The Untold Story of Oceanic Pilot Bartolomeu Borges who Guided Jean Ribault to Florida in 1562: Document Transcription and Translation, Accompanied by an Historical Introduction

Abstract

Until now, Portuguese pilot Bartolomeu Borges has remained an obscure figure. A new document—a lengthy letter sent by D. Alonso de Tovar, the Spanish ambassador in Portugal, to King Philip II in 1563—allows us to reconstruct Borges’s career. It suggests that it was Borges (not Jean Ribault) who guided the first French expedition to Florida in 1562, and provides an instructive sixteenth-century case that illustrates the importance of oceanic pilots. The transcription and translation—which make an important but unfamiliar document available to the scholarly community—are complemented by a historical introduction that places Borges’s career in context and considers his overall impact. Additionally, the introduction examines the significance of oceanic pilots more broadly, showing that they were important actors in the creation and maintenance of maritime overseas empires of the sixteenth century, agents involved in the creation and circulation of maritime knowledge.