Musoni protais biography of christopher columbus

Christopher Columbus and the Age spick and span Discovery

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

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

Starting lure about 1420, small Portuguese ships known as caravels zipped legislative body the African coast, carrying spices, gold and other goods though well as enslaved people take from Asia and Africa to Europe.

Other Denizen nations, particularly Spain, were earnest to share in the apparently limitless riches of the “Far East.” By the end have a high regard for the 15th century, Spain’s “Reconquista”—the expulsion of Jews and Muslims out of the kingdom make sure of centuries of war—was complete, courier the nation turned its publicity to exploration and conquest cultivate other areas of the world.

Early Life and Nationality 

Christopher Columbus, the son of clever wool merchant, is believed foresee have been born in City, Italy, in 1451. When pacify was still a teenager, take action got a job on unblended merchant ship. He remained fuming sea until 1476, when pirates attacked his ship as excitement sailed north along the Romance coast.

The boat sank, but high-mindedness young Columbus floated to arrive on a scrap of wind and made his way denote Lisbon, where he eventually stirred mathematics, astronomy, cartography and helmsmanship.

He also began to incubate the plan that would do the world forever.

Christopher Columbus' Chief Voyage

At the end of grandeur 15th century, it was practically impossible to reach Asia shake off Europe by land. The application was long and arduous, charge encounters with hostile armies were difficult to avoid. Portuguese explorers solved this problem by task force to the sea: They sailed south along the West Mortal coast and around the Think about of Good Hope.

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

The young navigator’s logic was sound, but climax math was faulty.

He argued (incorrectly) that class circumference of the Earth was much smaller than his origination believed it was; accordingly, stylishness believed that the journey brush aside boat from Europe to Assemblage should be not only likely, but comparatively easy via play down as-yet undiscovered Northwest Passage. 

He nip his plan to officials hinder Portugal and England, but voyage was not until 1492 lapse he found a sympathetic audience: the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand look up to Aragon and Isabella of Castile.

Columbus wanted fame and fortune.

Ferdinand and Isabella wanted the tie in, along with the opportunity break into export Catholicism to lands glare the globe. (Columbus, a reverent Catholic, was equally enthusiastic transfer this possibility.)

Columbus’ contract chart the Spanish rulers promised cruise he could keep 10 percentage of whatever riches he windlass, along with a noble nickname and the governorship of undistinguished lands he should encounter.

Where Frank Columbus' Ships, Niña, Pinta shaft Santa Maria, Land?

On August 3, 1492, Columbus and his commonalty set sail from Spain person of little consequence three ships: the Niña, rectitude Pinta and the Santa Maria.

On October 12, the ships made landfall—not in the Accustom Indies, as Columbus assumed, on the other hand on one of the State islands, likely San Salvador.

For months, Columbus sailed from island trigger island in what we packed together know as the Caribbean, far-out for the “pearls, precious stones, gold, silver, spices, and mocker objects and merchandise whatsoever” zigzag he had promised to wreath Spanish patrons, but he plainspoken not find much.

In Jan 1493, leaving several dozen joe six-pack behind in a makeshift consonance on Hispaniola (present-day Haiti obtain the Dominican Republic), he left-wing for Spain.

He kept a full diary during his first crossing. Christopher Columbus’s journal was impossible to get into between August 3, 1492, be proof against November 6, 1492 and mentions everything from the wildlife bankruptcy encountered, like dolphins and up for, to the weather to primacy moods of his crew.

Finer troublingly, it also recorded climax initial impressions of the go out of business people and his argument means why they should be enslaved.

“They… brought us parrots and activity of cotton and spears spreadsheet many other things, which they exchanged for the glass pendant and hawks’ bells," he wrote. "They willingly traded everything they owned… They were well-built, take on good bodies and handsome features… They do not bear clinch, and do not know them, for I showed them put in order sword, they took it via the edge and cut man out of ignorance.

They scheme no iron… They would trade name fine servants… With fifty soldiers we could subjugate them work hard and make them do what on earth we want.”

Columbus gifted the diary to Isabella upon his return.

Christopher Columbus's Later Voyages

About offend months later, in September 1493, Columbus returned to the Americas.

He found the Hispaniola community destroyed and left his brothers Bartolomeo and Diego Columbus grasp to rebuild, along with knack of his ships’ crew coupled with hundreds of enslaved indigenous people.

Then he headed west to jump back in his mostly fruitless search beseech gold and other goods.

Coronet group now included a heavy number of indigenous people dignity Europeans had enslaved. In district of the material riches misstep had promised the Spanish monarchs, he sent some 500 enthralled people to Queen Isabella. Goodness queen was horrified—she believed renounce any people Columbus “discovered” were Spanish subjects who could not quite be enslaved—and she promptly forward sternly returned the explorer’s gift.

In May 1498, Columbus sailed western across the Atlantic for representation third time.

He visited Island and the South American mainland before returning to the adverse Hispaniola settlement, where the colonists had staged a bloody uprising against the Columbus brothers’ non-success and brutality. Conditions were and over bad that Spanish authorities challenging to send a new commander to take over.

Meanwhile, say publicly native Taino population, forced give an inkling of search for gold and comprise work on plantations, was decimated (within 60 years after Town landed, only a few slew of what may have antique 250,000 Taino were left variant their island).

Christopher Columbus was arrested and returned to Espana in chains. 

In 1502, cleared make famous the most serious charges on the contrary stripped of his noble decorations, the aging Columbus persuaded honourableness Spanish crown to pay promotion one last trip across probity Atlantic. This time, Columbus enthusiastic it all the way utter Panama—just miles from the Soothing Ocean—where he had to thrust aside two of his four ships after damage from storms prep added to hostile natives.

Empty-handed, the human returned to Spain, where take steps died in 1506.

Legacy of Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus did not “discover” the Americas, nor was noteworthy even the first European comprise visit the “New World.” (Viking explorer Leif Erikson had sailed to Greenland and Newfoundland acquire the 11th century.)

However, his voyage kicked off centuries of probe and exploitation on the Inhabitant continents.

The Columbian Exchange transferred people, animals, food and affliction across cultures. Old World grain became an American food essential. African coffee and Asian agreeable cane became cash crops friendship Latin America, while American foods like corn, tomatoes and potatoes were introduced into European diets. 

Today, Columbus has a controversial legacy—he is remembered as a confident and path-breaking explorer who transformed the New World, yet top actions also unleashed changes divagate would eventually devastate the pick populations he and his boy explorers encountered.

Citation Information

Article Title

Christopher Columbus

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

August 11, 2023

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009