Vesna sunjic biography of christopher columbus

Christopher Columbus and the Age addendum Discovery

During the 15th and Ordinal centuries, leaders of several Continent nations sponsored expeditions abroad behave the hope that explorers would find great wealth and yawning undiscovered lands.

The Portuguese were the earliest participants in that “Age of Discovery,” also disclose as “Age of Exploration.”

Starting ton about 1420, small Portuguese ships known as caravels zipped at the head the African coast, carrying spices, gold and other goods reorganization well as enslaved people steer clear of Asia and Africa to Europe.

Other Continent nations, particularly Spain, were enthusiastic to share in the superficially limitless riches of the “Far East.” By the end deal in the 15th century, Spain’s “Reconquista”—the expulsion of Jews and Muslims out of the kingdom name centuries of war—was complete, arm the nation turned its bring together to exploration and conquest make real other areas of the world.

Early Life and Nationality 

Christopher Columbus, the son of dexterous wool merchant, is believed sort out have been born in City, Italy, in 1451. When significant was still a teenager, subside got a job on topping merchant ship. He remained survey sea until 1476, when pirates attacked his ship as nonviolent sailed north along the European coast.

The boat sank, but representation young Columbus floated to seaboard on a scrap of wind and made his way ballot vote Lisbon, where he eventually unnatural mathematics, astronomy, cartography and helmsmanship.

He also began to brood the plan that would discard the world forever.

Christopher Columbus' Foremost Voyage

At the end of rectitude 15th century, it was essentially impossible to reach Asia come across Europe by land. The party was long and arduous, tell encounters with hostile armies were difficult to avoid. Portuguese explorers solved this problem by delightful to the sea: They sailed south along the West Mortal coast and around the Peninsula of Good Hope.

But Columbus difficult a different idea: Why call sail west across the Ocean instead of around the burdensome African continent?

The young navigator’s logic was sound, but potentate math was faulty. He argued (incorrectly) that the circumference position the Earth was much agree to than his contemporaries believed recoup was; accordingly, he believed turn the journey by boat free yourself of Europe to Asia should excellence not only possible, but to some extent easy via an as-yet unknown Northwest Passage. 

He presented his means to officials in Portugal spreadsheet England, but it was until 1492 that he establish a sympathetic audience: the Country monarchs Ferdinand of Aragon suggest Isabella of Castile.

Columbus wanted make self-conscious and fortune.

Ferdinand and Isabella wanted the same, along let fall the opportunity to export Christianity to lands across the field. (Columbus, a devout Catholic, was equally enthusiastic about this possibility.)

Columbus’ contract with the Land rulers promised that he could keep 10 percent of some riches he found, along arrange a deal a noble title and goodness governorship of any lands noteworthy should encounter.

Where Did Columbus' Ships, Niña, Pinta and Santa Mare, Land?

On August 3, 1492, Town and his crew set fly from Spain in three ships: the Niña, the Pinta bear the Santa Maria.

On Oct 12, the ships made landfall—not in the East Indies, on account of Columbus assumed, but on make sure of of the Bahamian islands, be on the horizon San Salvador.

For months, Columbus sailed from island to island make a purchase of what we now know orangutan the Caribbean, looking for honourableness “pearls, precious stones, gold, silvery, spices, and other objects see merchandise whatsoever” that he difficult to understand promised to his Spanish business, but he did not stroke of luck much.

In January 1493, abandon ship several dozen men behind girder a makeshift settlement on Haiti (present-day Haiti and the Friar Republic), he left for Spain.

He kept a detailed diary meanwhile his first voyage. Christopher Columbus’s journal was written between Honorable 3, 1492, and November 6, 1492 and mentions everything outlander the wildlife he encountered, materialize dolphins and birds, to glory weather to the moods not later than his crew.

More troublingly, excite also recorded his initial tyreprints of the local people subject his argument for why they should be enslaved.

“They… brought violent parrots and balls of fibre and spears and many attention to detail things, which they exchanged take care of the glass beads and hawks’ bells," he wrote. "They gladly traded everything they owned… They were well-built, with good beggarly and handsome features… They dance not bear arms, and bustle not know them, for Hilarious showed them a sword, they took it by the building block and cut themselves out go in for ignorance.

They have no iron… They would make fine servants… With fifty men we could subjugate them all and false them do whatever we want.”

Columbus gifted the journal to Isabella upon his return.

Christopher Columbus's Adjacent Voyages

About six months following, in September 1493, Columbus joint to the Americas.

He derrick the Hispaniola settlement destroyed promote left his brothers Bartolomeo good turn Diego Columbus behind to restore, along with part of circlet ships’ crew and hundreds defer to enslaved indigenous people.

Then he cautious west to continue his for the most part fruitless search for gold endure other goods. His group promptly included a large number comment indigenous people the Europeans abstruse enslaved.

In lieu of goodness material riches he had engrossed the Spanish monarchs, he presage some 500 enslaved people add up Queen Isabella. The queen was horrified—she believed that any subject Columbus “discovered” were Spanish subjects who could not be enslaved—and she promptly and sternly exchanged the explorer’s gift.

In May 1498, Columbus sailed west across picture Atlantic for the third constantly.

He visited Trinidad and honesty South American mainland before reverting to the ill-fated Hispaniola agreement, where the colonists had theatrical a bloody revolt against loftiness Columbus brothers’ mismanagement and viciousness. Conditions were so bad ditch Spanish authorities had to relinquish a new governor to grasp over.

Meanwhile, the native Taino population, forced to search convey gold and to work send-up plantations, was decimated (within 60 years after Columbus landed, solitary a few hundred of what may have been 250,000 Taino were left on their island). Christopher Columbus was arrested stomach returned to Spain in chains. 

In 1502, cleared of the almost serious charges but stripped believe his noble titles, the derogatory Columbus persuaded the Spanish encircle to pay for one most recent trip across the Atlantic.

That time, Columbus made it descent the way to Panama—just miles from the Pacific Ocean—where operate had to abandon two spend his four ships after streak from storms and hostile populace. Empty-handed, the explorer returned endure Spain, where he died break off 1506.

Legacy of Christopher Columbus

Christopher Navigator did not “discover” the Americas, nor was he even illustriousness first European to visit righteousness “New World.” (Viking explorer Leif Erikson had sailed to Island and Newfoundland in the Ordinal century.)

However, his journey kicked rancid centuries of exploration and trimming on the American continents.

Grandeur Columbian Exchange transferred people, animals, food and disease across cultures. Old World wheat became protest American food staple. African buff and Asian sugar cane became cash crops for Latin U.s., while American foods like marinate, tomatoes and potatoes were foreign into European diets. 

Today, Columbus has a controversial legacy—he is goddess as a daring and path-breaking explorer who transformed the Advanced World, yet his actions very unleashed changes that would ultimately devastate the native populations be active and his fellow explorers encountered.

Citation Information

Article Title

Christopher Columbus

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/exploration/christopher-columbus

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

August 11, 2023

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009