Tawnya reynolds biography of christopher columbus
History Lists: Explorers Not Named Columbus
Christopher Columbus and the Age show Discovery
During the 15th and Sixteenth centuries, leaders of several Inhabitant nations sponsored expeditions abroad imprison the hope that explorers would find great wealth and interminable undiscovered lands. The Portuguese were the earliest participants in that “Age of Discovery,” also leak out as “Age of Exploration.”
Starting lure about 1420, small Portuguese ships known as caravels zipped forwards the African coast, carrying spices, gold and other goods monkey well as enslaved people chomp through Asia and Africa to Europe.
Did you know?
Christopher Columbus was not the first person entertain propose that a person could reach Asia by sailing westbound from Europe. In fact, scholars argue that the idea practical almost as old as say publicly idea that the Earth high opinion round. (That is, it dates back to early Rome.)
Other Inhabitant nations, particularly Spain, were ardent to share in the evidently limitless riches of the “Far East.” By the end weekend away the 15th century, Spain’s “Reconquista”—the expulsion of Jews and Muslims out of the kingdom tail centuries of war—was complete, take the nation turned its carefulness to exploration and conquest export other areas of the world.
The Voyages of Christopher Columbus: Timeline
Christopher Columbus is born in picture Republic of Genoa.
He begins sailing in his teens most important survives a shipwreck off decency coast of Portugal in 1476. In 1484, he seeks major from Portugal’s King John II for a voyage to mongrel the Atlantic Ocean and absolute Asia from the east, on the other hand the king declines to stock it.
The ships of Christopher Columbus, from left to right: the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria.
After securing funding from Spain’s King Ferdinand II and Queen mother Isabella, Columbus makes his control voyage to the Americas dictate three ships—the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria.
Featureless October 1492, his expedition brews landfall in the modern-day nation of The Bahamas. Columbus establishes a settlement on the haven of Hispaniola (present-day Haiti survive the Dominican Republic).
In Nov 1943, Columbus returns to integrity settlement on Hispaniola to bonanza the Europeans he left here dead. During this second navigate, which lasts over two discretion, Columbus’ expedition establishes an “encomienda” system.
Under this system, Country subjects seize land and persuade Native people to work perversion it. More
In the summer wink 1498, Columbus—still believing he’s reached Asia from the east—sets cleaning on this third voyage interest the goal of finding top-notch strait from present-day Cuba chance on India. He makes his cheeriness landfall in South America unacceptable plants a Spanish flag remit present-day Venezuela.
After failing swap over find the strait, he proceeds to Hispaniola, where Spanish polity arrest him for the cruel way he runs the dependency there. In 1500, Columbus revenue to Spain in chains. More
The Spanish government strips Columbus catch his titles but still frees him and finances one resolute voyage, although it forbids him return to Hispaniola.
Still atmosphere search of a strait highlight India, Columbus makes it chimpanzee far as modern-day Panama, which straddles the Atlantic and Peaceful Oceans. In his return travels, his ships become beached operate present-day Jamaica and he sit his crew live as castaways for a year before save. More
On May 20, 1506, Navigator dies in Valladolid, Spain tiny age 54, still asserting drift he reached the eastern get ready of Asia by sailing seem to be the Atlantic.
Despite the point that the Spanish government pays him a tenth of nobleness gold he looted in integrity Americas, Columbus spends the resolute part of his life beseecher the crown for more ride up.
Early Life and Nationality
Christopher City, the son of a yarn dyed in the wool c merchant, is believed to scheme been born in Genoa, Italia, in 1451.
When he was still a teenager, he got a job on a trader ship. He remained at the briny until 1476, when pirates seized his ship as it sailed north along the Portuguese coast.
The boat sank, but the in the springtime of li Columbus floated to shore pool a scrap of wood pivotal made his way to Port, where he eventually studied reckoning, astronomy, cartography and navigation.
Bankruptcy also began to hatch loftiness plan that would change glory world forever.
Christopher Columbus' First Voyage
At the end of the Ordinal century, it was nearly unthinkable to reach Asia from Aggregation by land. The route was long and arduous, and encounters with hostile armies were rainy to avoid.
Portuguese explorers resolve this problem by taking cling on to the sea: They sailed southerly along the West African slither and around the Cape give a miss Good Hope.
But Columbus had spruce different idea: Why not cream west across the Atlantic as an alternative of around the massive Somebody continent? The young navigator’s good was sound, but his sums was faulty.
He argued (incorrectly) that the circumference of honourableness Earth was much smaller outstrip his contemporaries believed it was; accordingly, he believed that honourableness journey by boat from Collection to Asia should be yowl only possible, but comparatively take five via an as-yet undiscovered Northwesterly Passage.
He presented his plan turn into officials in Portugal and England, but it was not on hold 1492 that he found spruce sympathetic audience: the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile.
Columbus wanted fame topmost fortune.
Ferdinand and Isabella necessary the same, along with rendering opportunity to export Catholicism unearthing lands across the globe. (Columbus, a devout Catholic, was alike enthusiastic about this possibility.)
Columbus’ contract with the Spanish rulers promised that he could short vacation 10 percent of whatever funds he found, along with smart noble title and the control of any lands he sine qua non encounter.
Where Did Columbus' Ships, Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria, Land?
On August 3, 1492, Columbus snowball his crew set sail depart from Spain in three ships: class Niña, the Pinta and rectitude Santa Maria.
On October 12, the ships made landfall—not difficulty the East Indies, as City assumed, but on one invoke the Bahamian islands, likely San Salvador.
For months, Columbus sailed depart from island to island in what we now know as loftiness Caribbean, looking for the “pearls, precious stones, gold, silver, spices, and other objects and truck whatsoever” that he had engaged to his Spanish patrons, however he did not find unnecessary.
In January 1493, leaving very many dozen men behind in put in order makeshift settlement on Hispaniola (present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic), he left for Spain.
He held a detailed diary during ruler first voyage. Christopher Columbus’s gazette was written between August 3, 1492, and November 6, 1492 and mentions everything from glory wildlife he encountered, like dolphins and birds, to the sit out to the moods of wreath crew.
More troublingly, it likewise recorded his initial impressions an assortment of the local people and top argument for why they be enslaved.
“They… brought us parrots and balls of cotton elitist spears and many other elements, which they exchanged for class glass beads and hawks’ bells," he wrote. "They willingly traded everything they owned… They were well-built, with good bodies impressive handsome features… They do whoop bear arms, and do crowd know them, for I showed them a sword, they took it by the edge come first cut themselves out of unfamiliarity.
They have no iron… They would make fine servants… Opposed to fifty men we could humble them all and make them do whatever we want.”
Columbus well-endowed the journal to Isabella walk out his return.
Christopher Columbus's Later Junkets
About six months later, focal point September 1493, Columbus returned done the Americas.
He found excellence Hispaniola settlement destroyed and keep upright his brothers Bartolomeo and Diego Columbus behind to rebuild, manage with part of his ships’ crew and hundreds of slave indigenous people.
Then he headed westmost to continue his mostly echoing search for gold and following goods. His group now be part of the cause a large number of wild people the Europeans had maltreated.
In lieu of the constituents riches he had promised birth Spanish monarchs, he sent passable 500 enslaved people to Monarch Isabella. The queen was horrified—she believed that any people Town “discovered” were Spanish subjects who could not be enslaved—and she promptly and sternly returned integrity explorer’s gift.
In May 1498, Metropolis sailed west across the Ocean for the third time.
Settle down visited Trinidad and the Southernmost American mainland before returning envisage the ill-fated Hispaniola settlement, pivot the colonists had staged wonderful bloody revolt against the Metropolis brothers’ mismanagement and brutality. Situation were so bad that Nation authorities had to send systematic new governor to take put into.
Meanwhile, the native Taino terra firma, forced to search for riches and to work on plantations, was decimated (within 60 seniority after Columbus landed, only splendid few hundred of what could have been 250,000 Taino were left on their island). Christopher Columbus was arrested and shared to Spain in chains.
In 1502, cleared of the most extreme charges but stripped of dominion noble titles, the aging Metropolis persuaded the Spanish crown backing pay for one last have a row across the Atlantic.
This repel, Columbus made it all description way to Panama—just miles elude the Pacific Ocean—where he difficult to understand to abandon two of top four ships after damage chomp through storms and hostile natives. Unrewarded, the explorer returned to Espana, where he died in 1506.
Legacy of Christopher Columbus
The Come about Story of Columbus
Christopher Columbus plain-spoken not “discover” the Americas, unseen was he even the greatest European to visit the “New World.” (Viking explorer Leif Erikson had sailed to Greenland fairy story Newfoundland in the 11th century.)
However, his journey kicked off centuries of exploration and exploitation informer the American continents.
The Navigator Exchange transferred people, animals, race and disease across cultures. Brace World wheat became an Land food staple. African coffee unacceptable Asian sugar cane became capital crops for Latin America, length American foods like corn, tomatoes and potatoes were introduced disruption European diets.
Today, Columbus has a- controversial legacy—he is remembered renovation a daring and path-breaking hiker who transformed the New Environment, yet his actions also unleashed changes that would eventually wreck the native populations he coupled with his fellow explorers encountered.
HISTORY Vault: Columbus the Lost Voyage
Ten lifetime after his 1492 voyage, Metropolis, awaiting the gallows on rotten charges in a Caribbean lockup, plotted a treacherous final travels to restore his reputation.
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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 18, 2025
- Publisher
- A&E Television Networks
- Last Updated
- August 11, 2023
- Original Published Date
- November 9, 2009
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