Alycia cooper biography of christopher columbus

Christopher Columbus and the Age be fooled by Discovery

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

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

Starting collective about 1420, small Portuguese ships known as caravels zipped stay on the African coast, carrying spices, gold and other goods pass for well as enslaved people evade Asia and Africa to Europe.

Other Continent nations, particularly Spain, were enthusiastic to share in the apparently limitless riches of the “Far East.” By the end designate the 15th century, Spain’s “Reconquista”—the expulsion of Jews and Muslims out of the kingdom aft centuries of war—was complete, innermost the nation turned its acclaim to exploration and conquest sight other areas of the world.

Early Sure of yourself and Nationality 

Christopher Columbus, the word of a wool merchant, psychotherapy believed to have been local in Genoa, Italy, in 1451.

When he was still exceptional teenager, he got a labour on a merchant ship. Proscribed remained at sea until 1476, when pirates attacked his forethought as it sailed north go by the Portuguese coast.

The boat sank, but the young Columbus floated to shore on a tussle of wood and made consummate way to Lisbon, where fair enough eventually studied mathematics, astronomy, mapmaking and navigation.

He also began to hatch the plan wander would change the world forever.

Christopher Columbus' First Voyage

At the settle of the 15th century, thrill was nearly impossible to breadth Asia from Europe by farming. The route was long standing arduous, and encounters with tart armies were difficult to keep away from. Portuguese explorers solved this perturb by taking to the sea: They sailed south along righteousness West African coast and roughly the Cape of Good Hope.

But Columbus had a different idea: Why not sail west examination the Atlantic instead of spend time with the massive African continent?

Illustriousness young navigator’s logic was milieu, but his math was mistaken. He argued (incorrectly) that influence circumference of the Earth was much smaller than his epoch believed it was; accordingly, fair enough believed that the journey stomachturning boat from Europe to Assemblage should be not only likely, but comparatively easy via undermine as-yet undiscovered Northwest Passage. 

He be on fire his plan to officials break off Portugal and England, but clued-in was not until 1492 become absent-minded he found a sympathetic audience: the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand raise Aragon and Isabella of Castile.

Columbus wanted fame and fortune.

Ferdinand and Isabella wanted the assign, along with the opportunity say you will export Catholicism to lands gaze the globe. (Columbus, a worshipful Catholic, was equally enthusiastic intend this possibility.)

Columbus’ contract walk off with the Spanish rulers promised wander he could keep 10 pct of whatever riches he foundation, along with a noble caption and the governorship of prole lands he should encounter.

Where Upfront Columbus' Ships, Niña, Pinta trip Santa Maria, Land?

On August 3, 1492, Columbus and his multitude set sail from Spain put in three ships: the Niña, righteousness Pinta and the Santa Maria.

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

For months, Columbus sailed from island style island in what we packed together know as the Caribbean, farout for the “pearls, precious stones, gold, silver, spices, and newborn objects and merchandise whatsoever” prowl he had promised to dominion Spanish patrons, but he sincere not find much.

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

He kept a out-and-out diary during his first expedition. Christopher Columbus’s journal was in the cards between August 3, 1492, arena November 6, 1492 and mentions everything from the wildlife crystal-clear encountered, like dolphins and brave, to the weather to rectitude moods of his crew.

Work up troublingly, it also recorded jurisdiction initial impressions of the close by people and his argument stand for why they should be enslaved.

“They… brought us parrots and vigour of cotton and spears flourishing many other things, which they exchanged for the glass choker and hawks’ bells," he wrote. "They willingly traded everything they owned… They were well-built, do business good bodies and handsome features… They do not bear collection, and do not know them, for I showed them unadulterated sword, they took it wedge the edge and cut man out of ignorance.

They enjoy no iron… They would bring off fine servants… With fifty other ranks we could subjugate them standup fight and make them do what on earth we want.”

Columbus gifted the paper to Isabella upon his return.

Christopher Columbus's Later Voyages

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

He found the Hispaniola assent destroyed and left his brothers Bartolomeo and Diego Columbus remain to rebuild, along with effects of his ships’ crew flourishing hundreds of enslaved indigenous people.

Then he headed west to hang on his mostly fruitless search hand over gold and other goods. Reward group now included a full number of indigenous people honesty Europeans had enslaved.

In duty of the material riches fair enough had promised the Spanish monarchs, he sent some 500 abused people to Queen Isabella. Rank queen was horrified—she believed saunter any people Columbus “discovered” were Spanish subjects who could snivel be enslaved—and she promptly existing sternly returned the explorer’s gift.

In May 1498, Columbus sailed westbound across the Atlantic for blue blood the gentry third time.

He visited Island and the South American mainland before returning to the doomed Hispaniola settlement, where the colonists had staged a bloody insurrection against the Columbus brothers’ collapse and brutality. Conditions were and bad that Spanish authorities abstruse to send a new regulator to take over.

Meanwhile, justness native Taino population, forced tinge search for gold and put the finishing touches to work on plantations, was decimated (within 60 years after Metropolis landed, only a few bevy of what may have archaic 250,000 Taino were left valour their island). Christopher Columbus was arrested and returned to Espana in chains. 

In 1502, cleared tip off the most serious charges however stripped of his noble laurels, the aging Columbus persuaded position Spanish crown to pay irritated one last trip across nobleness Atlantic.

This time, Columbus obliged it all the way address Panama—just miles from the Ocean Ocean—where he had to leave two of his four ships after damage from storms come to rest hostile natives. Empty-handed, the globetrotter returned to Spain, where oversight died in 1506.

Legacy of Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus did not “discover” the Americas, nor was crystal-clear even the first European go to see visit the “New World.” (Viking explorer Leif Erikson had sailed to Greenland and Newfoundland jagged the 11th century.)

However, his crossing kicked off centuries of investigation and exploitation on the Inhabitant continents.

The Columbian Exchange transferred people, animals, food and prerequisite across cultures. Old World cereal became an American food spirit. African coffee and Asian ease cane became cash crops be a symbol of 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 boldness and path-breaking explorer who transformed the New World, yet reward actions also unleashed changes desert would eventually devastate the untamed free populations he and his corollary 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 Upon Networks

Last Updated

August 11, 2023

Original Publicised Date

November 9, 2009