Earth and Space News: Washington Irving 1828 Columbus biography

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Thursday, January 12, 2023

Sleepy Hollow's Washington Irving Wrote Columbus Bestseller in 1828

Summary: Washington Irving wrote his Columbus bestseller in 1828 as a four-volume biography entitled A History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus.

1820 portrait of Washington Irving by British artist Gilbert Stuart Newton (Sep. 2, 1795-Aug. 5, 1835); P.M. Irving, The Life and Letters of Washington Irving, Vol. II (1862), frontispiece: Not of copyright, via Internet Archive

Sleepy Hollow's Washington Irving wrote his Columbus bestseller in 1828 as a comprehensive biography entitled A History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus.

American short-story writer and statesman Washington Irving (April 3, 1783-Nov. 28, 1859) published the first edition of his biography of late 15th-century to early 16th-century explorer and navigator Christopher Columbus (Catalan: Cristòfor Colom; Italian: Cristoforo Colombo; Portuguese: Cristóvão Colombo; Spanish: Cristóbal Colón; ca. 1446/1451-May 20, 1506) on Jan. 1, 1828. The biography was published in four volumes by British publisher John Murray. The company's founding in London, South East England, in 1768 qualifies it as "the oldest publisher in Britain," according to "About John Murray," posted by The Beagle, the official blog for John Murray Publishers. The renowned publishing house's early 19th-century author roster included English novelist Jane Austen (Dec. 16, 1775-July 18, 1817) and English Romantic poet Lord Byron (George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron; Jan. 22, 1788-April 19, 1824).

Washington Irving's diary entry for Monday, Jan. 30, 1826, includes the notation: ". . . received letter from Mr. Everett, attaching me to embassy at Madrid, enclosing passport, and proposing my translating voyage of Columbus" (page 247), according to The Life and Letters of Washington Irving, volume II, published in 1862 by Irving's nephew Pierre Munro Irving (April 3, 1802-Feb. 25, 1876). Pierre was the third of five children born to Washington Irving's oldest brother, William Irving Jr. (Aug. 15, 1766-Nov. 9, 1821), and his wife, Julia Paulding Irving (Aug. 10, 1768-Jan. 24, 1823).

In the Preface to his Columbus biography, Irving described the circumstances that led to his adding the explorer's biography to his writing portfolio. Alexander Hill Everett (March 19, 1792-June 28, 1847), U.S. Minister Plenipotentiary at Madrid, proposed Irving's English translation of a forthcoming collection of documents, edited by Spanish historian Martín Fernández de Navarrete (Nov. 9, 1765-Oct. 8, 1844), ". . . relative to the voyages of Columbus, among which were many of a highly important nature, recently discovered" (Irving, A History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus, vol. I, iii).

Irving accepted the Spansh-to-English translation project in his letter dated Sunday, Jan. 31, in Bordeaux, Gironde department, southwestern France. "I must return you my thanks also for the literary undertaking you have suggested to me. The very idea of it animates me; it is just the kind of employment I would wish at present for my spare hours. I will thank you, therefore, to secure it for me," Irving wrote (The Life and Letters, vol. II: 248).

Irving arrived in Madrid, central Spain, on Wednesday, Feb. 15. Two days later, he was lodged in the residence of Obadiah Rich (Nov. 25, 1777-Jan. 20, 1850), who was appointed as U.S. Consul in Valencia from 1816 to 1823 and as U.S. Consul in Madrid in 1823. Irving described Rich as ". . . one of the most indefatigable bibliographers in Europe, who, for several years, had made particular researches after every document relative to the early history of America. In his extensive and curious library, I found one of the best collections extant of Spanish colonial history, containing many documents for which I might search elsewhere in vain. This he put at my absolute command, with a frankness and unreserve seldom to be met with among the possessors of such rare and valuable works; and his library has been my main resource throughout the whole of my labours" (Preface, v).

Irving's enthusiasm for translating Navarrete's waned as he contextualized the ". . . mass of rich materials for history . . ." for general readers. "And invaluable as such stores may be to the laborious inquirer, the sight of disconnected papers and official documents is apt to be repulsive to the general reader, who seeks for clear and continued narrative" (Preface, iv).

Pierre Irving ascertained his uncle's switch from translator to biographer in March 1826 in Washington Irving's notes. ". . . on the 25th of the following month, I find by his note-book that he had abandoned the idea, and was already engaged in making researches, examining manuscripts, and taking notes for a regular Life, which he trusted would be more acceptable to others, as it was undoubtedly a more satisfactory occupation to himself" (The Life and Letters, vol. II: 252).

Irving interrupted his Columbus project for three months to pursue his interest in the final decade of the Reconquest (Spanish: Reconquista) of the Iberian peninsula. "On the ninth of August, six weeks after I parted with Mr. Irving, it appears by his note-book that his attention was diverted to the Conquest of Granada, at which he commenced at once, and on which he worked incessantly, with the exception of an excursion of four days to the Escurial in October, until the 18th of November, when, having completed a rough sketch of the work, he threw it aside to resume his Columbus," Pierre Irving related (The Life and Letters, vol. II: 253-254).

On Saturday, Dec. 30, Washington Irving recorded in his note-book: "All day at Columbus." The next day, New Year's Eve, Sunday, Dec. 31, he assessed the year: "Columbus -- go out -- return home and write a little, but sleepy and go to bed -- and so ends the year 1826, which has been a year of the hardest application and toil of the pen I have ever passed. I feel more satisfied, however, with the manner in which I have passed it than I have been with that of many gayer years, and close this year of my life in better humor with myself than I have often done" (The Life and Letters, vol. II: 254).

Irving's timeline for completion of his Columbus biography continued into 1827. In a letter dated Thursday, Jan. 18, 1827, to Pierre, he acknowledged his slow progress, for which he partially blamed himelf. "I had hoped by this time to have had Columbus ready for the press, but there are points continually rising to be inquired into and discussed, which cause delay; and I played truant to my main work for two or three months and rambled into another, which is all sketched out in the rough, so that Columbus has yet to receive the finishing touches" (The Life and Letters, vol. II: 255).

In a letter dated Thursday, Feb. 22, 1827, approximately one year after his Columbus-related relocation to Madrid, Washington Irving characterized for his nephew the complexities of his Columbus project. "I have been working very hard at the History of Columbus, and have had to re-write many parts that I had thought finished, in consequence of procuring better sources of information, which threw new light upon various points. It is a kind of work that will not bear hurrying; many questions have been started connected with it which have been perplexed by tedious controversies, and which must all be looked into. I had no idea of what a complete labyrinth I had entangled myself in when I took hold of the work" (The Life and Letters, vol. II: 257).

American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (Feb. 27, 1807-March 24, 1882) visited Irving in Madrid in March 1827. He recalled the visit in an address at the Massachusetts Historical Society after Irving's death. "At this time Mr. Irving was at Madrid, engaged upon his Life of Columbus; and if the work itself did not bear ample testimony to his zealous and conscientous labor, I could do so from personal observation. He seemed to be always at work. . . . One summer morning, passing his house at the early hour of six, I saw his study window already wide open. On my mentioning it to him afterwards, he said: 'Yes, I am always at my work as early as six.' Since then, I have often remembered that sunny morning and that open window, so suggestive of his sunny temperament and his open heart, and equally so his patient and persistent toil. . . ." (The Life and Letters, vol. II: 266).

In a letter dated Wednesday, April 4, 1827, to his lifelong friend, rare book collector and scion of a Manhattan landholding family Henry Brevoort Jr. (1791-April 11, 1874), Washington Irving expressed deeply personal feelings about his Columbus biography, its possible reception and the writer's anguishing paradox of enjoying writing versus pleasing the public. "Since my arrival in Spain (about fifteen months since), I have principally been employed on my Life of Columbus, in executing which I have studied and labored with a patience and assiduity for which I shall never get the credit. I am now advancing toward the conclusion of my work. How it will please the public I cannot anticipate. I have lost confidence in the favorable disposition of my countrymen, and look forward to cold scrutiny and stern criticism, and this is a line of writing in which I have not hitherto ascertained my own powers. Could I afford it, I should like to write and to lay my writings aside when finished. There is an independent delight in study and in the creative exercise of the pen; we live in a world of dreams, but publication lets in the noisy rabble of the world, and there is an end to our dreaming" (The Life and Letters, vol. II: 260).

In a postscript to Brevoort, Irving emphasized the privacy of the letter's contents. "I have written much of this letter in an open and garrulous vein about my private feelings. I trust you will receive it with indulgence, and show it to no one. I never had any reserve with you and I write to you as I used to talk, without caring to disguise any error or weakness" (The Life and Letters, vol. II: 261).

Washington Irving completed his Columbus biography in July 1827. He had devoted 17 months to the explorer's ". . . history, faithfully digested" from ". . . numerous valuable tracts . . . in manuscript, or in the form of letters, journals, and public muniments" (Preface, iv).

Irving opened his letter of Sunday, July 29, 1827, to his publisher, John Murray II (Nov. 27, 1778-June 27, 1843), with the announcement: "I have at length concluded my History of Columbus." After summarizing the biography's main themes, he considered its uniqueness. "I have woven into my work many curious particulars not hitherto known concerning Columbus, and I think I have thrown light upon some parts of his character which have not been brought out by his former biographers. I have labored hard to make the work complete and accurate as to all the information extant relative to the subject, while I have sought to execute it in such a manner as would render it agreeable to the general reader" (The Life and Letters, vol. II: 262-263).

The John Murray publishing house released the first United Kingdom edition of A History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus as four volumes on New Year's Day, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 1828. New York's G. & C. Carvill released the biography's first American edition as three volumes also in January 1828.

Irving's Columbus biography became an instant bestseller, with 175 editions published between 1828 and 1900 (page 196), according to Andrew Burstein, Charles P. Manship Professor of History at Louisiana State University (LSU), in The Original Knickerbocker: The Life of Washington Irving, published in 2007, and also according to Irving bibliographics compiled by William R. Langfeld and Philip C. Blackburn (Washington Irving: A Bibliography; The New York Public Library, 1933) and Stanley T. Williams and Mary Ellen Edge (A Bibliography of the Writings of Washington Irving: A Check List; Oxford University Press, 1936).

A History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus was considered as the "definitive" Columbus biography for "more than a century," according to Spanish historical linguist and Allegany College of Maryland professor Jack Shreve in "Christopher Columbus: A Bibliographic Voyage," published in Choice, the magazine of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), in January 1991. On New Year's Day, Thursday, Jan. 1, 1942, 114 years after the New Year's Day 1828 release of Irving's Columbus biography, American maritime historian Samuel Eliot Morison (July 9, 1887-May 15, 1976) published Admiral of the Ocean Sea. Morison's two-volume biography, published by Boston's Little, Brown and Company, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Biography on Monday, May 3, 1943.

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Dedication

This post is dedicated to the memory of our beloved blue-eyed brother, Charles, who guided the creation of the Met Opera and Astronomy posts on Earth and Space News. We memorialized our brother in "Our Beloved Blue-Eyed Brother, Charles, With Whom We Are Well Pleased," published on Earth and Space News on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, an anniversary of our beloved father's death.

Image credits:

Washington Irving originally had expected to translate into English the multi-volume Spanish documental collection compiled by Spanish noble, naval officer and maritime historian Martín Fernández de Navarrete y Ximénez de Tejada (Nov. 9, 1765-Oct. 8, 1844), but, after considering new documents discovered by Navarrete, the Sleepy Hollow author instead decided to write a complete, updated biography of Christopher Columbus; Retrato del capitán de navío Martín Fernández de Navarrete, undated oil on canvas by unknown artist; Museo Naval de Madrid (Naval Museum of Madrid) inventory number MNM-5178: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mart%C3%ADn_Fern%C3%A1ndez_de_Navarrete.jpg; PDM: Marca de Dominio Público, via Biblioteca Virtual de Defensa @ https://bibliotecavirtual.defensa.gob.es/BVMDefensa/i18n/consulta/resultados_ocr.do?posicion=61&tipoResultados=BIB&id=94035&forma=ficha

For further information:

Beerman, Eric. "Washington Irving en Madrid (1826-28): Cristóbal Colón." Revista Complutense de Historia de América, no. 18 (1992): 197-217.
Available @ https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/RCHA/issue/view/RCHA929211

Borer, Alan. "Pierre Irving and His Famous Uncle." Salmagundi. Saturday, April 3, 2010.
Available @ http://aborer1962.blogspot.com/2010/04/pierre-irving-and-his-famous-uncle.html

Burstein, Andrew. The Original Knickerbocker: The Life of Washington Irving. New York: Basic Books, Feb. 27, 2007.

Hellman, George S. (Sidney). Washington Irving, Esquire, Ambassador At Large From the New World to the Old. London: Jonathan Cape, Limited, 19--.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/washingtonirving00helluoft/

Irving, Pierre M. The Life and Letters of Washington Irving by His Nephew Pierre M. Irving. Hudson edition. In three volumes. Volume II. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1869.
Available via Wikimedia Commons @ https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/The_life_and_letters_of_Washington_Irving_%28IA_lifeandlettersof02irviiala%29.pdf

Irving, Pierre M. The Life and Letters of Washington Irving by His Nephew Pierre M. Irving. Volume I. New York: G.P. Putnam, 1862.
Available @ https://archive.org/details/lifelettersofwas01irvi/

Irving, Pierre M. The Life and Letters of Washington Irving by His Nephew Pierre M. Irving. Volume II. New York: G.P. Putnam, 1862.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/lifelettersofwas02irvi/

Irving, Pierre M. The Life and Letters of Washington Irving by His Nephew Pierre M. Irving. Volume III. New York: G.P. Putnam, 1863.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/lifelettersofwas03irvi/

Irving, Pierre M. The Life and Letters of Washington Irving by His Nephew Pierre M. Irving. Volume IV. New York: G.P. Putnam, 1864.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/lifelettersofwas04irvi/
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/lifelettersofwas00inirvi/

Irving, Washington. A History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus. In four volumes. Vol. I. London: John Murray, MDCCCXXVIII [1828].
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/historyoflifeand01irviiala/

Irving, Washington. A History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus. In four volumes. Vol. II. London: John Murray, MDCCCXXVIII [1828].
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/historyoflifeand02irviiala/

Irving, Washington. A History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus. In four volumes. Vol. III. London: John Murray, MDCCCXXVIII [1828].
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/historyoflifeand03irviiala/

Irving, Washington. A History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus. Vol. IV. London: John Murray, MDCCCXXVIII [1828].
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/historyoflifevoy04irvi/

Irving, Washington. The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus; To Which Are Added those of His Companions. Author's Revised Edition. Vol. III. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott & Co., 1871.
Available via Google Books Read Free of Charge @ https://www.google.com/books/edition/Works_of_Washington_Irving_Columbus/OW9gn73htKkC

John Murray Publishers. "About John Murray." Tumbler > John Murray The Beagle.
Available @ https://johnmurraybeagle.tumblr.com/aboutus

Knepper, Adrian W. "Obadiah Rich: Bibliopole." The Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America, vol. 49, no. 2 (Second Quarter, 1955): 112-130.
Available via JSTOR @ https://www.jstor.org/stable/24299549

Marriner, Derdriu. "Christopher Columbus's Wife Was Madeiran But Was He Really Genoese?" Earth and Space News. Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/10/christopher-columbuss-wife-was-madeiran.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Columbus's Ombu Tree From Indies Flourishes at La Cartuja in Seville." Earth and Space News. Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/12/columbuss-ombu-tree-from-indies.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Ferdinand Columbus Biographized His Father as Italian But Born Where?" Earth and Space News. Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/10/ferdinand-columbus-biographized-his.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Is May 1506 Columbus Military Codicil in Prayer Book Found 1780 Fake?" Earth and Space News. Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/12/is-may-1506-columbus-military-codicil.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Lombardy Associates With Columbus and His Wife's Great-Grandparents." Earth and Space News. Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/10/lombardy-associates-with-columbus-and.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "May 1506 Prayer Book Codicil Mismatches Columbus's Usual Signature." Earth and Space News. Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2023/01/may-1506-prayer-book-codicil-mismatches.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Missing Half or Third of Columbus's Personal Papers Includes 1502 Will." Earth and Space News. Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/12/missing-half-or-third-of-columbuss.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Possible Columbus Grandfather João Gonçalves Zarco Discovered Madeira." Earth and Space News. Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/11/possible-columbus-grandfather-joao.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Second of Four Columbus Wills Likely Was Genuine But Has Disappeared." Earth and Space News. Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/11/second-of-four-columbus-wills-likely.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Secrets & Lies Finds Duke of Beja Perhaps Fathered Christopher Columbus." Earth and Space News. Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/11/secrets-lies-finds-duke-of-beja-perhaps.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Statue in Cuba, Portugal, Honors Columbus as Salvador Fernandes Zarco." Earth and Space News. Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/11/statue-in-cuba-portugal-honors-columbus.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Trail of 1502 Columbus Will Confuses After 1578 Removal From Monastery." Earth and Space News. Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/12/trail-of-1502-columbus-will-confuses.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Washington Irving Assessed 1506 Columbus Military Codicil as Authentic." Earth and Space News. Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/12/washington-irving-assessed-1506.html

Morison, Samuel Eliot. Admiral of the Ocean Sea: A Life of Christopher Columbus. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1942. Copyright renewed 1970.

Shreve, Jack. "Christopher Columbus: A Bibliographic Voyage." Choice, vol. 29 (January 1991): 703–711.
Available via Internet Archive Wayback Machine @ https://web.archive.org/web/20100306023850/http://www.millersville.edu/~columbus/data/bib/SHREVE01.BIB.

Williams, Stanley T. The Life of Washington Irving. Volume I. Copyright, 1935, by Oxford University Press, Inc., New York. Copyright renewed 1963 by Charles R. Williams. Reprinted 1971 by special arrangement with Oxford University Press, Inc. New York: Octagon Books, 1971.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/lifeofwashington0001will/.

Williams, Stanley T. The Life of Washington Irving. Volume II. Copyright, 1935, by Oxford University Press, Inc., New York. Copyright renewed 1963 by Charles R. Williams. Reprinted 1971 by special arrangement with Oxford University Press, Inc. New York: Octagon Books, 1971.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/lifeofwashington0002unse/.

Williams, Stanley T. The Life of Washington Irving. Volume I. New York: Oxford University Press; London: Humphrey Milford, 1935.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.3294/.

Thursday, December 29, 2022

Washington Irving Assessed 1506 Columbus Military Codicil as Authentic

Summary: Sleepy Hollow's Washington Irving assessed the 1506 Columbus Military Codicil as authentic in his 1828 best-selling biography of Christopher Columbus.

During his three-year continental tour (1827-1828), genre-scene Scottish painter Sir David Wilkie arrived in October 1827 in Seville, southwestern Spain, where he visited with his friend, American statesman and writer Washington Irving, until returning to the United Kingdom in June 1828; "Washington Irving in the Archives of Seville," 1828-1829 oil on canvas by Sir David (Nov. 18, 1785-June 1, 1841), recalls a visit by the two friends in 1828 to Seville's Archivo General de Indias (AGI; General Archive of the Indies); Leicester Museums & Galleries, East Midlands, central England: CarlosVdeHabsburgo, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Fictional and non-fictional writer Washington Irving assessed the 1506 Columbus Military Codicil as authentic in his January 1828-published best-selling biography, A History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus.

In January 1828, American short-story writer and statesman Washington Irving (April 3, 1783-Nov. 28, 1859) published his four-volume biography of late 15th-century to early 16th-century explorer and navigator Christopher Columbus (Catalan: Cristòfor Colom; Italian: Cristoforo Colombo; Portuguese: Cristóvão Colombo; Spanish: Cristóbal Colón; ca. 1446/1451-May 20, 1506). The Rip Van Winkle (1819) and Sleepy Hollow (1820) author explained in his Preface that his initial project, suggested by Alexander Hill Everett (March 19, 1792-June 28, 1847), U.S. Minister Plenipotentiary at Madrid, entailed tackling Columbus by way of translating a forthcoming documental collection of Spain's 15th-century discovery voyages edited by Spanish historian Martín Fernández de Navarrete (Nov. 9, 1765-Oct. 8, 1844). Irving subsequently ascertained the need for a "history itself" rather than "a mass of rich materials for history" (page iv).

Irving explained: "On considering the matter more maturely, I perceived that, although there were many books, in various languages, relative to Columbus, they all contained limited and incomplete accounts of his life and voyages; while numerous valuable tracts on the subject existed only in manuscript, or in the form of letters, journals, and public muniments. It appeared to me that a history, faithfully digested from these various materials, was a desideratum in literature, and would be a more satisfactory occupation to myself, and a more acceptable work to my country, than the translation I had contemplated" (page iv).

Irving noted Spain's "great facilities" as encouraging his undertaking via their informatively valuable collections of "rare and valuable works" (page v). The May 1506 Columbus Military Codicil (Codicillus more militum Xfori Columbi) represents one of the rarities that confronted Irving. The codicil had been found in the late 18th century (ca. 1780 to 1785) in Rome's Baroque-styled Palazzo Corsini's library, Biblioteca Corsiniana.

Irving described the rarity as: "An informal codicil, executed by Columbus at Valladolid, May 4th, 1506, sixteen days before his death, was discovered, about 1785, in the Corsini library in Rome. . . . It was written on the blank page of a little breviary presented to Columbus by Pope Alexander VII" (pages 134-135).

Unfortunately for Irving's readers, the gifter is identified erroneously, whether as a publisher's misprint or as Irving's error. The Alexander-named pope during Columbus's lifetime was Pope Alexander VI (Jan. 1, 1431-Aug. 18, 1503), whose papacy began Aug. 11, 1492. Pope Alexander VII (Feb. 13, 1599-May 22, 1667) was a mid-17th century pope.

Irving's research strategy entailed a diligent collation of ". . . all the works that I could find relative to my subject, in print and manuscript; comparing them, as far as in my power, with original documents, those sure lights of historic research; endeavouring to ascertain the truth amid those contradictions which will inevitably occur, where several persons have recorded the same facts, viewing them from different points, and under the influence of different interests and feelings" (page vii).

"The authenticity of this paper has been questioned" (page 135), noted Irving. He traced claims of inauthenticity to the testament's format, handwriting, signature and Genoa focus.

"The objections are not cogent," Irving assessed (page 135). He particularly linked any contradictions with Columbus's standard practices to the document's creation in proximity to the explorer's death.

Irving dismissed concerns of the military codicil as an "unacquainted" usage for Columbus. Contrarily, "Columbus was accustomed to the peculiarities of a military life, and he repeatedly wrote letters, in critical moments, as a precaution against some fatal occurrence that seemed to impend" (page 135).

The explorer's closeness to death also accounted for handwriting anomalies. Also, Columbus suffered from gout, which sometimes so afflicted his hands that he was ". . . not able to write except at night" (page 136).

Irving found that the stress on the codicil's signature assumed a non-existent uniformity in the explorer's stylized signature. Also, the signature variation ". . . is a point to which any one who attempted a forgery would be attentive." With respect to forgery, Irving continued: "It does not appear likewise that any advantage could have been obtained by forging the paper, or that any such was attempted."

Finally, Irving associated the military codicil's Genoa focus with ". . . the filial tie which links the heart of a man to his native place, however he may be separated from it by time or distance, and however little he may be indebted to it for patronage" (page 137). Irving identified additional contexts for Genoa authored by Columbus as pre-fourth voyage letters. On March 21, 1502, he wrote ". . . to his friend, doctor Nicolo Oderigo, formerly ambassador from Genoa to Spain, and forwarded to him copies of all his grants and commissions from the Spanish sovereigns, authenticated before the alcaldes of Seville." In his letter of April 2, 1502, to Genoa's Bank of St. George (Italian: Casa delle compere e dei banchi di San Giorgio; informally: Ufficio di San Giorgio or Banco), Columbus assigned ". . . a tenth of his revenues to be paid to that city, in diminution of the duties on corn, wine, and other provisions" (page 136).

The May 1506 Columbus Military Codicil named Genoa as legal successor in the event of the demise of the explorer's male line. The explorer's directing of "a mingled sentiment of pride and affection . . . to his native place" culminated in his decision to execute the seemingly unusual May 1506 document (page 137). "These appear to be powerful reasons, drawn from natural feeling, for deciding in favour of Genoa," concluded Irving (page 138).

engraving by H.B. (Henry Bryan) Hall from a drawing of Washington Irving made April 23, 1828, in Seville, southwestern Spain, by genre-scene Scottish painter Sir David Wilkie; New York Public Library Digital Collections, Emmet Collection of Manuscripts Etc. Relating to American History: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Dedication

Harrisse, Henry. Christopher Columbus and the Bank of Saint George (Ufficio di San Giorgio in Genoa): Two Letters Addressed to Samuel L.M. Barlow, Esquire. London: Privately Printed -- Chiswick Press, C. Wittingham and Co., MDCCCLXXXVIII [1888].
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/christophercolum00harr/

Irving, Washington. "An informal codicil, executed by Columbus at Valladolid, May 4th, 1506, sixteen days fore his death, was discovered about 1785, in the Corsini library at Rome. It is termed a military codicil, from being made in the manneer which the civil law allows to the soldier who executes such an instrument on the eve of battle, or in expectation of death. It was written on the blank page of a little breviary presented to Columbus by Pope Alexander VII. Columbus leaves the book 'to his beloved country, the Republic of Genoa.' He directs the erection of a hospital in that city for the poor, with provision for its support; and he declares that republic his successor in the admiralty of the Indies, in the event of his male line becoming extinct." Pages 134-138. A History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus. Vol. IV. Appendix: No. V Birthplace of Columbus, pages 123-138. London: John Murray, MDCCCXXVIII [1828].
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/historyoflifevoy04irvi/page/134/mode/1up

Irving, Washington. "An informal codicil, executed by Columbus at Valladolid, May 4th, 1506, sixteen days before his death, was discovered about 1785, in the Corsini library at Rome. . . . He directs the erection of a hospital in that city for the poor, with provision for its support; and he declares that republic his successor in the admiralty of the Indies, in the event of his male line becoming extinct." Page 384. The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus; To Which Are Added those of His Companions. Author's Revised Edition. Vol. III. Appendix: No. VI Birthplace of Columbus, pages 376-386. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott & Co., 1871.
Available via Google Books Read Free of Charge @ https://www.google.com/books/edition/Works_of_Washington_Irving_Columbus/OW9gn73htKkC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=washington+irving+An+informal+codicil,+executed+by+Columbus+at+Valladolid,+May+4th,+1506,&pg=PA384&printsec=frontcover

Irving, Washington. "The authenticity of this paper has been questioned. It has been said, that there was no probability of Columbus having resort to a usage with which he was, most likely, unacquainted. The objections are not cogent. Columbus was accustomed to the pecualiarities of a military life, and he repeatedly wrote letters in critical moments, as a precaution against some fatal occurrence that seemed to impend. The present codicil, from its date, must have been written a few days previous to his death, perhaps at a moment when he imagined himself at extremity. This may account for any difference in the handwriting, especially as he was, at times, so affected by the gout in his hands as not to be able to write except at night. Particular stress has been laid on the signature; but it does not appear, that he was uniform in regard to that, and it is a point to which any one who attempted a forgery would be attentive. It does not appear, likewise, that any advantage could have been obtained by forging the paper, or that any such was attempted. In 1502, when Columbus was about to depart on his fourth and last voyage, he wrote to his friend, Doctor Nicolo Oderigo, formerly ambassador from Genoa to Spain, and forward to him copies of all his grants and commissions from the Spanish sovereigns, authenticated before the alcaldes of Seville. He, at the same time, wrote to the bank of San Giorgio, at Genoa, assigning a tenth of his revenues to the paid to that city in diminution of the duties on corn, wine, and other provisions. . . ." Page 135-138. A History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus. Vol. IV. Appendix: No. V Birthplace of Columbus, pages 135-138. London: John Murray, MDCCCXXVIII [1828].
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/historyoflifevoy04irvi/page/135/mode/1up

Irving, Washington. "The authenticity of this paper has been questioned. . . . He, at the same time, wrote to the bank of San Giorgio, at Genoa, assigning a tenth of his revenues to the paid to that city in diminution of the duties on corn, wine, and other provisions. . . ." Page 384-386. The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus; To Which Are Added those of His Companions. Author's Revised Edition. Vol. III. Appendix: No. VI Birthplace of Columbus, pages 376-386. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott & Co., 1871.
Available via Google Books Read Free of Charge @ https://www.google.com/books/edition/Works_of_Washington_Irving_Columbus/OW9gn73htKkC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=washington+irving+An+informal+codicil,+executed+by+Columbus+at+Valladolid,+May+4th,+1506,&pg=PA384&printsec=frontcover

Leicester Museums & Galleries. "Loan of historic painting to the USA." Leicester Museums & Gallerie > News. Feb. 10, 2021.
Available @ https://www.leicestermuseums.org/news/loan-of-historic-painting-to-the-usa/

Marriner, Derdriu. "Is May 1506 Columbus Military Codicil in Prayer Book Found 1780 Fake?" Earth and Space News. Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022.
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McElroy, John Harmon. "The Integrity of Irving's Columbus." American Literature, vol. 50, no. 1 (March 1978): 1-16.
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PARES Portal de Archivos Españoles. "Testamento de Cristóbal Colón: codicilo. Supplied title: Testamento de Cristóbal Colón: codicilo. Reference number: PATRONATO,8,R.4 Date of creation: 1506-05-04. Scope and content: Codicilo de Cristóbal Colón por el cual instituye por única y universal heredera de sus rentas y bienes que posee en Italia, a su patria, la República de Génova, y añade que por falta de su línea masculina, nombra a esta República como heredera de su almirantazgo de las Indias y sus anejidades. Valladolid, 4 de mayo de 1506. Es una copia en latín y castellano. [S.F.-Siglo XVIII]." PARES Portal de Archivos Españoles > PARES Busquedas. Archivo General de Indias.
Available via PARES Portal de Archivos Españoles @ http://pares.mcu.es/ParesBusquedas20/catalogo/description/121320

Portuondo, María M. "Finding 'Science' in the Archives of the Spanish Monarchy." Isis > Focus: The History of Archives and the History of Science, vol. 107, no. 1 (March 2016): 95-105.
Available via the University of Chicago Press Journals @ https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/686257

Scotti, Ángelo Antonio. Elogio Histórico del Padre Juan Andrés de la Compañía de Jesús, Secretario de la Academia de Antiguedades y Bellas Letras y Prefecto de la Real Biblioteca de Nápoles. Valencia: Imprenta de D. Benito Monfort, 1818.
Available via Biblioteca Valenciana Digital @ https://bivaldi.gva.es/es/consulta/registro.cmd?id=1797

Tour Sevilla. "Washington Irving: The first tourist in Seville?" Tours in Seville > Characters of Seville, Personajes de Sevilla.
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Tromans, Nicholas. "Chronology." Edinburgh Scholarship Online OUP (Oxford University Press) > David Wilkie: The People's Painter > Front Matter.
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YatrikaOne. "Alhambra: Outer Monuments." YatrikaOne > Spain > Alhambra.
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