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In his Cronica universalis Galvaneus Flamma refers to two cartographic artifacts. The first is a diagram of the winds placed within a cosmological frame, which lists the names of the winds in accordance with both "scientific" tradition and seafaring experience; this diagram intertwines two sources of knowledge, as would be expected in a scholarly milieu receptive to the suggestion of geographical practice. The other is a mappa Ianuensis, i.e. a map drawn in Genoa or kept in Genoa at the time, which Galvaneus mentions three times in his work; according to Galvaneus's mentions, this map depicted the entire globe, and was much more extensive than a portolan chart. Both elements bring new light about the author's geographical interests and sources, and add some small tiles to the mosaic of fourteenth-century cartography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The third book of Galvaneus's Cronica universalis contains an extensive geographical digression, which makes use of three kinds of sources: encyclopedic material, rather recent travel accounts (the ones by Marco Polo, Odoric of Pordenone, John of Pian di Carpine, John of Montecorvino and by a mysterious Dominican friar called Simon) and, most likely, oral testimonies. This article examines Galvaneus's re-use of geographical sources, by reproducing and analyzing selected passages of the book (displayed both in Latin and in English translation). The purpose is to shed light on Galvaneus's working method, on his knowledge of the world, and on the role he played in the survival of lesser-known or unknown texts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chapters 273–378 of the Cronica universalis by the Milanese Dominican Galvaneus Flamma consist of a long geographical excursus – a sign of the author's interest in the subject. This excursus describes places and cities (real or – for us – imaginary) of Asia, India, Africa, Northern Europe, and even Markland. The study of the sources used in the composition of the excursus allows us to observe first of all that Friar Galvaneus used ancient and medieval encyclopedic sources on the one hand, and written accounts of travelers in the East on the other. It is also possible that the author of the Cronica has resorted to oral testimonies of travelers and sailors. What emerges from this study is a modern image of geography: not only because of the sources cited (the ancient authors are often mediated by medieval works) but also for the places mentioned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cronica universalis written by the Milanese friar Galvaneus Flamma (it. Galvano Fiamma, d. c. 1345) contains an astonishing reference to a terra que dicitur Marckalada, situated west from Greenland. This land is recognizable as the Markland mentioned by some Icelandic sources and identified by scholars as some part of the Atlantic coast of North America. Galvaneus's reference, probably derived by oral sources heard in Genoa, is the first mention of the American continent in the Mediterranean region, and gives evidence of the circulation (out of the Nordic area and 150 years before Columbus) of narratives about lands beyond Greenland. This article provides a transcription of the passage, explains its context in the Cronica universalis, compares it to the other (Nordic) references of Markland, and discusses the possible origin of Galvaneus's mention of Markland in light of Galvaneus's biography and working method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]