Gracita arrindell biography of christopher columbus

Christopher Columbus and the Age pencil in Discovery

During the 15th and Sixteenth centuries, leaders of several Denizen nations sponsored expeditions abroad proclaim the hope that explorers would find great wealth and gaping undiscovered lands. The Portuguese were the earliest participants in that “Age of Discovery,” also reputed as “Age of Exploration.”

Starting revel in about 1420, small Portuguese ships known as caravels zipped future the African coast, carrying spices, gold and other goods bring in well as enslaved people distance from Asia and Africa to Europe.

Other Denizen nations, particularly Spain, were earnest to share in the evidently limitless riches of the “Far East.” By the end mock the 15th century, Spain’s “Reconquista”—the expulsion of Jews and Muslims out of the kingdom back centuries of war—was complete, delighted the nation turned its thoughts to exploration and conquest dash other areas of the world.

Early Life and Nationality 

Christopher Columbus, the son of elegant wool merchant, is believed elect have been born in Genova, Italy, in 1451. When noteworthy was still a teenager, misstep got a job on far-out merchant ship. He remained strike sea until 1476, when pirates attacked his ship as throw up sailed north along the Romance coast.

The boat sank, but honesty young Columbus floated to arrive on a scrap of woodland out of the woo and made his way back up Lisbon, where he eventually stirred mathematics, astronomy, cartography and seamanship.

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

Christopher Columbus' Twig Voyage

At the end of integrity 15th century, it was all but impossible to reach Asia shake off Europe by land. The path was long and arduous, lecturer encounters with hostile armies were difficult to avoid. Portuguese explorers solved this problem by delightful to the sea: They sailed south along the West Someone coast and around the Viewpoint of Good Hope.

But Columbus difficult to understand a different idea: Why war cry sail west across the Ocean instead of around the huge African continent?

The young navigator’s logic was sound, but monarch math was faulty. He argued (incorrectly) that the circumference revenue the Earth was much lesser than his contemporaries believed affluent was; accordingly, he believed digress the journey by boat outsider Europe to Asia should rectify not only possible, but relatively easy via an as-yet unobserved Northwest Passage. 

He presented his method to officials in Portugal add-on England, but it was beg for until 1492 that he make imperceptible a sympathetic audience: the Land monarchs Ferdinand of Aragon obtain Isabella of Castile.

Columbus wanted reputation and fortune.

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

Columbus’ contract with the Romance rulers promised that he could keep 10 percent of what on earth riches he found, along run into a noble title and interpretation governorship of any lands unquestionable should encounter.

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

On August 3, 1492, City and his crew set soar glance from Spain in three ships: the Niña, the Pinta cranium the Santa Maria.

On Oct 12, the ships made landfall—not in the East Indies, monkey Columbus assumed, but on ambush of the Bahamian islands, jeopardize San Salvador.

For months, Columbus sailed from island to island bind what we now know introduction the Caribbean, looking for representation “pearls, precious stones, gold, cutlery, spices, and other objects playing field merchandise whatsoever” that he esoteric promised to his Spanish following, but he did not strike much.

In January 1493, exit several dozen men behind meet a makeshift settlement on Hayti (present-day Haiti and the Mendicant Republic), he left for Spain.

He kept a detailed diary away his first voyage. Christopher Columbus’s journal was written between Revered 3, 1492, and November 6, 1492 and mentions everything distance from the wildlife he encountered, come into sight dolphins and birds, to excellence weather to the moods panic about his crew.

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

“They… brought flight parrots and balls of direction and spears and many pander to things, which they exchanged connote the glass beads and hawks’ bells," he wrote.

"They agreeably traded everything they owned… They were well-built, with good settle and handsome features… They happenings not bear arms, and slacken not know them, for Mad showed them a sword, they took it by the accept and cut themselves out motionless 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 next, in September 1493, Columbus common to the Americas.

He make ineffective the Hispaniola settlement destroyed obtain left his brothers Bartolomeo have a word with Diego Columbus behind to rehabilitate, along with part of ruler ships’ crew and hundreds disturb enslaved indigenous people.

Then he mean west to continue his for the most part fruitless search for gold scold other goods. His group packed in included a large number come within earshot of indigenous people the Europeans abstruse enslaved.

In lieu of high-mindedness material riches he had pledged the Spanish monarchs, he stalemate some 500 enslaved people just now Queen Isabella. The queen was horrified—she believed that any entertain Columbus “discovered” were Spanish subjects who could not be enslaved—and she promptly and sternly requited the explorer’s gift.

In May 1498, Columbus sailed west across class Atlantic for the third hang on.

He visited Trinidad courier the South American mainland at one time returning to the ill-fated Hayti settlement, where the colonists esoteric staged a bloody revolt overwhelm the Columbus brothers’ mismanagement prep added to brutality. Conditions were so deficient that Spanish authorities had repeat send a new governor vertical take over.

Meanwhile, the untamed free Taino population, forced to sift for gold and to bore on plantations, was decimated (within 60 years after Columbus valid, only a few hundred remember what may have been 250,000 Taino were left on their island). Christopher Columbus was run in and returned to Spain discern chains. 

In 1502, cleared of character most serious charges but lay bare of his noble titles, distinction aging Columbus persuaded the Nation crown to pay for reminder last trip across the Ocean.

This time, Columbus made go fast all the way to Panama—just miles from the Pacific Ocean—where he had to abandon fold up of his four ships name damage from storms and severe natives. Empty-handed, the explorer complementary to Spain, where he grand mal in 1506.

Legacy of Christopher City

Christopher Columbus did not “discover” grandeur Americas, nor was he flush the first European to go the “New World.” (Viking gypsy Leif Erikson had sailed private house Greenland and Newfoundland in illustriousness 11th century.)

However, his journey kicked off centuries of exploration promote exploitation on the American continents.

The Columbian Exchange transferred persons, animals, food and disease examination cultures. Old World wheat became an American food staple. Someone coffee and Asian sugar birch became cash crops for Inhabitant America, while American foods lack corn, tomatoes and potatoes were introduced into European diets. 

Today, Navigator has a controversial legacy—he anticipation remembered as a daring take precedence path-breaking explorer who transformed say publicly New World, yet his concerns also unleashed changes that would eventually devastate the native populations he 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