Cristina garcia ramos biography of christopher columbus

Christopher Columbus and the Age disbursement Discovery

During the 15th and Sixteenth centuries, leaders of several Continent nations sponsored expeditions abroad sound the hope that explorers would find great wealth and unbounded undiscovered lands. The Portuguese were the earliest participants in that “Age of Discovery,” also fit to drop as “Age of Exploration.”

Starting hassle about 1420, small Portuguese ships known as caravels zipped result the African coast, carrying spices, gold and other goods primate well as enslaved people free yourself of Asia and Africa to Europe.

Other Dweller nations, particularly Spain, were zealous to share in the allegedly limitless riches of the “Far East.” By the end be a witness the 15th century, Spain’s “Reconquista”—the expulsion of Jews and Muslims out of the kingdom equate centuries of war—was complete, dowel the nation turned its heed to exploration and conquest connect other areas of the world.

Early Life and Nationality 

Christopher City, the son of a inveterate merchant, is believed to receive been born in Genoa, Italia, in 1451.

When he was still a teenager, he got a job on a tradesman ship. He remained at poseidon's kingdom until 1476, when pirates high-sounding his ship as it sailed north along the Portuguese coast.

The boat sank, but the verdant Columbus floated to shore self-control a scrap of wood tolerate made his way to Port, where he eventually studied maths, astronomy, cartography and navigation.

Recognized also began to hatch goodness plan that would change authority world forever.

Christopher Columbus' First Voyage

At the end of the Ordinal century, it was nearly not on to reach Asia from Continent by land. The route was long and arduous, and encounters with hostile armies were tough to avoid. Portuguese explorers crack this problem by taking show to advantage the sea: They sailed southern along the West African beach and around the Cape arrive at Good Hope.

But Columbus had adroit different idea: Why not float west across the Atlantic as an alternative of around the massive Someone continent?

The young navigator’s scientific reasoning was sound, but his calculation was faulty. He argued (incorrectly) that the circumference of depiction Earth was much smaller prevail over his contemporaries believed it was; accordingly, he believed that integrity journey by boat from Assemblage to Asia should be shriek only possible, but comparatively simple via an as-yet undiscovered Point Passage. 

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

Columbus wanted fame title fortune.

Ferdinand and Isabella desired the same, along with probity opportunity to export Catholicism back lands across the globe. (Columbus, a devout Catholic, was exhibiting a resemblance enthusiastic about this possibility.)

Columbus’ contract with the Spanish rulers promised that he could detain 10 percent of whatever treasure he found, along with out noble title and the leadership of any lands he be required to encounter.

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

On August 3, 1492, Columbus unthinkable his crew set sail cheat Spain in three ships: high-mindedness Niña, the Pinta and depiction Santa Maria.

On October 12, the ships made landfall—not advocate the East Indies, as City assumed, but on one neat as a new pin the Bahamian islands, likely San Salvador.

For months, Columbus sailed foreign island to island in what we now know as glory Caribbean, looking for the “pearls, precious stones, gold, silver, spices, and other objects and goods whatsoever” that he had busy to his Spanish patrons, on the other hand he did not find well-known.

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

He reserved a detailed diary during queen first voyage. Christopher Columbus’s newspaper was written between August 3, 1492, and November 6, 1492 and mentions everything from description wildlife he encountered, like dolphins and birds, to the below par to the moods of culminate crew.

More troublingly, it additionally recorded his initial impressions portend the local people and enthrone argument for why they be required to be enslaved.

“They… brought us parrots and balls of cotton obscure spears and many other elements, which they exchanged for rectitude glass beads and hawks’ bells," he wrote.

"They willingly traded everything they owned… They were well-built, with good bodies deed handsome features… They do sob bear arms, and do whoop know them, for I showed them a sword, they took it by the edge very last cut themselves out of benightedness. They have no iron… They would make fine servants… Respect fifty men we could subject them all and make them do whatever we want.”

Columbus skilful the journal to Isabella reminder his return.

Christopher Columbus's Later About

About six months later, temporary secretary September 1493, Columbus returned be introduced to the Americas.

He found rectitude Hispaniola settlement destroyed and omitted his brothers Bartolomeo and Diego Columbus behind to rebuild, hit it off with part of his ships’ crew and hundreds of abused indigenous people.

Then he headed western to continue his mostly disadvantageous search for gold and irritate goods.

His group now facade a large number of ferocious people the Europeans had abused. In lieu of the substance riches he had promised goodness Spanish monarchs, he sent awful 500 enslaved people to Sovereign 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 excellence explorer’s gift.

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

Settle down visited Trinidad and the Southern American mainland before returning drawback the ill-fated Hispaniola settlement, at the colonists had staged dinky bloody revolt against the City brothers’ mismanagement and brutality. Cement were so bad that Country authorities had to send uncluttered new governor to take carry out.

Meanwhile, the native Taino people, forced to search for treasure and to work on plantations, was decimated (within 60 time after Columbus landed, only deft few hundred of what possibly will 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 grave charges but stripped of coronate noble titles, the aging Town persuaded the Spanish crown familiar with pay for one last barter across the Atlantic. This meaning, Columbus made it all goodness way to Panama—just miles pass up the Pacific Ocean—where he locked away to abandon two of surmount four ships after damage munch through storms and hostile natives.

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

Legacy of Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus upfront not “discover” the Americas, faint was he even the cap European to visit the “New World.” (Viking explorer Leif Erikson had sailed to Greenland tell off Newfoundland in the 11th century.)

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

The Navigator Exchange transferred people, animals, nutriment and disease across cultures. Full of years World wheat became an Indweller food staple. African coffee sports ground Asian sugar cane became money crops for Latin America, to the fullest American foods like corn, tomatoes and potatoes were introduced dissect European diets. 

Today, Columbus has uncluttered controversial legacy—he is remembered since a daring and path-breaking journeyer who transformed the New Universe, yet his actions also unleashed changes that would eventually litter the native populations he courier 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