PIRES, Tomé. 1468? — 1540? or little earlier. Portuguese Traveller. Came to India in 1511, as apothecary and not very young, obtained soon official position under Albuquerque and went to Malacca. From there he also visited Java. Returned to Goa in 1515 and in 1516 was made ambassador to China.…
CORSALI, Andrea. Florence 29.6.1487 — 15??. Italian Traveller. Son of Giovanni C., had good education. In the service of de Medicis he went to India in a Portuguese ship in 1515 and sent to Giuliano and Lorenzo de Medici two letters describing the lands and people. First in Goa, visited…
BARROS, João de. Viseu (?), Portugal 1496? — São Lourenço 20.10.1570. Portuguese Humanist, Civil Servant, and Contemporary Historian of Early Colonial India. Attracted attention of the court with his literary products. In 1522 he was sent to Guinea by João III, then treasurer 1525-28. In charge of Casa da India…
WILLIAM OF RUBRUK (Guglielmus de Rubruquis, Ruysbroeck, Risbroucke). 1215/20 — after 1255. Flemish Traveller, a Franciscan Monk. Head of the embassy sent by Louis IX of France to the Mongol Khan in order to win him into Christianity. Departing in 1253 went via Constantinople and South Russia to Batu and…
PAES (Pais), Domingo. 14?? — 15??. Portuguese Merchant in India. In c. 1520 wrote his account, characterized by reliable and exact observations and including important information about Vijayanagara. The manuscript came to Portugal and was used by Barros, but then forgotten. Publications: Edited together with the account of F. Nuniz…
VARTHEMA, Ludovico di. Bologna 1470? — Rome before June 1517. Italian Traveller in India. Claiming to have started his travels only in order to win fame he left Italy late in 1502 and travelled on the route Venice–Cairo–Beyrout–Damas–Mecca (the first known non-Muslim there), using Muslim robe, then by ship to…
NIKITIN, Afanasij. Tver 1433 (?) — Smolensk 1472 or 1475 (?). Russian Traveller in India. A merchant from Tver, he visited Persia and India, and wrote a good account of these countries. The chronology of his travel is uncertain. He left Tver in 1466, 1469, or 1471 and travelled via…
HUS Rasinjanin, Juraj. Rasinja 14??/1510? — Požun 1566 (or later?). Croatian Traveller. He was forcibly enlistened by Turks in 1532 and lived in Constantinople. Freed in 1536 he took service as a trumpeter by an Egyptian see captain and participated in the expedition sent by Sultan to help the king…
JORDANUS CATALANI DE SÉVÉRAC (Jourdain). fl. 1280/1330. Father. French Dominican Missionary in India, of Catalan background. Probably born in Sévérac-le-Château north-east of Toulouse. Arrived in India in 1321 (if not earlier), when he narrowly escaped the killing of missionaries in Thana. After a while in Gujarat he worked many years…
GALVÃO, António (A. Galvano). Lisbon 1490? — Lisbon 11.3.1557. Portuguese Historian of Colonial India. Son of the chronicler Duarte G. (c. 1445–1517). From 1527 in the Moluccas, 1536-40 Governor in Terante, established the Portuguese rule in the islands and acted strongly on behalf of mission, destroying temples, etc. His last…