Samuel Eliot Morison’s ‘Admiral of the Sea’

Mr. Onwyka

Samuel Eliot Morison’s ‘Admiral of the Sea’ received worthy and even won a Pulitz Prize for 1942. The man was a Harvard professor for almost 40 years, retiring as an Emeritus in history, particularly Spanish history. There are reasons why we have to worry about the man’s book ‘Admiral of the Sea’, which was the story of Christopher Columbus and his discovery of New lands. The book made a good argument about the discovery of America to the interest of Columbus, as if the book was a defence of the man’s achievements.

But the problem with such book and such Authority is that they are very likely to influence a whole generation of the world historians and will also influence students by mere synthesis passed on to them.

After reading through the book the second time, I began to see several cracks in the man’s history. In fact, by my familiarity of Venetian history and the History of Milan, I can easily indicate that the Cristoforo Columbus and Cristoforo Il’ Moro, and a certain duke of Milan Ludovico Il Moro (originally from Mantua), have history that has nothing to do with a man who adopted the name ‘Christoforo Columbus’ (Christopher Columbus). Cristoforo Il Moro was the famous Moorish captain that turned down the request of the dying Pope Pius III on August 12th, 1464 to help protect Venice from Turks who were coming. In otherwords, he will be asked to help non-muslims in Venice and ‘politely’ refused.

This Act infuriated a lot of Venetian Christian who mentioned that ‘Venice was important than….”, referring  to Christoforo Il Moro.  This Cristoforo was in the days of Lodovico Il Moro associated with a discovery of certain New Land, but the news of this New found lands were drowned by the impending doom of Venice which finally took place sometime 1499-1503.

Whatever this new found land is supposed to mean, it took place much later than the conflicts in Spain and Cristoforo Il Moro was involved in early recruit effort for a war against the Turks and Menemith I, but did not continue given the poor rallying of Christians at Ancura in 1464.

This Cristoforo of Cordoba was no child of 8 years or 14 year old as the alternate dates of Columbus involvement in these similar wars suggest. Cristoforo Il Moro was the Real ‘Admiral of the Sea’ and was from a place not far Genoa (Zenofaro) and probably Cordoba.

In essence, some of the history regarding for instance, the spread of the News of Christopher Columbus’ discovery of a New Land is believed by a million pages to have being well illustrated in Venetian Press, in Rome and in parts of Spain. But the dates that Morison gave for the evidence of the news of the New Discovery of the land was April 15, April 18th, April 22nd, June 30th, are important Venetian dates in the general history of the people.

Some of that which is said to bear records of a certain Cristoforo Il Moro. This man and his title is nothing Spanish in origin and nothing Portuguese. He is without doubt a Genoese. But fact is that this dates above, are dates that are quite familiar with several ‘other’ incidents in Venice and Genoe, especially in wars between these two people and diplomatic conflict over Acre.

But Venice and Genoa were part of the three major ‘Fundacci’ for Mamluks of Egypt till the coming of the Memeth I and then II, and the Venetians of two faith were involved in the 14th and 15th century in the effort to estoppel the Turks and others in taking Venice, where title holders such Cristoforo Il Moro who was ‘Doge’ representative (warrior) in the last days of Pius III as head of Venetian Christians of two faith, in Mantua. He is for the records no relations of Cristoforo Kordoba.

The other likelihood of the name is the Giovanni Cordoba, probably meaning ‘Chief of Cordoba’ a title that is also a name, a well known name ‘Giovanni Cordoba’ which people mistake as ‘John Cordoba’, even the English John Calbot may have also adopted such similar name/s, perhaps as part of that imitation of the famous and maritime expert - Giovanni Cordoba (Giovanni Columbus). These sailors were aware that the name was popular in several circles and were also aware that the man was not known in more remote parts of Europe.  

The point is that the Cristoforo which means fore-runner of Christ is a name that is not dissimilar from the title ‘Giovanni’ which means Judge and not really John. In reality, John and James are two Afro-Asiatic names that are quite Hebrew – or were adopted – since no Hebrew or Greek till the time of Christ answered John and James (Ames). The equivalent of James and John in Hebrew, Arabic and Aramaic is Iakobo, where as other translations have it as Giovanni. But Giovanni really means Governor or ‘Chief’ and not necessarily ‘King’ and refer more to James and his Gnostic roots.

In popular trial of the themes of Giovanni as John, we look at the meaning of the word ‘Cristoforo’ as a name that is not that far from John or Giovanni, but exist as a Synonym for a fore runner of Christ. Where as the title ‘’Iakobos” is Greek translation for James, which also means as ‘Jacob’ or ‘Yakubu’, the Patriach of Israel. But in meaning, the word James is neither Greek nor Hebrew, it is the equivalent of a Chief priest or chosen one or the Chief or the Governor (Giovanni), John or James, particularly James and not necessarily John.

So the puzzle behind the riddle ‘Christopher Columbus’ is clear that it means ‘Giovanni Columbus’ which also means ‘Cristoforo Cordoba’ whose was a ‘Giovanni Cordoba’ and possibly referring to insipious ‘Giovanni Columbus’ who for all the world is not nearly the father of Cristoforo of Cordova – our Christopher Columbus.   

This is only one point in the Book.