Nicolo de Conti
Also called: Niccolo de Conti · Topic: Vijayanagara and the Deccan · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 3 "An Imperial Capital: Vijayanagara"
Meaning
Nicolo de Conti was an Italian trader who visited Vijayanagara in the 15th century. He is one of the earliest foreign visitors whose account of the city survives. He described the great size of the city, its wealth and its festivals. His writing helps historians picture Vijayanagara in its early years, when the Sangama dynasty ruled, long before Krishnadeva Raya.
Example
Conti is usually grouped with the two other 15th-century visitors: Abdur Razzaq, who was the Persian ruler's ambassador to Calicut, and Afanasii Nikitin, a Russian merchant. He came before the 16th-century Portuguese writers Barbosa, Paes and Nuniz.
Don't confuse with
- Abdur Razzaq: Razzaq was the Persian envoy who counted seven lines of forts around the city. Conti was an Italian trader, not an ambassador.
- Fernao Nuniz: Nuniz was a 16th-century Portuguese horse trader who wrote a chronicle of the kings. Conti came about a century earlier.