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Rowan Gavin Paton Menzies (born 14 August 1937) is a British author and retired submarine lieutenant-commander who has written books promoting claims that the Chinese sailed to America before Columbus. Historians have rejected Menzies' theories and assertions〔〔Goodman, David S. G. (2006): "Mao and The Da Vinci Code: Conspiracy, Narrative and History", ''The Pacific Review'', Vol. 19, No. 3, pp. 359–384 (367–372)〕 and have categorised his work as pseudohistory. He is best known for his controversial book ''1421: The Year China Discovered the World'', in which he asserts that the fleets of Chinese Admiral Zheng He visited the Americas prior to European explorer Christopher Columbus in 1492, and that the same fleet circumnavigated the globe a century before the expedition of Ferdinand Magellan. Menzies' second book, ''1434: The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance'' extended his discovery hypothesis to the European continent. In his third book, ''The Lost Empire of Atlantis'', Menzies claims that Atlantis did exist, in the form of the Minoan Civilization, and that it maintained a global seaborne empire extending to the shores of America and India, millennia before actual contact in the Age of Discovery. ==Biography== Menzies was born in London, England, and his family moved to China when he was three weeks old. He was educated at Orwell Park Preparatory School in Ipswich, and Charterhouse School.〔"The Times Guide to the House of Commons, 1970", Times Newspapers Ltd, 1970, p. 231.〕 Menzies joined the Royal Navy in 1953 and served in submarines from 1959 to 1970. Menzies claims he sailed the routes sailed by Ferdinand Magellan and James Cook, while he was commanding officer of the diesel submarine between 1968 and 1970, a contention questioned by some of his critics.〔; see particularly note five of the Appendix.〕 In 1959, by his own account, Menzies was an officer on the ', on a voyage from Singapore to Africa, around the Cape of Good Hope, and on to the Cape Verde Islands and back to England. Menzies claims that the knowledge of the winds, currents, and sea conditions that he gained on this voyage was essential to reconstructing the 1421 Chinese voyage that he discusses in his first book.〔Gavin Menzies, ''1421: The Year China Discovered America'' (2008 ed.), p. 113〕 Critics have challenged the depth of his nautical knowledge.〔; see Appendix.〕 In 1969, Menzies was involved in an incident in the Philippines, when the ''Rorqual'' rammed a U.S. Navy minesweeper, the USS ''Endurance,'' which was moored at a pier. This collision punched a hole in the ''Endurance'' but did not damage the ''Rorqual''. The ensuing enquiry found Menzies and one of his subordinates responsible for a combination of factors that led to the accident, including the absence of the coxswain (who usually takes the helm in port) who had been replaced by a less experienced crew member, and technical issues with the boat's telegraph.〔 Menzies retired the following year, and stood unsuccessfully as an independent candidate in Wolverhampton South West during the United Kingdom general election 1970, where—standing against Enoch Powell—he called for unrestricted immigration to Great Britain, drawing 0.2% of the vote. In 1990, Menzies began researching Chinese maritime history.〔Gavin Menzies, (When the East Discovered the West ) 11 May 2007; retrieved 22 March 2011.〕〔(Gavin Menzies: Mad as a Snake or a Visionary? ) 1 Aug. 2008; retrieved 22 March 2011.〕〔(Did the Chinese Discover America? ) 29 Dec. 2008; retrieved 22 Mar. 2011.〕 He has, however, no academic training and no command of the Chinese language, which his critics argue prevents him from understanding original source material relevant to his thesis.〔 Menzies trained as a barrister, but in 1996 he was declared a vexatious litigant by HM Courts Service which prohibits him from taking legal action in England and Wales without prior judicial permission.〔http://www.justice.gov.uk/guidance/courts-and-tribunals/courts/vexatious-litigants/index.htm UK Justice list of vexatious litigants〕 Menzies is an honorary professor at Yunnan University in China.〔(Naval Historian Gavin Menzies' Unique Take on History ), 13 Apr. 2011, retrieved 25 May 2011.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Gavin Menzies」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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