Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo
Encyclopedia
Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo (ˈgarθi roˈðɾiɣeθ ðe monˈtalβo) (or Garci Ordóñez de Montalvo) (~1450 – 1504) was a Spanish
author who arranged the modern version of the chivalric romance
Amadis of Gaul, written in three books in the 14th century by an unknown author. Montalvo added a fourth book of his own and also wrote a sequel, Las sergas de Esplandián
(The Exploits of Esplandian) (oldest known printing, 1510), in which he tells the life and wandering of Amadis' eldest son. The saga was continued in the sixth book "Florisando" (by Ruiz Paez de Ribera, 1510), followed by "Lisuarte of Greece" (by Feliciano de Silva, 1514), "Lisuarte of Greece" (by Juan Diaz, 1525), "Amadis of Greece" (by Feliciano de Silva, 1530), etc.
In the sequel, Rodríguez described a mythical Island of California
as being west of the Indies:
The novel was highly influential in motivating Hernán Cortés
and other explorers in the discovery of the "island", which they believed lay along the west coast of North America
. In 1539, Francisco de Ulloa
, sailing under the commission of Cortés, explored the Gulf of California
and the coast of Baja California peninsula
, determining that it was a peninsula
, not an island
. Nevertheless, the cartographic misconception of California as an island persisted on many Europe
an maps well into the 18th century.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
author who arranged the modern version of the chivalric romance
Romance (genre)
As a literary genre of high culture, romance or chivalric romance is a style of heroic prose and verse narrative that was popular in the aristocratic circles of High Medieval and Early Modern Europe. They were fantastic stories about marvel-filled adventures, often of a knight errant portrayed as...
Amadis of Gaul, written in three books in the 14th century by an unknown author. Montalvo added a fourth book of his own and also wrote a sequel, Las sergas de Esplandián
Las sergas de Esplandián
Las Sergas de Esplandián is the fifth book in a series of Spanish chivalric romance novels by Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo, which began with Amadís de Gaula. The first known edition of this work was published in Seville in July 1510...
(The Exploits of Esplandian) (oldest known printing, 1510), in which he tells the life and wandering of Amadis' eldest son. The saga was continued in the sixth book "Florisando" (by Ruiz Paez de Ribera, 1510), followed by "Lisuarte of Greece" (by Feliciano de Silva, 1514), "Lisuarte of Greece" (by Juan Diaz, 1525), "Amadis of Greece" (by Feliciano de Silva, 1530), etc.
In the sequel, Rodríguez described a mythical Island of California
Island of California
The Island of California refers to a long-held European misconception, dating from the 16th century, that California was not part of mainland North America but rather a large island separated from the continent by a strait now known instead as the Gulf of California.One of the most famous...
as being west of the Indies:
- Know, that on the right hand of the Indies there is an island called California very close to the side of the Terrestrial Paradise; and it is peopled by black women, without any man among them, for they live in the manner of AmazonsAmazonsThe Amazons are a nation of all-female warriors in Greek mythology and Classical antiquity. Herodotus placed them in a region bordering Scythia in Sarmatia...
.
The novel was highly influential in motivating Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca was a Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile in the early 16th century...
and other explorers in the discovery of the "island", which they believed lay along the west coast of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. In 1539, Francisco de Ulloa
Francisco de Ulloa
Francisco de Ulloa was a Spanish explorer who explored the west coast of present-day Mexico under the commission of Hernán Cortés...
, sailing under the commission of Cortés, explored the Gulf of California
Gulf of California
The Gulf of California is a body of water that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland...
and the coast of Baja California peninsula
Baja California Peninsula
The Baja California peninsula , is a peninsula in northwestern Mexico. Its land mass separates the Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of California. The Peninsula extends from Mexicali, Baja California in the north to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur in the south.The total area of the Baja California...
, determining that it was a peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
, not an island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
. Nevertheless, the cartographic misconception of California as an island persisted on many Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an maps well into the 18th century.
Sources
- "Montalvo, Garci Rodríguez de" Dictionary of Literary Biography volume 286, Gale Research Company, Detroit, Michigan
See also
- Calafia
- History of CaliforniaHistory of CaliforniaThe history of California can be divided into several periods: the Native American period; European exploration period from 1542 to 1769; the Spanish colonial period, 1769 to 1821; the Mexican period, 1821 to 1848; and United States statehood, which continues to the present day...