Martin Waldseemüller

Martin Waldseemüller

Martin Waldseemüller was a German cartographer and humanist scholar. He lived from around 1470 until 1520. He is famous for his mapmaking.

In 1507, Waldseemüller and his friend Matthias Ringmann made an important world map. On this map, they were the first to use the name America for part of the New World. They named it after the explorer Amerigo Vespucci.

Their map was special because it showed the Americas as a land apart from Asia, with the Pacific Ocean between them. Waldseemüller also made the first printed globe and the first printed wall map of Europe. In 1513, he added his maps to a book called Geography by Ptolemy. This is considered the first modern atlas. His work helped people understand the world better.

Life and works

Martin Waldseemüller was born around 1470 in the German town of Wolfenweiler. He studied at the University of Freiburg. Later, he moved to Basel and became a priest. There, he worked with printers and learned to make maps.

In about 1500, a group of scholars formed in Saint Dié, led by Walter Lud. Waldseemüller joined them and worked closely with Matthias Ringmann. In 1507, they made a world map and a book called Introduction to Cosmography. On this map, they used the name "America" for lands discovered across the ocean, honoring the explorer Amerigo Vespucci. This map was very popular and helped spread the name America.

Waldseemüller also worked on maps for a new edition of an old book about geography. He created many other maps and a special map of Europe’s roads. Waldseemüller passed away in 1520 in Saint Dié.

1507 map rediscovered

Further information on redicovery of Waldseemüller map at: Waldseemüller map § History

The 1507 wall map was missing for a long time. A copy was found in Schloss Wolfegg in southern Germany by Joseph Fischer in 1901. It is the only known copy. The Library of Congress bought it in May 2003 for $10 million. This was the highest price ever paid for a historical document at that time. Five copies of Waldseemüller's globular map still exist as "gores". These are printed map pieces meant to be cut out and stuck onto a wooden globe.

Honours

A rock in Antarctica named Waldseemüller Rock honors Martin Waldseemüller. It is located in Antarctica.