Giovanni Da Verrazzano - Reputation

Reputation

Despite his discoveries, Verrazzano's reputation did not proliferate as much as other explorers of that era; for example, in accordance with the practices of the time, Verrazzano gave a European name to the new land he had seen, Francesa, after the French king in whose name he sailed. This and other names he bestowed on features he discovered have not survived. He had the bad luck of making major discoveries within the same three-year period, 1519 to 1521, of both the dramatic Conquest of Mexico and Ferdinand Magellan's circumnavigation of the world—which though Magellan himself did not complete, brought him undying fame.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries there was a great debate in the United States about the authenticity of the letters he wrote to Francis I describing the geography, flora, fauna and native population of the east coast of North America. Others thought it was true, and it is almost universally accepted as authentic today, particularly after the discovery of the letter signed by Francis I which referred to Verrazzano's letter.

Verrazzano's reputation was particularly obscure in New York City, where the 1609 voyage of Henry Hudson came to be regarded as the de facto start of European exploration of New York, since he sailed for the Dutch, not the French. It was only with great effort in the 1950s and 1960s that Verrazzano's name and reputation as the European discoverer of the harbour was re-established during an effort to have the newly built Narrows bridge named after him. See Naming controversy of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. A Staten Island ferryboat that served New York from the 1950s to the 1990s was also named for him (the ferry was named the "Verrazzano", while the bridge, another Staten Island landmark, was named "Verrazano", reflecting the confusion over the spelling of his name). There are numerous other commemorations on Staten Island itself to the explorer. A Little League is named for him, reflecting not only his connection to Staten Island, but also the large number of descendants of Italians who live there. In Narragansett Bay, the Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge is also named for him, as is Maryland's Verrazano Bridge.