The Italian Legacy in the Dominican Republic

THE ITALIAN LEGACY IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

118

covered, also engaged in pedagogical activity: he was the author of

a transcribed epigram found in an anthology by Pere Carbonell, the

well-known Catalan humanist, in which he praises the beauty of the

writings of the notary from Barcelona. The author of the epigram is

presented as follows: “Alessandro Geraldinus, Ferrandi filiarum His-

paniae regis praeceptor egregius.”

These were the years when Alessandro Geraldini first came into

contact with Christopher Columbus. In truth, the extent of this rela-

tionship and the actual importance of Geraldini’s role in the business

affairs of the Genoese explorer are far from clear: Geraldini stated that

he had greatly influenced the sovereigns in their favorable judgment

of the admiral. Columbus, meanwhile, never mentioned Alessandro

Geraldini in his writings. However, Geraldini was present at the fa-

mous Capitulations of Santa Fe, in the first months of 1492, and tells

us (

Itin.

XIV 10 - 15) that they maintained, in contradiction with the

doctrine of Saint Augustine and Nicholas of Lyra, that it was indeed

possible, according to the experiences of Portuguese navigators, that

human beings lived beyond the “Torrid Zone” (

i.e.,

the southern

hemisphere). Their argument was based on the fact that while both

Augustine and Nicholas of Lyra had been great theologians, they

nonetheless had little knowledge of geography.

(

Itin.

XIV 10 - 15)

[He went to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, who, in turn

moved by the authority of such a distinguished man], sent for Co-

lumbus. When the great men of the Court met in a few days in

Council, the opinions were divided to the point that some Spanish

Bishops considered him a heretic, because, according to Nicholas

of Lyra, the entire structure of the human Earth, which extended

over the sea from the Fortunate Islands to the East, had no sides that bend at the bottom of the sphere,

and Saint Augustine had affirmed that there was no Antipodes. Then I, fortunately a young man who

was retained, went to Diego de Mendoza, Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, an illustrious man for

his lineage, integrity, prudence, knowledge of things, and for all his moral attributes of a clear nature,

telling him that while Nicholas of Lyra had been a most excellent expositor of Theology, and Augus-

tine a man exalted for his doctrine and holiness, but that, nevertheless, they had known nothing of

Cosmography since the Portuguese had gone to the lower parts of the other hemisphere so that they

had discovered, after leaving our Arctic, the other Antarctic, beneath the other pole; and they had

found the entire Torrid Zone filled with villages and had seen new stars on the axis of the Antipodes.

Luis de Santángel, the Valencian treasurer, then asked Columbus what sum of money and how many

ships were necessary for such a long navigation. Which, as he replied that 3,000 doubloons of gold and

two ships and the other immediately stated that he wished to undertake this expedition himself and

also provide that sum, Queen Isabella, with that greatness of soul that was natural to her, most liberal-

ly assigned the ships, the crew and the money needed to discover a new world for humanity.

Later, Columbus, aware of the help he had received, bestowed the name of the Geraldini brothers’ moth-

er, Graziosa, on one of the islands (Bequia, in the archipelago of the Grenadines, in the Lesser Antilles) discov-

ered on his third voyage along the Venezuelan coast.

Cover of the book

by Emilio Rodríguez

Demorizi,

Itinerario

por las regiones

subequinocciales

(Itinerary through

the Subequinoctial

Regions) by

Alessandro Geraldini.

Dominicana de la Historia

Opening page:

Graciosa Island. Paolo

Forlani,

Descrittione

di tutto il Perù

(Description of

All of Peru), Venice

1564, pl. 87 (Rome,

Biblioteca Nazionale,

Collection 71.6.G.3).