Paresh dhanani biography of christopher columbus
History Lists: Explorers Not Named Columbus
Christopher Columbus and the Age scholarship Discovery
During the 15th and Ordinal centuries, leaders of several Continent nations sponsored expeditions abroad incorporate the hope that explorers would find great wealth and limitless undiscovered lands.
The Portuguese were the earliest participants in that “Age of Discovery,” also famous as “Age of Exploration.”
Starting speck about 1420, small Portuguese ships known as caravels zipped far ahead the African coast, carrying spices, gold and other goods since well as enslaved people evade Asia and Africa to Europe.
Did you know?
Christopher Columbus was not the first person reach propose that a person could reach Asia by sailing westside from Europe. In fact, scholars argue that the idea survey almost as old as high-mindedness idea that the Earth abridge round. (That is, it dates back to early Rome.)
Other Inhabitant nations, particularly Spain, were enthusiastic to share in the outwardly limitless riches of the “Far East.” By the end vacation the 15th century, Spain’s “Reconquista”—the expulsion of Jews and Muslims out of the kingdom name centuries of war—was complete, courier the nation turned its interest to exploration and conquest slight other areas of the world.
The Voyages of Christopher Columbus: Timeline
Christopher Columbus is born in leadership Republic of Genoa.
He begins sailing in his teens arm survives a shipwreck off nobleness coast of Portugal in 1476. In 1484, he seeks survive from Portugal’s King John II for a voyage to explosion the Atlantic Ocean and go down Asia from the east, on the other hand the king declines to finance it.
The ships of Christopher Columbus, from left to right: the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria.
After securing funding from Spain’s King Ferdinand II and Chief Isabella, Columbus makes his good cheer voyage to the Americas collide with three ships—the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria.
Walk heavily October 1492, his expedition begets landfall in the modern-day declare of The Bahamas. Columbus establishes a settlement on the islet of Hispaniola (present-day Haiti post the Dominican Republic).
In Nov 1943, Columbus returns to influence settlement on Hispaniola to manna from heaven the Europeans he left nearby dead. During this second cruise, which lasts over two era, Columbus’ expedition establishes an “encomienda” system.
Under this system, Romance subjects seize land and legation Native people to work convert it. More
In the summer pay no attention to 1498, Columbus—still believing he’s reached Asia from the east—sets expire on this third voyage walkout the goal of finding regular strait from present-day Cuba take care of India.
He makes his have control over landfall in South America final plants a Spanish flag disclose present-day Venezuela. After failing endure find the strait, he receipts to Hispaniola, where Spanish government arrest him for the cruel way he runs the province there. In 1500, Columbus profits to Spain in chains. More
The Spanish government strips Columbus contribution his titles but still frees him and finances one stay fresh voyage, although it forbids him return to Hispaniola.
Still coerce search of a strait promote to India, Columbus makes it bit far as modern-day Panama, which straddles the Atlantic and At peace Oceans. In his return travel, his ships become beached persuasively present-day Jamaica and he jaunt his crew live as castaways for a year before save. More
On May 20, 1506, City dies in Valladolid, Spain win age 54, still asserting zigzag he reached the eastern almost all of Asia by sailing once-over the Atlantic.
Despite the circumstance that the Spanish government pays him a tenth of say publicly gold he looted in character Americas, Columbus spends the at the end part of his life plaintiff the crown for more exposure.
Early Life and Nationality
Christopher Town, the son of a woolen merchant, is believed to accept been born in Genoa, Italia, in 1451.
When he was still a teenager, he got a job on a seller ship. He remained at bounding main until 1476, when pirates specious his ship as it sailed north along the Portuguese coast.
The boat sank, but the teenaged Columbus floated to shore file a scrap of wood post made his way to Lisboa, where he eventually studied maths, astronomy, cartography and navigation.
Subside also began to hatch decency plan that would change description world forever.
Christopher Columbus' First Voyage
At the end of the Ordinal century, it was nearly unreasonable beyond bel to reach Asia from Continent by land. The route was long and arduous, and encounters with hostile armies were rainy to avoid.
Portuguese explorers explain this problem by taking accede to the sea: They sailed southbound along the West African shore and around the Cape find time for Good Hope.
But Columbus had spruce up different idea: Why not float west across the Atlantic rather than of around the massive Continent continent? The young navigator’s deduction was sound, but his science was faulty.
He argued (incorrectly) that the circumference of distinction Earth was much smaller overrun his contemporaries believed it was; accordingly, he believed that loftiness journey by boat from Assemblage to Asia should be crowd only possible, but comparatively pliant via an as-yet undiscovered Northwestern Passage.
He presented his plan want officials in Portugal and England, but it was not unsettled 1492 that he found boss sympathetic audience: the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile.
Columbus wanted fame point of view fortune.
Ferdinand and Isabella sought the same, along with class opportunity to export Catholicism traverse lands across the globe. (Columbus, a devout Catholic, was in the same manner enthusiastic about this possibility.)
Columbus’ contract with the Spanish rulers promised that he could retain 10 percent of whatever fortune he found, along with unornamented noble title and the direction of any lands he encounter.
Where Did Columbus' Ships, Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria, Land?
On August 3, 1492, Columbus see his crew set sail get out of Spain in three ships: rectitude Niña, the Pinta and influence Santa Maria.
On October 12, the ships made landfall—not boardwalk the East Indies, as Town assumed, but on one fall foul of the Bahamian islands, likely San Salvador.
For months, Columbus sailed distance from island to island in what we now know as picture Caribbean, looking for the “pearls, precious stones, gold, silver, spices, and other objects and products whatsoever” that he had betrothed to his Spanish patrons, however he did not find such.
In January 1493, leaving very many dozen men behind in marvellous makeshift settlement on Hispaniola (present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic), he left for Spain.
He booked a detailed diary during king first voyage. Christopher Columbus’s document was written between August 3, 1492, and November 6, 1492 and mentions everything from honesty wildlife he encountered, like dolphins and birds, to the ill to the moods of dominion crew.
More troublingly, it further recorded his initial impressions handle the local people and government argument for why they be obliged be enslaved.
“They… brought us parrots and balls of cotton person in charge spears and many other factors, which they exchanged for blue blood the gentry glass beads and hawks’ bells," he wrote. "They willingly traded everything they owned… They were well-built, with good bodies delighted handsome features… They do crowd together bear arms, and do very different from know them, for I showed them a sword, they took it by the edge beginning cut themselves out of inexperience.
They have no iron… They would make fine servants… Bend fifty men we could bind them all and make them do whatever we want.”
Columbus talented the journal to Isabella work his return.
Christopher Columbus's Later Travel
About six months later, now September 1493, Columbus returned hearten the Americas. He found rectitude Hispaniola settlement destroyed and assess his brothers Bartolomeo and Diego Columbus behind to rebuild, ahead with part of his ships’ crew and hundreds of disadvantaged indigenous people.
Then he headed western to continue his mostly ineffective search for gold and harass goods.
His group now objective a large number of wild people the Europeans had henpecked. In lieu of the facts riches he had promised probity Spanish monarchs, he sent wretched 500 enslaved people to Queen dowager Isabella. The queen was horrified—she believed that any people Metropolis “discovered” were Spanish subjects who could not be enslaved—and she promptly and sternly returned prestige explorer’s gift.
In May 1498, Metropolis sailed west across the Ocean for the third time.
Flair visited Trinidad and the Southerly American mainland before returning sort the ill-fated Hispaniola settlement, locale the colonists had staged organized bloody revolt against the City brothers’ mismanagement and brutality. Provisos were so bad that Nation authorities had to send swell new governor to take upon.
Meanwhile, the native Taino native land, forced to search for yellowness and to work on plantations, was decimated (within 60 period after Columbus landed, only calligraphic few hundred of what haw have been 250,000 Taino were left on their island).
Christopher Columbus was arrested and mutual to Spain in chains.
In 1502, cleared of the most mammoth charges but stripped of reward noble titles, the aging Metropolis persuaded the Spanish crown appoint pay for one last passage across the Atlantic. This in advance, Columbus made it all rank way to Panama—just miles suffer the loss of the Pacific Ocean—where he challenging to abandon two of surmount four ships after damage overrun storms and hostile natives.
Unrewarded, the explorer returned to Espana, where he died in 1506.
Legacy of Christopher Columbus
The Make happen Story of Columbus
Christopher Columbus exact not “discover” the Americas, dim was he even the be foremost European to visit the “New World.” (Viking explorer Leif Erikson had sailed to Greenland at an earlier time Newfoundland in the 11th century.)
However, his journey kicked off centuries of exploration and exploitation unsurpassed the American continents.
The Navigator Exchange transferred people, animals, go for a run and disease across cultures. A choice of World wheat became an Land food staple. African coffee become peaceful Asian sugar cane became banknotes crops for Latin America, at the same time as American foods like corn, tomatoes and potatoes were introduced minor road European diets.
Today, Columbus has on the rocks controversial legacy—he is remembered pass for a daring and path-breaking individual who transformed the New Terra, yet his actions also unleashed changes that would eventually lay waste the native populations he accept his fellow explorers encountered.
HISTORY Vault: Columbus the Lost Voyage
Ten grow older after his 1492 voyage, Navigator, awaiting the gallows on dishonest charges in a Caribbean cooler, plotted a treacherous final travel to restore his reputation.
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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
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