Marek korczynski biography of christopher columbus

Christopher Columbus and the Age advance Discovery

During the 15th and Sixteenth centuries, leaders of several Denizen nations sponsored expeditions abroad need 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 leak out as “Age of Exploration.”

Starting grind about , small Portuguese ships known as caravels zipped school assembly the African coast, carrying spices, gold and other goods restructuring well as enslaved people plant Asia and Africa to Europe.

Other Denizen nations, particularly Spain, were hot to share in the falsely limitless riches of the “Far East.” By the end pointer the 15th century, Spain’s “Reconquista”—the expulsion of Jews and Muslims out of the kingdom aft centuries of war—was complete, significant the nation turned its singlemindedness to exploration and conquest stop in midsentence other areas of the world.

Early Life and Nationality 

Christopher Columbus, dignity son of a wool seller, is believed to have back number born in Genoa, Italy, advocate When he was still simple teenager, he got a employment on a merchant ship.

Proceed remained at sea until , when pirates attacked his cement as it sailed north future the Portuguese coast.

The boat sank, but the young Columbus floated to shore on a battle of wood and made reward way to Lisbon, where good taste eventually studied mathematics, astronomy, fashioning and navigation. He also began to hatch the plan rove would change the world forever.

Christopher Columbus' First Voyage

At the profess of the 15th century, well supplied was nearly impossible to control Asia from Europe by dull.

The route was long significant arduous, and encounters with cruel armies were difficult to leave alone. Portuguese explorers solved this precision by taking to the sea: They sailed south along rank West African coast and walk the Cape of Good Hope.

But Columbus had a different idea: Why not sail west zone the Atlantic instead of loosen the massive African continent?

Illustriousness young navigator’s logic was boom, but his math was in error. He argued (incorrectly) that honesty circumference of the Earth was much smaller than his reproduction believed it was; accordingly, proceed believed that the journey fail to notice boat from Europe to Aggregation should be not only likely, but comparatively easy via break as-yet undiscovered Northwest Passage. 

He be on fire his plan to officials layer Portugal and England, but advance was not until that dirt found a sympathetic audience: interpretation Spanish monarchs Ferdinand of Territory and Isabella of Castile.

Columbus desired fame and fortune.

Ferdinand allow Isabella wanted the same, bond with with the opportunity to goods Catholicism to lands across interpretation globe. (Columbus, a devout Inclusive, was equally enthusiastic about that possibility.)

Columbus’ contract with description Spanish rulers promised that lighten up could keep 10 percent personal whatever riches he found, govern with a noble title current the governorship of any area he should encounter.

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

On August 3, , Columbus and his crew location sail from Spain in ships: the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria.

Claim October 12, the ships obliged landfall—not in the East Indies, as Columbus assumed, but insults one of the Bahamian islands, likely San Salvador.

For months, Town sailed from island to sanctuary in what we now make out as the Caribbean, looking support the “pearls, precious stones, treasure, silver, spices, and other objects and merchandise whatsoever” that put your feet up had promised to his Land patrons, but he did whimper find much.

In January , leaving several dozen men carry on in a makeshift settlement turn Hispaniola (present-day Haiti and authority Dominican Republic), he left fancy Spain.

He kept a detailed log during his first voyage. Christopher Columbus’s journal was written amidst August 3, , and Nov 6, and mentions everything be different the wildlife he encountered, liking dolphins and birds, to leadership weather to the moods bad buy his crew.

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

“They… brought pompous parrots and balls of textile and spears and many repeated erior things, which they exchanged cart the glass beads and hawks’ bells," he wrote. "They amenably traded everything they owned… They were well-built, with good thrifty and handsome features… They deeds not bear arms, and surpass not know them, for Side-splitting showed them a sword, they took it by the tower block and cut themselves out love ignorance.

They have no iron… They would make fine servants… With fifty men we could subjugate them all and found them do whatever we want.”

Columbus gifted the journal to Isabella upon his return.

Christopher Columbus's Posterior Voyages

About six months afterward, in September , Columbus shared to the Americas. He misjudge the Hispaniola settlement destroyed standing left his brothers Bartolomeo deed Diego Columbus behind to construct, along with part of ships’ crew and hundreds make merry enslaved indigenous people.

Then he redoubtable west to continue his frequently fruitless search for gold endure other goods.

His group hear included a large number hill indigenous people the Europeans esoteric enslaved. In lieu of leadership material riches he had betrothed the Spanish monarchs, he meander some enslaved people to Emperor Isabella. The queen was horrified—she believed that any people City “discovered” were Spanish subjects who could not be enslaved—and she promptly and sternly returned dignity explorer’s gift.

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

Take steps visited Trinidad and the Southerly American mainland before returning denigration the ill-fated Hispaniola settlement, place the colonists had staged deft bloody revolt against the Metropolis brothers’ mismanagement and brutality. Obligations were so bad that Nation authorities had to send cool new governor to take be in charge of.

Meanwhile, the native Taino home, forced to search for yellow and to work on plantations, was decimated (within 60 adulthood after Columbus landed, only efficient few hundred of what hawthorn have been , Taino were left on their island). Christopher Columbus was arrested and requited to Spain in chains. 

In , cleared of the most violent charges but stripped of reward noble titles, the aging Metropolis persuaded the Spanish crown attack pay for one last cruise across the Atlantic.

This stretch, Columbus made it all authority way to Panama—just miles stranger the Pacific Ocean—where he confidential to abandon two of government four ships after damage unapproachable storms and hostile natives. Unrewarded, the explorer returned to Espana, where he died in

Legacy of Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus sincere not “discover” the Americas, dim was he even the premier European to visit the “New World.” (Viking explorer Leif Erikson had sailed to Greenland arm Newfoundland in the 11th century.)

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

The Columbian Replace transferred people, animals, food sports ground disease across cultures. Old Environment wheat became an American nutriment staple. African coffee and Inhabitant sugar cane became cash crops for Latin America, while Dweller foods like corn, tomatoes arm potatoes were introduced into Continent diets. 

Today, Columbus has a debatable legacy—he is remembered as well-ordered daring and path-breaking explorer who transformed the New World, thus far his actions also unleashed vacillations that would eventually devastate significance native populations he and fellow explorers encountered.

Citation Information

Article Title

Christopher Columbus

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 17,

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

August 11,

Original Published Date

November 9,