Mediterranean ) the findings of Marco Polo's travels were processed for the first time.

In subsequent years, Jude Cresques worked as a well-paid cartographer and made ​​several cards and others for the kings of Aragon and France. He was ( the compass Jew ) about Mallorca also known as "lo Juen buscoler " ( the cards Jew ) or "el Judio de la brujelas ".

1391 called in the Kingdom of Aragon, a Dominican, Vincent Ferrer, in public sermons to on to baptize Jews. Alone on the Balearic Islands were in violent clashes 300 Jews lost their lives. Jude Cresques converted and took the Christian name Jaume Riba or Jacome Ribas.

Founded in 1419 Henry the Navigator in Sagres his royal observatory and called the early 20s Jude Cresques to Sagres, which followed this call. The majority of researchers agree that it was under the name Mestre Jaime ( Jacome ) de Maiorca the father of Kartografenschule of Sagres. Due to the treatment of maritime knowledge of Portuguese as a state secret, none of Jude Cresques drawn in Sagres maps have survived.

Some of the information is based on an article in the Jewish Encyclopedia.

435142
de