1434: The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance

Gavin Menzies

Oct 2009 · Harper Collins

About this ebook

The New York Times bestselling author of 1421 offers another stunning reappraisal of history, presenting compelling new evidence that traces the roots of the European Renaissance to Chinese exploration in the fifteenth century

The brilliance of the Renaissance laid the foundation of the modern world. Textbooks tell us that it came about as a result of a rediscovery of the ideas and ideals of classical Greece and Rome. But now bestselling historian Gavin Menzies makes the startling argument that in the year 1434, China—then the world's most technologically advanced civilization—provided the spark that set the European Renaissance ablaze. From that date onward, Europeans embraced Chinese intellectual ideas, discoveries, and inventions, all of which form the basis of western civilization today.

Florence and Venice of the early fifteenth century were hubs of world trade, attracting traders from across the globe. Based on years of research, this marvelous history argues that a Chinese fleet—official ambassadors of the emperor—arrived in Tuscany in 1434, where they were received by Pope Eugenius IV in Florence. The delegation presented the influential pope with a wealth of Chinese learning from a diverse range of fields: art, geography (including world maps that were passed on to Christopher Columbus and Ferdinand Magellan), astronomy, mathematics, printing, architecture, steel manufacturing, military weaponry, and more. This vast treasure trove of knowledge spread across Europe, igniting the legendary inventiveness of the Renaissance, including the work of such geniuses as da Vinci, Copernicus, Galileo, and more.

In 1434, Gavin Menzies combines this long-overdue historical reexamination with the excitement of an investigative adventure. He brings the reader aboard the remarkable Chinese fleet as it sails from China to Cairo and Florence, and then back across the world. Erudite and brilliantly reasoned, 1434 will change the way we see ourselves, our history, and our world.

Ratings and reviews

I may be among the last who would welcome crediting the Chinese for all that Menzies does. But the more I dig into it, the stronger the evidence is. There are parts of the case that can be argued, but one cannot dispute the presence of the Chinese up and down the coasts of the Americas. To dismiss Menzies because the academic community does is roughly the equivalent of dismissing Galileo, who in his time was not just persecuted but also prosecuted for advancing the unthinkable -- that Copernicus was right, and the earth was not the center of the universe. Read Menzies books and then decide what parts you agree with, and which you don't. The book is well written, and the arguments logically and persuasively put.

Read this in hardback after a gullible friend recommended it. Very fanciful, biased conclusions from selective research. I have been interested in China for many years and was curious to see if the writer had anything new to add to the study of Chinese history but I'm afraid not. Read what some of his critics have to say. Bad work.

Marketed as history, pure speculation that repeatedly cites a few thin assumptions as evidence.

About the author

Gavin Menzies (1937-2020) was the bestselling author of 1421: The Year China Discovered America; 1434: The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance; and The Lost Empire of Atlantis: History's Greatest Mystery Revealed. He served in the Royal Navy between 1953 and 1970. His knowledge of seafaring and navigation sparked his interest in the epic voyages of Chinese admiral Zheng He.