Maximilianus Transylvanus
Encyclopedia
Maximilianus Transylvanus (Transilvanus, Transylvanianus), also Maximilian
us of Transylvania
and Maximilian (Maximiliaen) von Sevenborgen (c. 1490 – c. 1538), was a sixteenth century author based in Flanders
who wrote the earliest account published on Magellan
and Elcano's
first circumnavigation
of the world (1519–22). Written after he interviewed the survivors of ship Victoria, and being a relative of sponsor Christopher de Haro
, his account De Moluccis Insulis is a main source about the expedition along with that of Antonio Pigafetta
.
In 1520, Transylvanus had published, at Augsburg
, a work in Latin
that describes the reception that nominated Charles I, King of Spain
, as Holy Roman Emperor
in 1519 at Molins de Rei
, in Spain. This is the Legatio ad sacratissimum ac invictum Caesarem divum Carolum .... ab reverendissimis et illustrissimis principibus ... qua functus est ...Federicus comes palatinus in Molendino regio vlt. Novembris Anno MDXIX (Augsburg
: Sigismund Grimm und Marx Wirsung, 1520). At this point, Maximilianus seems to have already been serving as personal secretary to Charles V, as well as accompanying the monarch on his travels.
As Secretary to Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, for whom Magellan had sailed, Transylvanus interviewed the survivors of the voyage when Magellan's surviving ship Victoria
returned to Spain in September 1522. This group included Juan Sebastián Elcano
, Francisco Albo, and Hernando de Bustamante. The result was Maximiliani Transyluani Caesaris a secretis epistola, de admirabili & novissima hispanoru in orientem navigatione, que auriae, & nulli prius accessae regiones sunt, cum ipsis etia moluccis insulis, published in Cologne
in 1523.
Maximilianus, a pupil of Peter Martyr Vermigli, interviewed the surviving members of the expedition when they presented themselves to the Spanish court at Valladolid
in the fall of 1522. Eager to acquire fame as a writer, he produced his tract De Moluccis Insulis as a letter to Matthäus Lang von Wellenburg
, the Cardinal-Archbishop of Salzburg, who had suggested that he perform the interviews in the first place. It may have also been Vermigli who suggested the project to the young courtier. Vermigli, was, after all, very interested in overseas exploration.
Maximilianus' letter is dated 24 October 1522, and his account was sent to Lang, whom he calls ambiguously domine mi unice ("my sole lord"), while the cardinal-archbishop was attending the Diet of Nuremberg
. This diet was concerned with pacifying the first Protestants, which resulted in the sending of a letter of appeal to Pope Adrian VI
.
Maximilianus' letter reached the hands of a Cologne
printer, Eucharius Cervicornus (a Latinized rendering of "Hirtzhorn"), and the first edition of De Moluccis Insulis was printed in January 1523. Despite the war that had erupted between Charles V and Francis I of France
(see Italian War of 1521
), this first edition reached Paris
, where it was printed anew by Pierre Viart in July 1523. A subsequent edition was printed at Rome
by Minutius Calvus (Minizio Calvo), in November 1523.
, a scholar (identified only as "L.L.K.") wrote:
In 1916, the same scholar wrote in to state:
Scholars point to a Flemish provenance due to the fact that:
The account written by Antonio Pigafetta
, the expedition's official chronicler and one of the survivors of the voyage, did not appear until 1525, in Paris, and was not wholly published until the first year of the 19th century; this was the edition by Carlo Amoretti
published in 1800. This edition is now famously called the Ambrosiana codex. It is through Transylvanus' account that Europe
was informed of the first circumnavigation of the globe.
Transylvanus recorded gossip on board about the mutiny
that occurred during Magellan's voyage, calling it a "shameful and foul conspiracy" among the Spanish officers and men. Pigafetta and Transylvanus differ on who was responsible for the massacre that occurred at Cebu
in the Philippines
. Transylvanus states that it was Juan Serrano
who mistreated Enrique de Malacca, Magellan's former slave, thereby causing Enrique to plot the massacre; Pigafetta, who did not attend the banquet that served as the trap, blames Duarte Barbosa
.
Transylvanus' text also includes a fairly accurate description of how spices were grown. "The natives share groves of this tree among themselves," he writes, “just as we do vineyards."
A surviving copy of the first edition of his work can be found in the Beinecke Library (Yale University
). A second edition can be found at the Scheepvaart Museum
(Amsterdam
). Princeton University Library
has copies of the Cologne and Rome printings.
Maximilian
Maximilian, Maximillian, or Maximiliaan is a male given name.-Saints:*Maximilian , 3rd century Christian martyr*Maximilian of Lorch, Christian bishop and martyr*Maximilian of Antioch, Christian martyr under Julian the Apostate...
us of Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
and Maximilian (Maximiliaen) von Sevenborgen (c. 1490 – c. 1538), was a sixteenth century author based in Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
who wrote the earliest account published on Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer. He was born in Sabrosa, in northern Portugal, and served King Charles I of Spain in search of a westward route to the "Spice Islands" ....
and Elcano's
Juan Sebastián Elcano
Juan Sebastián Elcano was a Basque Spanish explorer who completed the first circumnavigation of the world. As Ferdinand Magellan's second in command, Elcano took over after Magellan's death in the Philippines.-Early life:Elcano was born to Domingo Sebastián Elcano I and Catalina del Puerto...
first circumnavigation
Circumnavigation
Circumnavigation – literally, "navigation of a circumference" – refers to travelling all the way around an island, a continent, or the entire planet Earth.- Global circumnavigation :...
of the world (1519–22). Written after he interviewed the survivors of ship Victoria, and being a relative of sponsor Christopher de Haro
Christopher de Haro
Christopher de Haro was a Lisbon-based merchant of Flemish origin. He provided the financial backing to Ferdinand Magellan's 1519 voyage, the first circumnavigation around the world....
, his account De Moluccis Insulis is a main source about the expedition along with that of Antonio Pigafetta
Antonio Pigafetta
Antonio Pigafetta was an Italian scholar and explorer from the Republic of Venice. He travelled with the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his crew on their voyage to the Indies. During the expedition, he served as Magellan's assistant and kept an accurate journal which later assisted him...
.
In 1520, Transylvanus had published, at Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
, a work in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
that describes the reception that nominated Charles I, King of Spain
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
, as Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
in 1519 at Molins de Rei
Molins de Rei
Molins de Rei is a municipality located at 18km from Barcelona's city centre, in the comarca of the Baix Llobregat in Catalonia, Spain.It is situated on the left bank of the Llobregat river, on the A-7 autopista from Valencia to La Jonquera and the main N-II road.Its location has made Molins de Rei...
, in Spain. This is the Legatio ad sacratissimum ac invictum Caesarem divum Carolum .... ab reverendissimis et illustrissimis principibus ... qua functus est ...Federicus comes palatinus in Molendino regio vlt. Novembris Anno MDXIX (Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
: Sigismund Grimm und Marx Wirsung, 1520). At this point, Maximilianus seems to have already been serving as personal secretary to Charles V, as well as accompanying the monarch on his travels.
As Secretary to Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, for whom Magellan had sailed, Transylvanus interviewed the survivors of the voyage when Magellan's surviving ship Victoria
Victoria (ship)
Victoria was a Spanish carrack and the first ship to successfully circumnavigate the world. The Victoria was part of a Spanish expedition commanded by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, and after his demise during the voyage, by Juan Sebastián Elcano...
returned to Spain in September 1522. This group included Juan Sebastián Elcano
Juan Sebastián Elcano
Juan Sebastián Elcano was a Basque Spanish explorer who completed the first circumnavigation of the world. As Ferdinand Magellan's second in command, Elcano took over after Magellan's death in the Philippines.-Early life:Elcano was born to Domingo Sebastián Elcano I and Catalina del Puerto...
, Francisco Albo, and Hernando de Bustamante. The result was Maximiliani Transyluani Caesaris a secretis epistola, de admirabili & novissima hispanoru in orientem navigatione, que auriae, & nulli prius accessae regiones sunt, cum ipsis etia moluccis insulis, published in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
in 1523.
Maximilianus, a pupil of Peter Martyr Vermigli, interviewed the surviving members of the expedition when they presented themselves to the Spanish court at Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
in the fall of 1522. Eager to acquire fame as a writer, he produced his tract De Moluccis Insulis as a letter to Matthäus Lang von Wellenburg
Matthäus Lang von Wellenburg
Matthäus Lang von Wellenburg was a statesman of the Holy Roman Empire, a Cardinal and Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg from 1519 to his death....
, the Cardinal-Archbishop of Salzburg, who had suggested that he perform the interviews in the first place. It may have also been Vermigli who suggested the project to the young courtier. Vermigli, was, after all, very interested in overseas exploration.
Maximilianus' letter is dated 24 October 1522, and his account was sent to Lang, whom he calls ambiguously domine mi unice ("my sole lord"), while the cardinal-archbishop was attending the Diet of Nuremberg
Diet of Nuremberg
The Diet of Nuremberg is often called the Imperial Diet at Nuremberg.There were several of them because, according to the Golden Bull of 1356, each Holy Roman Emperor had to hold his first diet in Nuremberg after his election...
. This diet was concerned with pacifying the first Protestants, which resulted in the sending of a letter of appeal to Pope Adrian VI
Pope Adrian VI
Pope Adrian VI , born Adriaan Florenszoon Boeyens, served as Pope from 9 January 1522 until his death some 18 months later...
.
Maximilianus' letter reached the hands of a Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
printer, Eucharius Cervicornus (a Latinized rendering of "Hirtzhorn"), and the first edition of De Moluccis Insulis was printed in January 1523. Despite the war that had erupted between Charles V and Francis I of France
Francis I of France
Francis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...
(see Italian War of 1521
Italian War of 1521
The Italian War of 1521–26, sometimes known as the Four Years' War, was a part of the Italian Wars. The war pitted Francis I of France and the Republic of Venice against the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, Henry VIII of England, and the Papal States...
), this first edition reached Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where it was printed anew by Pierre Viart in July 1523. A subsequent edition was printed at Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
by Minutius Calvus (Minizio Calvo), in November 1523.
Origins and paternity
Maximilianus Transylvanus' origins and paternity are a matter of dispute among historians.Transylvanian origins
In an 1891 letter to Notes and QueriesNotes and Queries
Notes and Queries is a long-running quarterly scholarly journal that publishes short articles related to "English language and literature, lexicography, history, and scholarly antiquarianism". Its emphasis is on "the factual rather than the speculative"...
, a scholar (identified only as "L.L.K.") wrote:
- "I am anxious to trace the origin of the fable about the parentage of this writer. In several books and booksellers' catalogues, he is stated to be the natural son of Matthew Lang, Archbishop of Salzburg, (cf., e.g., The Life of Ferdinand Magellan, by Dr. Guillemard, p. 146). This is absolutely false. The father of Maximilian was a Transylvanian nobleman, who was killed in the battle of MohácsBattle of MohácsThe Battle of Mohács was fought on August 29, 1526 near Mohács, Hungary. In the battle, forces of the Kingdom of Hungary led by King Louis II of Hungary and Bohemia were defeated by forces of the Ottoman Empire led by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent....
in 1526. Cf. the letter of Don Martin de Salinas to King Ferdinand, dated Valladolid, 11 March 1527, in Gayango’sPascual de Gayangos y ArcePascual de Gayangos y Arce was a Spanish scholar and orientalist.Born in Seville, he was the son of Brigadier José de Gayangos, intendente of Zacatecas, in New Spain. After completing his primary education in Madrid, at the age of thirteen he was sent to school at Pont-le-Voy near Blois...
'Spanish Calendar.' It has been suggested to me that a passage in Peter Martyr's Epistola DXLIII., dated "Guadaluppe III. Kal. Jan. 1515," might have given rise to the fable; but the passage is so clear that it is difficult to imagine how it could be mistranslated."
In 1916, the same scholar wrote in to state:
- "The Catalogue of the fifth portion of the Huth Collection is still repeating that ancient myth that Maximilian had addressed his famous letter De Moluccis Insulis to 'his father, the Cardinal Archbishop of Salzburg.' His father was 'Maître Luc dit Transilvain ou de Transilvanie (Van Sevenborge)," according to a deed seen by the late M. Alphonse Wauters. Cf. Histoire des Environs de Bruxells (1855), vol. ii. p. 288."
Flemish origins
In spite of his surname, Transylvanus is said to have come from Flanders, not Transylvania, and to have been a natural or bastard son of Archbishop Lang von Wellenburg.Scholars point to a Flemish provenance due to the fact that:
- Transylvanus was married to Frances, who was a niece of Christopher de HaroChristopher de HaroChristopher de Haro was a Lisbon-based merchant of Flemish origin. He provided the financial backing to Ferdinand Magellan's 1519 voyage, the first circumnavigation around the world....
, the LisbonLisbonLisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
-based merchant who was a friend of Magellan's as well as his financial backer. She was the daughter of Jacob de Haro, the head of a commercial firm based in Antwerp. - Transylvanus had many ties with Brussels. A piece of Latin poetry he wrote in Faria argues that Transylvanus received his surname from the fact that he was a member of one of the many diplomats sent to Transylvania, which was part of the Kingdom of HungaryKingdom of HungaryThe Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
. - Lang von Wellenberg, born in 1469 to a burgher family, took holy orders much later in life (in 1519).
- Transylvanus died in BrusselsBrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
around 1538.
De Moluccis Insulis
Transylvanus had a lively interest in Magellan's expedition around the world. However, his information should not be entirely accepted at face value, as Transylvanus uncritically accepted the testimony he took down from the surviving crew members. He was also in a hurry to get his letter published.The account written by Antonio Pigafetta
Antonio Pigafetta
Antonio Pigafetta was an Italian scholar and explorer from the Republic of Venice. He travelled with the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his crew on their voyage to the Indies. During the expedition, he served as Magellan's assistant and kept an accurate journal which later assisted him...
, the expedition's official chronicler and one of the survivors of the voyage, did not appear until 1525, in Paris, and was not wholly published until the first year of the 19th century; this was the edition by Carlo Amoretti
Carlo Amoretti
Carlo Amoretti was an ecclesiastic, scholar, writer, and scientist. He was born in Oneglia, now Imperia in the Liguria region, Italy.He entered the Augustinian order in 1757...
published in 1800. This edition is now famously called the Ambrosiana codex. It is through Transylvanus' account that Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
was informed of the first circumnavigation of the globe.
Transylvanus recorded gossip on board about the mutiny
Mutiny
Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an authority to which they are subject...
that occurred during Magellan's voyage, calling it a "shameful and foul conspiracy" among the Spanish officers and men. Pigafetta and Transylvanus differ on who was responsible for the massacre that occurred at Cebu
Cebu Island
Cebu is an island of the Philippines. It is the main island of Cebu Province at the center of the Visayan Islands, south of Manila.It lies to the east of Negros Island; to the east is Leyte and to the southeast is Bohol Island. It is flanked on both sides by the Cebu Strait and Tañon Strait...
in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. Transylvanus states that it was Juan Serrano
Juan Serrano
Juan Serrano, in the Spanish version , or João Serrão in the Portuguese original was a 16th century navigator who sailed with Ferdinand Magellan during the first circumnavigation of the world ....
who mistreated Enrique de Malacca, Magellan's former slave, thereby causing Enrique to plot the massacre; Pigafetta, who did not attend the banquet that served as the trap, blames Duarte Barbosa
Duarte Barbosa
Duarte Barbosa was a Portuguese writer and Portuguese India officer between 1500 and 1516–17, with the post of scrivener in Cannanore factory and sometimes interpreter of the local language...
.
Transylvanus' text also includes a fairly accurate description of how spices were grown. "The natives share groves of this tree among themselves," he writes, “just as we do vineyards."
A surviving copy of the first edition of his work can be found in the Beinecke Library (Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
). A second edition can be found at the Scheepvaart Museum
Scheepvaart Museum
The Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum is a museum in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The museum is housed in a former naval storehouse, 's Lands Zeemagazijn or Admiraliteits Magazijn, designed by the Dutch architect Daniël Stalpaert and constructed in 1656...
(Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
). Princeton University Library
Princeton University Library
Princeton University Library is the main library system of Princeton University. With holdings of more than 7 million books, 6 million microforms, and 37,000 linear feet of manuscripts, it is headquartered in the Harvey S...
has copies of the Cologne and Rome printings.