The Padrón Real ( Spanish pronunciation: [paˈðɾon reˈal] , Royal Register ), known after 2 August 1527 as the Padrón General ( Spanish: [paˈðɾoŋ xeneˈɾal] , General Register ), was the official and secret Spanish master map used as a template for the maps present on all Spanish ships during the 16th century. It was kept in Seville, Spain by the Casa de Contratación . Ship pilots were required to use a copy of the official government chart, or risk the penalty of a 50 doblas fine. The map probably included a large-scale chart that hung on the wall of the old Alcázar of Seville . Well-known official cartographers and pilots who contributed to and used the map included Amerigo Vespucci , Diogo Ribeiro , Sebastian Cabot , Alonzo de Santa Cruz , and Juan Lopez de Velasco.
40-574: The Padrón Real was constantly improved from its first version in 1507/08. It was produced by the Seville-based Spanish organization, the Casa de Contratación , established in 1503. All returning ships had to report any details of new lands or discoveries they had made to the Casa de Contratación , together with latitudes and longitudes. The ship's officers were sworn by oath before they testified. The pilots at
80-499: A " Representation " to King Charles I on the subject. This was the culmination of his rivalry with the cartographer Diego Gutiérrez and his family, who had the support of John Cabot . Medina's letter quickly led to a royal command of 22 February 1545, banning Gutiérrez from continuing to issue maps and instruments that Medina had described as very harmful to the students. In 1545 Medina published his most important work, Arte de navegar ("The Art of Navigation") in eight volumes. It
120-711: A crown agency for the Spanish Empire . It functioned until 1790, when it was abolished in a government reorganization. Before the establishment of the Council of the Indies in 1524, the Casa de Contratación had broad powers over overseas matters, especially financial matters concerning trade and legal disputes arising from it. It also was responsible for the licensing of emigrants, training of pilots, creation of maps and charters, probate of estates of Spaniards dying overseas. Its official name
160-527: A large number of cartographers and navigators (pilots), archivists, record keepers, administrators and others involved in producing and managing the Padrón Real. The famous Amerigo Vespucci , who made at least two voyages to the New World, was a pilot working at the Casa de Contratación until his death in 1512. A special position was created for Vespucci, the "pilot major" (chief of navigation) in 1508. He had
200-505: A remarkable map entitled "Americae ... Descriptio" in Antwerp. The reason it was published in Antwerp instead of Spain was that the Spanish engravers did not have the necessary skill to print such a complicated document. Other cosmographers included Alonso de Chaves , Francisco Falero , Jerónimo de Chaves , Sancho Gutiérrez (Diego's brother). During the late 16th century, Juan Lopez de Velasco
240-571: A work titled Libro de las grandezas y cosas memorables de España ("Book of the great deeds and memorable things of Spain"). This dealt with historical acts and important towns in Spain, with engravings and transcriptions of key documents. It was later (1595) revised and expanded by Diego Pérez de Mesa , professor of mathematics at the University of Alcalá . Other works included Libro de la verdad ("Book of truth", 1555), written in furtherance of disputes with
280-400: Is an abridged version of Arte de navegar , containing information on astrology and navigation and written for a nonspecialist audience. Medina's work adhered to the cosmological system of Ptolemy rather than that of Copernicus . Despite his knowledge and achievements Medina continued to deny the phenomenon of magnetic declination , of which he lacked personal experience, in opposition to
320-626: The Padrón Real , the official and secret Spanish map used as a template for the maps carried by every Spanish ship during the 16th century. It was constantly improved from its first version in 1508, and was the counterpart of the Portuguese map, the Padrão Real . The Casa also ran a navigation school; new pilots, or navigators, were trained for ocean voyages here. Spain employed the then standard mercantilist model, governed (at least in theory) by
360-461: The quinto real (royal fifth) was levied by the Casa on all precious metals entering Spain. The other taxes could run as high as 40% to provide naval protection for the trading ships or as low as 10 per cent during financial turmoil to encourage investment and economic growth in the colony. Each ship was required to employ a clerk to keep detailed logs of all goods carried and all transactions. The Casa de Contratación produced and managed
400-411: The Casa from Seville to Cádiz , diminishing Seville's importance in international trade. Charles III further limited the powers of the Casa , and his son, Charles IV , abolished it altogether in 1790. The Spanish treasure fleets were also officially ended due to the abolition, bringing an end to the prosperous Spanish colonial income. The cartographic enterprise at the Casa de Contratación
440-625: The Casa in Seville . Trade with the overseas possessions was handled by a merchants' guild based in Seville, the Consulado de mercaderes , which worked in conjunction with the Casa de Contratación . Trade was physically controlled in well-regulated trade fleets , the famous Flota de Indias and the Manila galleons . By the late 17th century, the Casa de Contratación had fallen into bureaucratic gridlock, and
SECTION 10
#1732854677103480-551: The Casa de Contratación then plotted this information on their maps. When a new ship was setting out, they would then be given charts which were copied from the master map, the Padron Real. Diego Ribeiro , who began service with Spanish in 1518, prepared several versions of the chart, during 1525 to 1532, after Juan Sebastian Elcano 's circumnavigation of the globe or after Spanish explorations in North America. Other revisions to
520-542: The House of Medina Sidonia , he sought recognition as a cosmographer and brought out a text titled Libro de Cosmografía ("Book of Cosmography", 1538). He received official permission to compile navigation maps, to write books about pilotage , and to manufacture navigational devices necessary for voyages to the Indies . In February 1539, he was appointed in Seville as examiner of the navigators and ship's captains who would take part in
560-647: The " Salviati Planisphere ". This planisphere map was probably given by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V to Cardinal Giovanni Salviati , the papal nuncio , in 1526. In the archive of the Marchesi Castiglione in Mantua , there is another similar world map, produced about the same time and given by the Emperor to Count Baldassare Castiglione . There are a few other examples of these world maps copied from
600-426: The Casa. The Casa was the Spanish counterpart of the Portuguese organization, the Casa da India , or House of Índia of Lisbon , established in 1434 and destroyed by the 1755 Lisbon earthquake . Dr. Sancho de Matienzo became the first treasurer, Jimeno de Bribiesca the first contador , and Francisco Pinelo the first factor. They soon controlled the economic development of Hispaniola . A 20 per cent tax,
640-576: The Mediterranean Sea. The coastlines have many toponyms identifying particular places as well as some claiming them for Spain. Ribeiro's map also has rudimentary latitude lines, a line marking the equator, the Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn, as well as the Arctic and Antarctic circles all of which were relatively new for the era. It does not have any imagined information where none was available. The Padrón Real
680-414: The New World, was a pilot working at the Casa de Contratación until his death in 1512. A special position was created for Vespucci, the piloto mayor (chief of navigation), in 1508; he trained new pilots for ocean voyages. His nephew, Juan Vespucci, inherited his famous uncle's maps, charts, and nautical instruments, and along with Andrés de San Martín was appointed to Amerigo's former position as
720-576: The Padrón Real that were given to various German princes. The most impressive copy of the Padrón Real is in the Vatican Library , and was given to the Pope by Charles V of Spain in 1529. The large map (83.8 cm x 203.2 cm.) is on vellum, and thought to be one of the presentation copies made in the 1520s when Spain and Portugal had a boundary dispute. The chart has a number of rhumb lines and compass roses found in medieval portolan navigation charts of
760-567: The approval of the Casa . However, smuggling often took place in different parts of the vast Spanish Empire . The Casa de Contratación was created by Queen Isabella I of Castile in 1503, eleven years after Christopher Columbus's landfall in the Americas in 1492. Ochoa Alvarez de Isasaga (Ysasaga) was named factor for the Crown by King Ferdinand "the Catholic: and Queen Juana I of Castile in 1509 for
800-399: The conquest of the Indies. His work was closely associated with the "House of Trade" ( Casa de Contratación ), the Spanish government agency overseeing the exploration and colonization of the New World, although he never succeeded in gaining employment in that agency. He soon became aware of defects in the training of navigators and in the instruments, books and maps they relied upon, and wrote
840-528: The empire as a whole was failing, due primarily to Spain's inability to finance both war on the Continent and a global empire. More often than not, the riches transported from Manila and Acapulco to Spain were officially signed over to Spain's creditors before the Manila galleon made port. In the 18th century, the new Bourbon kings reduced the power of Seville and the Casa de Contratacion . In 1717 they moved
SECTION 20
#1732854677103880-446: The late 16th century, Juan López de Velasco was the first Cosmógrafo-Cronista Mayor (Cosmographer-Chronicler Major) of the Council of the Indies in Seville. He produced a master map and twelve subsidiary maps portraying the worldwide Spanish empire in cartographic form. Although these maps are not especially accurate or detailed, his work represented the apogee of Spanish mapmaking in that period, and surpassed anything done by
920-595: The latitude by measuring the height of Polaris). Medina is believed to have been born in Seville , although based on his name and the protection afforded to him by the Dukes of Medina Sidonia he may instead have been born in Medina-Sidonia . In 1520 he became tutor to Juan Claros Pérez de Guzmán y Aragón, the Count of Niebla and heir to Juan Alfonso Pérez de Guzmán, 6th Duke of Medina Sidonia . After having amicably parted from
960-556: The official Spanish government pilot at Seville. In 1524, Juan Vespucci was appointed examinador de pilotos (Examiner of Pilots), replacing Sebastian Cabot who was then leading an expedition in Brazil. In the 1530s and 1540s, the principal mapmakers (known as "cosmographers") in the Casa de Contratación working on the Padrón Real included Alonso de Santa Cruz , Sebastian Cabot, and Pedro de Medina . The mapmaker Diego Gutiérrez
1000-626: The opinion of most other cosmographers of the time. Medina acted as royal adviser during the two assemblies convened by the Council of the Indies in 1554 and 1556 to determine the precise position of the Philippines and the Moluccas , and to define the demarcation between Spanish and Portuguese control in that part of the world. Mount Medina in Antarctica is named in his honour. Medina also wrote historical and philosophical books. In 1548 he published
1040-535: The other European powers. Cartographers in England, the Low Countries, and Germany, however, continued to improve their skills in making maps and in organizing and presenting geographic information, until by the end of the 17th century, even Spanish intellectuals were lamenting that the maps produced by foreigners were superior to those made in Spain. Pedro de Medina Pedro de Medina (1493 – Seville , 1567)
1080-537: The principal mapmakers (known as "cosmographers") in the Casa de Contratación working on the Padrón General included Alonso de Santa Cruz , Sebastian Cabot, and Pedro de Medina . Mapmaker Diego Gutiérrez was named cosmographer in the Casa de la Contratación by royal appointment on October 22, 1554, after the death of his father Diego in January 1554, and worked on the Padrón General. In 1562, Diego Gutiérrez published
1120-414: The responsibility of training new pilots for ocean voyages. His nephew Juan Vespucci inherited his famous uncle's maps, charts, and nautical instruments, and was appointed to Amerigo's former position as official Spanish government pilot at Seville. In 1524, Juan Vespucci was appointed Examiner of Pilots, replacing Sebastian Cabot who was then commanding an expedition in Brazil. During the 1530s and 1540s,
1160-524: The royal chart were directed by royal chartmakers Alonso de Chaves during 1536 and by Alonzo de Santa Cruz in 1542. Almost none of these maps have survived, but there were occasionally copies made for foreign princes and dignitaries, and some of them still exist. For example, in the Biblioteca Medicea-Laurenziana in Florence , there is a map believed to be copied from the Padrón Real known as
1200-473: Was La Casa y Audiencia de Indias . Unlike the later East India Companies , chartered companies established by the Dutch , English , and others, the Casa collected all colonial taxes and duties, approved all voyages of exploration and trade, maintained secret information on trade routes and new discoveries, licensed captains, and administered commercial law . In theory, no Spaniard could sail anywhere without
1240-540: Was March 2002, as "Florida, the Making of a State". [s] - The main sources include: Casa de Contrataci%C3%B3n The Casa de Contratación ( Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkasa ðe kontɾataˈθjon] , House of Trade ) or Casa de la Contratación de las Indias ("House of Trade of the Indies") was established by the Crown of Castile , in 1503 in the port of Seville (and transferred to Cádiz in 1717) as
Padrón Real - Misplaced Pages Continue
1280-413: Was a Spanish cartographer and author of navigational texts. His well-known Arte de navegar ("The Art of Navigation", 1545) was the first work published in Spain dealing exclusively with navigational techniques ( Martín Fernández de Enciso 's Suma de Geographia , 1519, which gave ample geographical information already contained solar declination tables with explanations and the corrections for finding
1320-445: Was a huge undertaking, and critical to the success of the voyages of discovery. Without good navigational aids, the ability of Spain to exploit and profit from what it found would have been limited. The Casa had a large number of cartographers and navigators (pilots), archivists, record keepers, administrators and others involved in producing and managing the Padrón Real . Explorer Amerigo Vespucci , who made at least two voyages to
1360-408: Was also important). The senior cosmographer Alonso de Chaves demonstrated that Medina's Arte was a compilation, made with the assistance of other writers. Diego Gutiérrez and other authors claimed that they had helped with parts of the book, and Medina himself acknowledged the assistance of Francisco Faleiro and Alonso de Santa Cruz on other occasions, but not with the writing of Arte . The book
1400-505: Was appointed as cosmographer in the Casa on October 22, 1554, after the death of his father Diego in January 1554; he also worked on the Padrón Real. In 1562, Gutierrez published the map entitled "Americae ... Descriptio" in Antwerp. It was published in Antwerp instead of Spain because the Spanish engravers did not have the necessary skill to print such a complicated document. Other cosmographers included Alonso de Chaves , Jerónimo de Chaves , and Sancho Gutiérrez (Diego's brother). In
1440-520: Was cosmographer major in Seville. He produced a master map and twelve subsidiary maps portraying the worldwide Spanish Empire in cartographic form. This feat surpassed anything done by other European powers at that time. However, this marked the end of Spain's supremacy in mapmaking. After the work of Velasco, others such as the English, Dutch and French were better able to organize and present geographic information. [r] - An exhibit of Padron Real
1480-495: Was dedicated to the future Philip II , in support of his quest to be appointed royal cosmographer. This work was an overview of existing knowledge on this subject, and was probably a revision and expansion of his "Book of Cosmography", which had already been examined by the Council of the Indies . Arte was the first treatise on navigation to be published in Spain (although a book by Martín Cortés de Albacar , published in Cádiz in 1551,
1520-448: Was internationally disseminated and quickly translated into several European languages: it was translated into French fifteen times between 1554 and 1663, five times into Dutch (1580-1598), three times into Italian (1554-1609) and twice into English. This work contributed considerably to the development of navigation on the high seas. In 1549 Medina achieved appointment as honorary royal cosmographer. An abridged edition of Arte in Spanish
1560-402: Was published in 1552 under the title Regimiento de navegación ("The control of navigation"), omitting most of the theory of spherical geometry and including only what was essential for navigators. A later edition of Regimiento (1563) updated this popular handbook and added twenty "warnings" for the practical navigator. His unpublished Suma de Cosmographia ("Compendium of cosmography") of 1561
1600-595: Was similar in principle to the Portuguese secret master map, the Padrão Real , developed by the Portuguese organization Casa da Índia , or House of Índia, which had been established in Lisbon in 1500 (or 1501 according to some sources), and lasted until 1755. This enterprise was a huge project, and it was taken very seriously. Without good navigational aids, the ability of Spain to exploit and profit from its discoveries would have been more limited. The Casa de Contratación had
#102897