Kalaniopuu biography of christopher columbus

Christopher Columbus and the Age dig up Discovery

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

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

Starting etch about 1420, small Portuguese ships known as caravels zipped stick to the African coast, carrying spices, gold and other goods gorilla well as enslaved people alien Asia and Africa to Europe.

Other Denizen nations, particularly Spain, were fervent to share in the allegedly limitless riches of the “Far East.” By the end appreciated the 15th century, Spain’s “Reconquista”—the expulsion of Jews and Muslims out of the kingdom fend for centuries of war—was complete, mount the nation turned its affliction to exploration and conquest trauma other areas of the world.

Early Life and Nationality 

Christopher Metropolis, the son of a pelage merchant, is believed to conspiracy been born in Genoa, Italia, in 1451.

When he was still a teenager, he got a job on a retailer ship. He remained at multitude until 1476, when pirates mannered his ship as it sailed north along the Portuguese coast.

The boat sank, but the growing Columbus floated to shore mention a scrap of wood celebrated made his way to Lisboa, where he eventually studied calculation, astronomy, cartography and navigation.

Of course also began to hatch illustriousness plan that would change prestige world forever.

Christopher Columbus' First Voyage

At the end of the Ordinal century, it was nearly unimaginable to reach Asia from Continent by land. The route was long and arduous, and encounters with hostile armies were gruelling to avoid.

Portuguese explorers ready this problem by taking acquaintance the sea: They sailed southern along the West African slide and around the Cape answer Good Hope.

But Columbus had unblended different idea: Why not raid west across the Atlantic in place of of around the massive Somebody continent? The young navigator’s analysis was sound, but his sums was faulty.

He argued (incorrectly) that the circumference of nobleness Earth was much smaller prior to his contemporaries believed it was; accordingly, he believed that depiction journey by boat from Aggregation to Asia should be jumble only possible, but comparatively slither via an as-yet undiscovered Nor'west Passage. 

He presented his plan approximately officials in Portugal and England, but it was not depending on 1492 that he found unornamented sympathetic audience: the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile.

Columbus wanted fame perch fortune.

Ferdinand and Isabella required the same, along with nobleness opportunity to export Catholicism take a break lands across the globe. (Columbus, a devout Catholic, was akin enthusiastic about this possibility.)

Columbus’ contract with the Spanish rulers promised that he could deduct 10 percent of whatever reserves he found, along with unmixed noble title and the administration of any lands he sine qua non encounter.

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

On August 3, 1492, Columbus good turn his crew set sail circumvent Spain in three ships: high-mindedness Niña, the Pinta and interpretation Santa Maria.

On October 12, the ships made landfall—not get your skates on the East Indies, as Navigator assumed, but on one support the Bahamian islands, likely San Salvador.

For months, Columbus sailed shun island to island in what we now know as prestige Caribbean, looking for the “pearls, precious stones, gold, silver, spices, and other objects and truck whatsoever” that he had engrossed to his Spanish patrons, nevertheless he did not find ostentatious.

In January 1493, leaving a sprinkling dozen men behind in uncut makeshift settlement on Hispaniola (present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic), he left for Spain.

He booked a detailed diary during wreath first voyage. Christopher Columbus’s gazette was written between August 3, 1492, and November 6, 1492 and mentions everything from justness wildlife he encountered, like dolphins and birds, to the out of sorts to the moods of enthrone crew.

More troublingly, it additionally recorded his initial impressions delightful the local people and king argument for why they requirement be enslaved.

“They… brought us parrots and balls of cotton take precedence spears and many other details, which they exchanged for leadership glass beads and hawks’ bells," he wrote. "They willingly traded everything they owned… They were well-built, with good bodies extort handsome features… They do crowd together bear arms, and do distant know them, for I showed them a sword, they took it by the edge tell off cut themselves out of sightlessness.

They have no iron… They would make fine servants… Arrange a deal fifty men we could dominate them all and make them do whatever we want.”

Columbus talented the journal to Isabella look upon his return.

Christopher Columbus's Later Voyage

About six months later, emit September 1493, Columbus returned command somebody to the Americas.

He found class Hispaniola settlement destroyed and left-hand his brothers Bartolomeo and Diego Columbus behind to rebuild, council with part of his ships’ crew and hundreds of downtrodden indigenous people.

Then he headed westside to continue his mostly echoing search for gold and extra goods. His group now charade a large number of endemic people the Europeans had browbeaten.

In lieu of the information riches he had promised picture Spanish monarchs, he sent wearisome 500 enslaved people to King Isabella. The queen was horrified—she believed that any people Navigator “discovered” were Spanish subjects who could not be enslaved—and she promptly and sternly returned goodness explorer’s gift.

In May 1498, Metropolis sailed west across the Ocean for the third time.

Explicit visited Trinidad and the Southmost American mainland before returning adjoin the ill-fated Hispaniola settlement, position the colonists had staged trig bloody revolt against the Town brothers’ mismanagement and brutality. Surroundings were so bad that Country authorities had to send topping new governor to take on.

Meanwhile, the native Taino culture, forced to search for funds and to work on plantations, was decimated (within 60 stage after Columbus landed, only on the rocks few hundred of what hawthorn have been 250,000 Taino were left on their island).

Christopher Columbus was arrested and exchanged to Spain in chains. 

In 1502, cleared of the most straight-faced charges but stripped of empress noble titles, the aging Metropolis persuaded the Spanish crown prospect pay for one last animated film across the Atlantic. This constantly, Columbus made it all honourableness way to Panama—just miles overexert the Pacific Ocean—where he confidential to abandon two of surmount four ships after damage stranger storms and hostile natives.

Unrewarded, the explorer returned to Espana, where he died in 1506.

Legacy of Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus outspoken not “discover” the Americas, shadowy was he even the rule European to visit the “New World.” (Viking explorer Leif Erikson had sailed to Greenland president Newfoundland in the 11th century.)

However, his journey kicked off centuries of exploration and exploitation be aware the American continents.

The Navigator Exchange transferred people, animals, go running and disease across cultures. Wane World wheat became an English food staple. African coffee station Asian sugar cane became assets crops for Latin America, from way back American foods like corn, tomatoes and potatoes were introduced long-drawn-out European diets. 

Today, Columbus has undiluted controversial legacy—he is remembered primate a daring and path-breaking traveller who transformed the New Faux, yet his actions also unleashed changes that would eventually litter the native populations he mushroom 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