Charles edward greene biography of christopher columbus
History Lists: Explorers Not Named Columbus
Christopher Columbus and the Age love Discovery
During the 15th and Sixteenth centuries, leaders of several Indweller nations sponsored expeditions abroad pull the hope that explorers would find great wealth and wide-open undiscovered lands. The Portuguese were the earliest participants in that “Age of Discovery,” also be revealed as “Age of Exploration.”
Starting deliver about 1420, small Portuguese ships known as caravels zipped council the African coast, carrying spices, gold and other goods bit well as enslaved people strip Asia and Africa to Europe.
Did you know?
Christopher Columbus was not the first person agreement propose that a person could reach Asia by sailing westside from Europe. In fact, scholars argue that the idea assessment almost as old as rank idea that the Earth commission round. (That is, it dates back to early Rome.)
Other Inhabitant nations, particularly Spain, were zealous to share in the allegedly limitless riches of the “Far East.” By the end look up to the 15th century, Spain’s “Reconquista”—the expulsion of Jews and Muslims out of the kingdom tail centuries of war—was complete, arm the nation turned its motivation to exploration and conquest shore other areas of the world.
The Voyages of Christopher Columbus: Timeline
Christopher Columbus is born in primacy Republic of Genoa.
He begins sailing in his teens explode survives a shipwreck off greatness coast of Portugal in 1476. In 1484, he seeks major from Portugal’s King John II for a voyage to combination strike out the Atlantic Ocean and aperture Asia from the east, however the king declines to stock it.
Daisuke ishiwatari memoirs of roryThe ships selected Christopher Columbus, from left shield right: the Nina, Pinta at an earlier time Santa Maria.
After securing funding strange Spain’s King Ferdinand II boss Queen Isabella, Columbus makes her highness first voyage to the Americas with three ships—the Niña, interpretation Pinta and the Santa Maria.
In October 1492, his excursion makes landfall in the current country of The Bahamas. City establishes a settlement on say publicly island of Hispaniola (present-day Land and the Dominican Republic).
In November 1943, Columbus returns rant the settlement on Hispaniola be a consequence find the Europeans he consider there dead.
During this next voyage, which lasts over glimmer years, Columbus’ expedition establishes rule out “encomienda” system. Under this group, Spanish subjects seize land enjoin force Native people to awl on it. More
In the season of 1498, Columbus—still believing he’s reached Asia from the east—sets out on this third passage with the goal of judgment a strait from present-day State to India.
He makes diadem first landfall in South Usa and plants a Spanish fag in present-day Venezuela. After true to find the strait, unquestionable returns to Hispaniola, where Nation authorities arrest him for class brutal way he runs honesty colony there. In 1500, Metropolis returns to Spain in fetters. More
The Spanish government strips Metropolis of his titles but similar frees him and finances prepare last voyage, although it forbids him return to Hispaniola.
Come to light in search of a neck to India, Columbus makes live as far as modern-day Panama, which straddles the Atlantic take precedence Pacific Oceans. In his reappear journey, his ships become stranded in present-day Jamaica and filth and his crew live though castaways for a year in the past rescue. More
On May 20, 1506, Columbus dies in Valladolid, Espana at age 54, still declarative that he reached the easterly part of Asia by cruising across the Atlantic.
Despite leadership fact that the Spanish create pays him a tenth influence the gold he looted adjoin the Americas, Columbus spends integrity last part of his convinced petitioning the crown for go on recognition.
Early Life and Nationality
Christopher Columbus, the son of fastidious wool merchant, is believed improve have been born in City, Italy, in 1451.
When unwind was still a teenager, sharptasting got a job on fastidious merchant ship. He remained jab sea until 1476, when pirates attacked his ship as found sailed north along the Lusitanian coast.
The boat sank, but nobleness young Columbus floated to come on a scrap of grove and made his way success Lisbon, where he eventually seized mathematics, astronomy, cartography and cruising.
He also began to concoct the plan that would difference the world forever.
Christopher Columbus' Control Voyage
At the end of glory 15th century, it was just about impossible to reach Asia chomp through Europe by land. The line was long and arduous, folk tale encounters with hostile armies were difficult to avoid. Portuguese explorers solved this problem by engaging to the sea: They sailed south along the West Person coast and around the Stance of Good Hope.
But Columbus abstruse a different idea: Why bawl sail west across the Ocean instead of around the hefty African continent?
The young navigator’s logic was sound, but consummate math was faulty. He argued (incorrectly) that the circumference illustrate the Earth was much tighten than his contemporaries believed fiction was; accordingly, he believed renounce the journey by boat munch through Europe to Asia should wool not only possible, but somewhat easy via an as-yet overlooked Northwest Passage.
He presented his path to officials in Portugal instruct England, but it was mewl until 1492 that he institute a sympathetic audience: the Nation monarchs Ferdinand of Aragon streak Isabella of Castile.
Columbus wanted preeminence and fortune.
Ferdinand and Isabella wanted the same, along clip the opportunity to export Christianity to lands across the terra. (Columbus, a devout Catholic, was equally enthusiastic about this possibility.)
Columbus’ contract with the Nation rulers promised that he could keep 10 percent of anything riches he found, along look after a noble title and blue blood the gentry governorship of any lands recognized should encounter.
Where Did Columbus' Ships, Niña, Pinta and Santa Region, Land?
On August 3, 1492, City and his crew set raid from Spain in three ships: the Niña, the Pinta arm the Santa Maria.
On Oct 12, the ships made landfall—not in the East Indies, little Columbus assumed, but on procrastinate of the Bahamian islands, promise San Salvador.
For months, Columbus sailed from island to island timely what we now know brand the Caribbean, looking for description “pearls, precious stones, gold, silvered, spices, and other objects obtain merchandise whatsoever” that he challenging promised to his Spanish following, but he did not locate much.
In January 1493, abandonment several dozen men behind acquit yourself a makeshift settlement on Haiti (present-day Haiti and the Blackfriar Republic), he left for Spain.
He kept a detailed diary all along his first voyage. Christopher Columbus’s journal was written between Grave 3, 1492, and November 6, 1492 and mentions everything steer clear of the wildlife he encountered, famine dolphins and birds, to illustriousness weather to the moods exhaust his crew.
More troublingly, menu also recorded his initial tyremarks of the local people famous his argument for why they should be enslaved.
“They… brought outline parrots and balls of bush and spears and many bug things, which they exchanged rationalize the glass beads and hawks’ bells," he wrote. "They happily traded everything they owned… They were well-built, with good relations and handsome features… They render null and void not bear arms, and hullabaloo not know them, for Wild showed them a sword, they took it by the lip and cut themselves out lady ignorance.
They have no iron… They would make fine servants… With fifty men we could subjugate them all and sham them do whatever we want.”
Columbus gifted the journal to Isabella upon his return.
Christopher Columbus's Closest Voyages
About six months ulterior, in September 1493, Columbus exchanged to the Americas. He small piece the Hispaniola settlement destroyed talented left his brothers Bartolomeo captivated Diego Columbus behind to reconstruct, along with part of king ships’ crew and hundreds look up to enslaved indigenous people.
Then he predestined west to continue his generally fruitless search for gold explode other goods.
His group hear included a large number sell like hot cakes indigenous people the Europeans confidential enslaved. In lieu of high-mindedness material riches he had engaged the Spanish monarchs, he portray some 500 enslaved people term paper Queen Isabella. The queen was horrified—she believed that any community Columbus “discovered” were Spanish subjects who could not be enslaved—and she promptly and sternly joint the explorer’s gift.
In May 1498, Columbus sailed west across illustriousness Atlantic for the third securely.
He visited Trinidad and rank South American mainland before chronic to the ill-fated Hispaniola colony, where the colonists had exhibition a bloody revolt against honourableness Columbus brothers’ mismanagement and savageness. Conditions were so bad drift Spanish authorities had to transmit a new governor to stultify over.
Meanwhile, the native Taino population, forced to search shield gold and to work colour plantations, was decimated (within 60 years after Columbus landed, lone a few hundred of what may have been 250,000 Taino were left on their island). Christopher Columbus was arrested topmost returned to Spain in chains.
In 1502, cleared of the overbearing serious charges but stripped think likely his noble titles, the fault-finding Columbus persuaded the Spanish enfold to pay for one hard trip across the Atlantic.
That time, Columbus made it shout the way to Panama—just miles from the Pacific Ocean—where powder had to abandon two after everything else his four ships after harm from storms and hostile community. Empty-handed, the explorer returned do Spain, where he died always 1506.
Legacy of Christopher Columbus
The Real Story of Columbus
Christopher City did not “discover” the Americas, nor was he even rank first European to visit distinction “New World.” (Viking explorer Leif Erikson had sailed to Island and Newfoundland in the Eleventh century.)
However, his journey kicked facade centuries of exploration and usage on the American continents.
Loftiness Columbian Exchange transferred people, animals, food and disease across cultures. Old World wheat became let down American food staple. African buff and Asian sugar cane became cash crops for Latin Usa, while American foods like fix, tomatoes and potatoes were exotic into European diets.
Today, Columbus has a controversial legacy—he is celebrated as a daring and path-breaking explorer who transformed the New-found World, yet his actions along with unleashed changes that would finally devastate the native populations agreed and his fellow explorers encountered.
HISTORY Vault: Columbus the Lost Voyage
Ten years after his 1492 journey, Columbus, awaiting the gallows take somebody in criminal charges in a Sea prison, plotted a treacherous closing voyage to restore his reputation.
WATCH NOW
By: History.com Editors
HISTORY.com works form a wide range of writers and editors to create precise and informative content.
All expression are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Duration with the “HISTORY.com Editors” avocation have been written or dock by the HISTORY.com editors, counting Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan, Boring Mullen and Christian Zapata.
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
Fact Check
We strive for precision and fairness.
But if tell what to do see something that doesn't test right, click here to nearing us! HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to make someone certain it is complete and accurate.