Fitch, Ralph

Fitch, Ralph

▪ British explorer
born c. 1550
died , c. Oct. 4, 1611, London, Eng.

      merchant who was among the first Englishmen to travel through India and Southeast Asia.

      In February 1583, together with John Newberry, John Eldred, William Leedes, and James Story, Fitch embarked in the Tiger and reached Syria in late April. (Act I, scene 3 of William Shakespeare's Macbeth alludes to the trip.) From Aleppo (Syria), they went overland to the Euphrates, which they descended to Al-Fallūjah, now in Iraq, and from there crossed over to Baghdad and sailed down the Tigris to Basra (May–July 1583). Eldred remained, but Fitch and the others sailed down the Persian Gulf to the trading centre of Hormuz, where they were arrested at the instigation of Venetian merchants and transported to the island of Goa in Portuguese India. They were jailed until they were released on bond provided by two Jesuits.

      Story chose to remain in Goa, but in April 1584 Fitch, Newberry, and Leedes escaped and began their journey across India. They visited the court of the Mughal emperor Akbar at Fatehpur Sīkri, near Āgra, in north-central India, where Leedes settled as court jeweler. Newberry began a return journey to England, but he is believed to have died in India.

      Fitch descended the Yamuna and Ganges rivers and visited Vārānasi (Benares) and Patna. By land he traveled to Cooch Behār at the base of the Himalayas, where he possibly hoped to learn of Tibetan trade across the mountains. After traveling through East Bengal, he sailed for Myanmar (Burma) in November 1586. He visited the Yangon (Rangoon) region; sailed up the Irrawaddy River; stopped at Pegu, fabled for its splendour; and ventured into the Siamese Shan states, now in Myanmar (1586–87).

      Early in 1588 Fitch traveled to the Malay Peninsula and visited Malacca, now in Malaysia, where he learned much about trade with China and the Spice Islands, now the Moluccas. In the spring he began his journey homeward, reaching London on April 29, 1591. Fitch's eyewitness reports on all that he saw were greatly valued by the founders of the East India Company, who consulted him on Indian affairs.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Ralph Fitch — (died 1611) was a gentleman merchant of London and one of the earliest English travellers and traders to visit Mesopotamia, the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean, India and Southeast Asia.In February 1583 he embarked in the Tyger for Tripoli and… …   Wikipedia

  • Ralph Fitch — (* vor 1583; † 1611) war ein englischer Reisender. Er reiste 1583 mit John Newberry im Auftrag Königin Elisabeths auf der Landroute nach Indien, besuchte Basra und Ormuz, wo sie von den Portugiesen verhaftet und nach Goa gesandt wurden. Sie… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Fitch — may refer to: Family name* Fitch (surname), a family name of Anglo Norman originPeople* Alan Fitch (1915 1985), British Labour Party politician * Albert Fitch Bellows (1829 1883), American landscape painter * Alfred Fitch, American Olympian *… …   Wikipedia

  • Fitch — ist: eine Ratingfirma, siehe Fitch Ratings ein Modelabel, siehe Abercrombie and Fitch der Name einer Fregatte der US Marine; USS Aubrey Fitch (FFG 34) ein Kalkül, um formale Beweise auf Logik erster Ebene durchzuführen, siehe Fitch Kalkül Orte in …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Ralph Morgan — Dans Speed (1936) Données clés Nom de naissance …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Ralph Morgan — (gebürtig: Raphael Kuhner Wuppermann; * 6. Juli 1883 in New York City, New York; † 11. Juni 1956 ebenda) war ein US amerikanischer Film und Theaterschauspieler. Leben Ralph Morgan wurde als eines von insgesamt 11 Kindern von George Diogracia und… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Fitch — This interesting surname is a metonymic occupational name for a work man who used an iron pointed implement . It derives from the Old French fiche meaning an iron point , which itself comes from ficher to fix or to plant ; hence, fitch is an iron …   Surnames reference

  • Ralph Sampson — Infobox NBAretired width= caption= position=Center height ft=7 |height in=4 weight lbs=228 number=50 birthdate=birth date and age|1960|7|7 Harrisonburg, Virginia debutyear=1983 finalyear=1992 draftyear=1983 draftround=1 draftpick=1… …   Wikipedia

  • Bruce Fitch — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Fitch. Ralph Bruce Fitch est un homme politique canadien, député progressiste conservateur de Riverview à l Assemblée législative du Nouveau Brunswick depuis 2003. Sommaire 1 Biographie …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Pierre Fitch — Male adult bio birth= birth date and age|1981|11|1 location= Cornwall, Ontario, Canada birthname= death= measurements= 8 in / circumcised height= height|ft=5|in=6 weight= convert|155|lb|kg|abbr=on|lk=on eye color= Brown hair color= Brown… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”