Antonio de Noli (born 1415 or possibly 1419Astengo C, Balla M., Brigati I., Ferrada de Noli M., Gomes L., Hall T., Pires V., Rosetti C. Da Noli a Capo Verde. Antonio de Noli e l'inizio delle scoperte del Nuovo Mondo. Marco Sabatelli Editore. Savona, 2013. ISBN 9788888449821 ) was a 15th-century Genoese nobleman and navigator,The "Grande Enciclopédia Portuguesa" states: "Antonio de Noli belonged to the Genoa nobility. The celebrity of the discoveries..." ("Antonio de Noli pertencia à nobreza de Genova. A fama dos descobrimentos ..."). "Grande Enciclopédia Portuguesa e Brasilera. Ilustrada", Lisboa, Editorial Enciclopédia, 1935–1960. Page 836 and the first governor of the earliest European overseas colony in Subsaharan Africa. He discovered some of the Cape Verde islands on behalf of Henry the Navigator and was made the first Governor of Cape Verde by King Afonso V. In most history or geographic books, including ancient chronicles, or encyclopedias, he is referred as Antonio de Noli.Charles François Du Périer Dumouriez, "An account of Portugal, as it appeared in 1766 to Dumoriez. Printed at Lausanne 1775". Law, Debret & Balfour, London, 1797The "Grande Enciclopédia Portuguesa" refer to him as Antonio de Noli. Op. cit. Page 836"Uso di Mare and Antonio de Noli were to be found in the same employment the connection between...". In Gomes Eannes de Azurara, "The chronicle of the discovery and conquest of Guinea". The Hakluyt Society, London, 1896–1899. Page 300. (Earlier published in Portuguese by Pariz Aillaud 1841)Cape Verde Islands. Handbooks prepared under the direction of the Historical Section of the Foreign Office. No. 117. Published by H.M. Stationery Office. London, 1920 In Italy, he is known also as Antonio da Noli or sometimes as Antoniotto Usodimare.Some texts identify Antonio de Noli and Antoniotto Usodimare as being the same person. However, this assumption has not been established as biographic or historic fact. The Usodimare family is a separate Ligurian family with no known lineage association with the de Noli families.
Biography Antonio de Noli was born to a patricianBiographie Générale by Firmin Didot Fréres states that Noli appartenait à une famille patricien ("belonged to a patrician family"). Biographie Générale. Firmin Didot Fréres, publishers. Anno M DCCC LVII, Vol. 38 family in Genoa, Italy, as referred in ancient sources of the epoch; e.g. Portuguese king's historian João de Barros stated already in 1552 that Antonio Noli was born in Genoa,João de Barros on Antonio di Noli: "di natione genovese, et di sangue nobile, che per alcuni dispiaceri che hebbe nella patria sua se ne venne in questo regno con due navi. . .". In Joao Barros, "L’Asia", Dec. I. lib. 2. cap. I. Republished by Vincenzo Valgrisio, Venice, 1562. João de Barros, Captain (head) of the Fortress of St George of Elmina (Elmina Castle), was also the most notable Portuguese historian of the epoch, and distinguished for his intellectual ethics and trustfully work. As official historian of the King, he had access to primeval data kept at the court on Antonio de Noli. He wrote the first part of his Décadas da Ásia ("Decades of Asia"), in 1552–1556 (republished in Venetia 1562) and "of noble blood". Modern historians and researches also specify Antonio Noli as Genovese or Genoese, e.g. Dumoriez (1762),Charles François Du Périer Dumouriez. Op. cit. Page 95 Thomas (1860),"(Cape Verde discoveries)...by Antonio Noli, a Genoese in the service of the Prince of Portugal. In W. Thomas, M.A.,"The West Coast of Africa, And Its Islands". Derby & Jackson, New York, 1860. Page 327 Hamilton (1975),"The Portuguese, with the aid of Genovese navigator Antonio Noli, discovered the remaining, likewise inhabited, islands of the Cape Verde Archipelago". In Russel G. Hamilton, "Voices from an Empire". University of Minnesota, 1975. Page 233 Diffie and Winius (1977),Bailey W. Diffie & George D. Winius "Foundations of the Portuguese Empire 1415–1580". Op. cit. Page 111 Irwin and Wilson (1999)."... (Discovered Cape Verde) ... More likely, it was the Genoese António de Noli". In Aisling Irwin & Colum Wilson, "Cape Verde Islands". The Globe Pequot Press, Guilford, Connecticut. Fourth Edition, 2009. Page 6 It has also been put forward that Antonio de Noli would have instead born in Noli (Savona) Italy.https://famigliadenoli.blogspot.com/ After he was exiled from Genoa amid political disputes compromising main families Fregoso and Adorno, Antonio de Noli (Navy captain, and cartography expert)Referred as "Peritissimo Piloto Genovese" in "Famiglie Di Genova. Antiche, e moderne, estinte, e viventi, nobili, e populari". Parte II, D.E.F.G.I.L.M.N.O./ MDCCLXXXIII. Page 293 sailed to Portugal in command of a small expedition of three vessels and with his brother Bartholomew (a Genoa lawyer) and nephew Raphael. In Portugal, de Noli became engaged in Ultramar explorations by Henry the Navigator. From 1462 to 1496, he founded and then was Captain of Ribeira Grande (modern-day Cidade Velha) at the southern end of Santiago Island.
The de Noli family is believed to have its ancient roots in "the small city and Castle of Noli"."L'origine si puó supponere dalla piccola cittá o Castello di Noli". In "Famiglie Di Genova. Op. cit. Pages 293-294 By the 14th century, there were two main branches of the Noli family in Northern Italy sharing a pre-medieval origin in the ancient territory of Noli (Savona province). One branch was established in Genoa, Liguria, and the other in Novara, Piedmont, where the Noli ("famiglia di signore") inhabited the Castle of Cameriano by the beginning of the 15th century."Castello di Cameriano ... Agli inizi del quattrocento il castello – diventato un'importante fortezza – fu amministrato per diversi anni dal marchese Teodoro di Monferrato. In seguito divenne feudo dei "Botigella" e fu abitato da varie famiglie di signori, tra cui i Cattaneo di Cameriano e la famiglia Noli di Novara Descendants of the Noli in Novara (at the time Lombardy territory) became later established around Bergamo and Parma/Cremona. Nobildonna Alessandra Noli Datarino (Cremona) , Can. Comte Alessandro Noli (Bergamo) , Arpulino de Noli da Parma It is also recorded that members of the Noli family established in Genoa participated in government already by the 13th century, i.e. as "Consigliere della Signoria" in 1261."citase un Noli Anziano e consiglieri della Signoria nel 1261". Bollettino della Società geografica italiana, Volym 17. 1880. Page 139 In 1382, Giacomo de Noli, ancestor of Captain Antonio de Noli,Giacomo de Noli and Antonio de Noli are listed in the same Noli family in "Famiglie di Genova", op.cit. Page 293 was appointed one member of the Twelve-Elderly Council of Genoa ("XII-Anziani del Comune") under the lead of Duke Nicolas de Guarco."1882. Giacomo de Noli fú un de XII-Anziani del Comune sotto il Duce Nicolas de Guarco". In "Famiglie di Genova", op.cit. Page 293 When Nicolas de Guarco took over the rule of Genoa after the Fregoso, in 1378, he had "appointed in positions of trust the noblemen which have been neglected in the previous administrations","Nicolas de Guarco fut, en 1378, donné pour successeur a Frégose ... Pour augmenter les forces de sa patrie, il rappela aux places de confiance les nobles qu'on avoit écartés pendant les administrations précédentes". In Simonde Sismondi "Histoire des Républiques Italiennes du Moyen Âge. Paris, M.D.CCC.IX. Tome Septième (Elibro Classics ed, 2004). Page 232 and thus also appointed the Fieschi. The participation of the de Noli in the Guarco's ruling of Genoa in alliance with the Fieschi would have, years afterwards, dramatic consequences for Antonio de Noli and his brother Bartholomew. Those prior political associations of the de Noli in Genoa provide a helpful background in explaining both their forced departure to exile in Portugal in 1447, and also the circumstances around the later repatriation of their descendants some decades after, first in Cesena and finally anew in homeland Genoa.Ferrada-Noli M., Rosetti C., and Brigati I. (2010), "Returning to Italy. A research study on early descendants of Antonio de Noli in Cesena and Genoa 1497–1881". Research Bulletin of the Antonio de Noli Academic Society. Genoa, Italy, 2010. Vol. 1, Nr 3, p. 79-204 https://famigliadenoli.blogspot.com/ The Fieschi were – as well as in Genoa – also a prominent family in Cesena, and they also have had political difficulties in Genoa, the same as the de Noli. The Fieschi and the de Noli had friendly ties and even formed part (around 1340) of the same leading team of Genoa as allies of Duke Nicholas de Guarco. This would also explain, at least in part, reasons for Antonio de Noli and descendants for choosing Cesena as a protected setting for an eventual come back to Italy after exile in Portugal (particularly after – in real terms – losing the Cape Verde governorship), or while waiting for the final settlement in Genoa
Discoveries
Old history records attribute to Antonio de Noli the discovery of Cape Verde Islands, supposedly "the ancient Hesperides of Pliny and Ptolemy"."The Cape Verd Islands are situate at the distance of 110 leagues from the Cape of the same name, on the western coast of Africa, between 23 and 26° west long, and 15 and 18° north lat. They are supposed by some to be the ancient Hesperides of Pliny and Ptolemy. They were discovered, in the year 1460, by Antonio de Noli, a Genoese, under the direction of the Infant Don Henry, who presented them to King Alphonso V. his nephew". In Charles François Du Périer Dumouriez. Op. cit. Chapter "Account of Portugal", "Cape Verd Islands". Page 95 This according to a carta regia (royal letter) of 19 September 1462.In Bailey W. Diffie & George D. Winius. Op. cit. Page 106. It is uncertain which of the Cape Verde Islands were discovered by Antonio de Noli. Some of the islands are mentioned in a letter of donation dated 3 December 1460; the rest in the above-mentioned from 19 September 1462. Noli has claim to discovering the first set of islands, while the second were possibly found by Diogo Gomes. However, the events in question are poorly recorded in documents from the time, a reasonable alternative would be that some or all of these second set of islands were discovered by Diogo Dias, Diogo Afonso and Alvise Cadamosto.
The official royal letter of 29 October 1462A facsimile of the royal letter is reproduced in Marcel G. Balla, 2002. "Antonio's Island: Missing Pages of History for Blacks and Hispanics". Braiswick. states that it was Diogo Afonso, the king's scribe, who had discovered the other (last) seven islands that were mentioned in the royal letter of 19 September 1462.Author Marcel Balla notes that this letter was written only about six weeks after that one of 19 September 1462, what it would constitute a good indication that those seven islands were discovered after 3 December 1460 and before 19 September 1462. In Marcel Balla, Archivo Nacional Torre de Tombo (The national archives in Lisbon) (ANTT), Misticos, vol.2º., fl.155-XX The 19 September 1462 letter grants all the islands of Cape Verde to Dom Fernando and the other seven islands are designated but the discoverer is not named. In this letter, Antonio de Noli's name is given as the discoverer of the first five islands, being also the first time he is mentioned by name as the discoverer. The letter of 3 December 1460Five islands in Cape Verde were mentioned in this letter with the original names given: S. Jacobe, S. Felipe, Maias, S. Cristavao and Lana. These names were changed later to Santiago, Fogo, Maio, Boa Vista and Sal. This is also the first time that the Cape Verde islands are mentioned with their original names. In Marcel Balla "Antonio's Island". Op. cit was a royal grant to Infante Ferdinand the Saint Prince after the demise of his brother Henry the Navigator in 1460.
Descendants