Medici and the Americas: Foreknowledge?

TL;DR

• European legends and sagas suggested lands to the west long before 1492.
• Vikings, Basque, Bristol, and Portuguese mariners may have reached North America pre-Columbus.
• Templar and Henry Sinclair myths point to secret medieval voyages.
• The Medici’s banking and scholarly networks positioned them to hear or acquire hints of a New World.
• Two new theories propose hidden Portuguese charts or rediscovered ancient maps as Medici intelligence sources.

Early Clues and Legends of Lands to the West#

Long before Columbus, myths and reports of western lands circulated in Europe.

Norse Viking Explorations: By around 1000 AD, Norse explorers reached “Vinland,” settling in Newfoundland. Knowledge survived in sagas like the Grœnlendinga Saga¹. A Milanese friar, Galvaneus Flamma, wrote in 1345 of a land called Marckalada west of Greenland—likely the Norse “Markland”².

Irish and Other Medieval Legends: Legends such as St. Brendan and Prince Madoc spoke of western islands. Medieval maps even depicted phantom isles like Hy-Brasil, imagined several days’ sail west of Europe³.

Iberian Voyages and the “Island of Brasil”: Late 15th-century explorers from Bristol searched for Brasil, and a 1497 Bristol letter claimed that John Cabot found Newfoundland “already discovered… by the men from Bristol”⁴. Italian bankers funded Cabot’s 1496 voyage “to go and find the new land”⁵. Castaway stories (e.g., Alonso Sánchez) told of pilots drawing maps of strange western coasts for Columbus⁶.

Basque Fishermen and Other Pre-Columbian Voyagers#

Basque Cod Fishermen: By the early 16th century, Basque fishermen plied Newfoundland’s rich cod banks. A 1647 account by Étienne Cleirac claimed Basques discovered North America a century before Columbus and supplied him with a pilot⁷. Modern scholars find no direct proof, but the story reflects medieval fishing-industry secrecy.

Other Claims of Pre-Columbian Sailors: Portuguese mariners like João Vaz Corte-Real in the 1470s and alleged Danish expeditions by Pining and Pothorst (1473–1476) are speculated to have reached North America, though evidence remains circumstantial⁸.

African Voyagers: In 1324, Mali’s Mansa Musa reported an Atlantic expedition by his predecessor; one returning ship described strong westward currents, and the next fleet vanished trying again⁹.

Knights Templar, Henry Sinclair, and Other Secret Explorers#

Henry Sinclair (1398): The Zeno Narratives and carvings at Rosslyn Chapel (maize-like patterns) fuel speculation that Sinclair reached Nova Scotia a century before Columbus¹⁰. Mainstream historians largely dismiss these tales as fabrications.

Templar Treasure and Secret Maps: Fringe theories propose that surviving Templars sailed away with secret charts. Columbus’s red-cross sails echo Templar symbolism, and some claim Portuguese navigators inherited maps showing America (e.g., Andrea Bianco’s 1448 chart with “Antillia”)¹¹.

The Medici Family’s Role and Possible Knowledge#

The Medici bank’s branches across Europe provided a global information network¹². Amerigo Vespucci, as a Medici agent in Seville, described America as a “New World” in a 1503 letter to Lorenzo de’ Medici¹³. Columbus’s correspondence with Florentine scholar Paolo Toscanelli—encouraged by Medici intellectuals—laid conceptual groundwork¹⁴.

The Medici’s ties to Iberian courts and their reputation for gathering rare maps suggest they could have quietly acquired hints of western lands, from secret pilot accounts to covert portolan charts.

Two Fresh Theories: Filling in the Gaps#

Theory 1: Secret Portuguese-Portolan Theory Portugal zealously guarded Atlantic discoveries. A storm-blown Portuguese caravel may have sighted parts of North America pre-1492. Surreptitious portolan maps held by the Order of Christ could have been obtained by Medici agents in Lisbon and then passed discreetly to Columbus or Toscanelli.

Theory 2: Ancient Map in the Vault Theory Renaissance Florence rediscovered classical texts and maps. A lost Latin translation of Pytheas or an Arabic copy of al-Idrisi’s world map may have hinted at islands beyond the Atlantic. A Medici scholar might have stitched these clues together, convincing Lorenzo de’ Medici to back westward exploration.

Weighing the Speculations#

• Most credible: Norse sagas and Bristol expeditions.
• Moderately plausible: Basque pilot legends and castaway accounts.
• Least credible: Templar/Sinclair myths and ancient-Chinese-map claims.

The Medici likely did not possess proof before 1492, but they operated amid informed conjecture. Rumors, maps, and scholarly debate made a New World discovery a calculated risk—one the Medici were positioned to seize.

FAQ #

Q 1. Could Viking knowledge really reach Italy? A. Yes: Milanese chronicles mention Markland in 1345, showing Norse lore had penetrated southern Europe².

Q 2. Did the Medici directly fund Columbus? A. No direct evidence exists, but Medici-backed scholars like Toscanelli shaped Columbus’s ideas, and the bank financed related ventures like Cabot’s voyage.

Q 3. Are the Rosslyn Chapel carvings definitely maize? A. The maize hypothesis is debated; some experts see Old World plants instead, making the American-plant theory unproven¹⁰.

Footnotes#

Sources#

1. Kennedy, David. Early Voyages to America. Penguin, 2010.
2. Fernández-Armesto, Felipe. Before Columbus. Oxford University Press, 1987.
3. Galvaneus Flamma’s Cronica universalis summary
4. Wikipedia contributors. “Pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact theories.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.