Gunnar Thompson
Lions in the New Land

In Thompson's latest book, Lions in the New Land: The Epic Adventures of Friar Nicholas in The Enchanted Isles, he shares the story of a mysterious English friar whose passage through time altered the course of world history. In the 14th century, the friar traveled from England, to Norway, Iceland, and the Northern Regions in the service of King Edward III. The friar’s assignment was to survey isles of the North Atlantic in an effort to find the lost, overseas colony of King Arthur. This project, entailing discovery of the Western Hemisphere, was first proposed by England’s premier scientist—Roger Bacon in 1266.

We now have evidence in the form of a map and a manuscript, the Inventio Fortunatae, confirming that English Franciscans traveled to the New World at the very dawn of the Age of Discovery. At this point in time, the "New Land" was claimed as a sovereign realm under the aegis of King Magnus Eriksson—ruler of both Norway and Sweden. It is also clear that the Friar’s Map played a crucial role in early Portuguese and Spanish navigation.

The manuscript reached the hands of Portugal’s Prince Henry The Navigator who was the grandson of the English regent John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and son of Edward III. The Inventio Fortunatae was also known to Bristol merchants who sailed to Newfoundland in the 1480’s, and it was known to Columbus who reviewed the book prior to his Arctic voyage in 1477 and his Venezuelan voyage in 1498. A map of Arctic regions attributed to the friar appeared in the works of such renowned geographers as Martin Behaim, John Ruysch, Ortelius, and Mercator.

Thus, it can be demonstrated with great assurance and pride that the English people deserve the lion’s share of credit for early New World discovery.

More information on this guest or topic?