page_title: John Scolvus
section_title: Polish origin theory
hierarchical_section_title: John Scolvus / Speculations / Polish origin theory
caption_attribution_description: Polski: Jan z Kolna - posąg na Wałach Chrobrego, Szczecin, Polska (zabytek nr rejestr 1326) English: John Scolvus - statue in Szczecin, Poland Deutsch: Johannes Scolvus - Statue in Stettin, Polen
context_page_description: John Scolvus or John of Kolno may have been a navigator of the late 15th century. It has been claimed he was among a group of early Europeans to reach the shores of the Americas prior to Columbus, arriving in 1476 as steersman of Didrik Pining, although this view is not supported by contemporary evidence, and as he is not mentioned contemporaneously, his identity and even existence have been disputed.
context_section_description: Polish historian and cartographer Joachim Lelewel (1786 - 1861) was the first to gather all available mentions of Johannes Scolnus. He quoted a source from 1570 by François de Belleforest, a source from 1599 by  Wytfliet, and another from 1671 which claimed that Scolvus was Polish. Lelewel claimed that his name was really Jan z Kolna (English: John of Kolno), and was the navigator of the Danish fleet. He also found mentions of a Joannis de Colno who studied at the Krakow Academy in 1455, and a Colno or Cholno family of merchants and sailors living in Danzig (Gdańsk).
caption: John Scolvus as depicted by a statue from modern times in Szczecin, Poland with the Polish origin theory name rendering of Jan z Kolna.
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