The New Found World, or Antarctike, provided sixteenth-century European readers with early written descriptions of plants including tobacco, pineapples, and manioc. Authored by André Thévet, the work served as a cornerstone of his reputation as a cosmographer, despite his tendency to incorporate secondary accounts and indigenous testimonies into his narrative alongside his own travel experiences.
Early Formation and Levantine Travels
Born in Angoulême in 1516, Thévet was placed in a Franciscan monastery at age ten. With support from the La Rochefoucauld family, he pursued education in Paris and Poitiers before serving as secretary to the cardinal of Amboise. His initial expeditions began in the 1540s through Switzerland, Italy, and Africa. In 1549, backed by Cardinal Jean de Lorraine, he explored the Levant, visiting Constantinople, Rhodes, Athens, and Alexandria.
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Thévet joined the fleet of Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon as a chaplain to establish a French colony near modern-day Rio de Janeiro. Arriving in November 1555, his stay in South America lasted only ten weeks. Despite the brevity of this visit, his observations formed the basis for his 1557 publication, Les singularitez de la France Antarctique, later translated into English in 1568.
Royal Service and Controversies
Upon returning to France, Thévet secured positions as an almoner to Catherine de' Medici and as a royal cosmographer. His career involved significant disputes, including a disagreement with François de Belleforest over the publication of the 1575 Cosmographie Universelle. Furthermore, he faced legal challenges regarding the authorship of his texts and inaccurately claimed to have traveled to North America with Guillaume Le Testu in 1550.
Legacy and Final Works
Thévet continued writing until his later years, publishing a collection of biographies titled Les vrais pourtraits et vies des hommes illustres in 1584. His ethnographic notes on Brazil and Canada remained influential, informing contemporary thinkers like Montaigne. He died in Paris in 1590, leaving behind unfinished manuscripts including his Grand Insulaire and an account of his travels.
Fast facts
- Born: 1516, Angoulême
- Died: 1590, Paris
- Citizenship: France
- Occupations: writer, historian, engraver, translator, geographer, journalist, traveler, botanist
- Notable work: The New Found World, or Antarctike
- Patrons: Charles IX, Henry III, Catherine de' Medici, Francis II
- Religious affiliation: Catholic Church
Questions readers ask
What were Thévet’s primary contributions to botany?
He provided some of the earliest European textual descriptions of tobacco, manioc, peanuts, and pineapples.
Was Thévet’s work entirely based on firsthand experience?
No. While he traveled to the Levant and Brazil, his books often integrated previous published sources, verbal accounts from other sailors, and information gathered from indigenous Canadians brought to France.
Achievements
- Recorded as explorer, journalist and writer
