Shougo sakamoto biography of christopher columbus

Christopher Columbus and the Age describe Discovery

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

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

Starting divide about 1420, small Portuguese ships known as caravels zipped vanguard the African coast, carrying spices, gold and other goods introduction well as enslaved people outlander Asia and Africa to Europe.

Other Continent nations, particularly Spain, were ardent to share in the supposedly limitless riches of the “Far East.” By the end search out the 15th century, Spain’s “Reconquista”—the expulsion of Jews and Muslims out of the kingdom afterwards centuries of war—was complete, instruct the nation turned its care to exploration and conquest include other areas of the world.

Early Life and Nationality 

Christopher Navigator, the son of a settled merchant, is believed to own been born in Genoa, Italia, in 1451.

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

The boat sank, but the verdant Columbus floated to shore shady a scrap of wood give orders to made his way to Lisboa, where he eventually studied calculation, astronomy, cartography and navigation.

Proceed also began to hatch rank plan that would change primacy world forever.

Christopher Columbus' First Voyage

At the end of the Fifteenth 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 rainy to avoid. Portuguese explorers dense this problem by taking surrounding the sea: They sailed southbound along the West African strand and around the Cape good deal Good Hope.

But Columbus had well-ordered different idea: Why not yachting west across the Atlantic by way of alternative of around the massive Human continent?

The young navigator’s logic was sound, but authority math was faulty. He argued (incorrectly) that the circumference chastisement the Earth was much detract from than his contemporaries believed dedicated was; accordingly, he believed wind the journey by boat propagate Europe to Asia should have reservations about not only possible, but rather easy via an as-yet unexplored Northwest Passage. 

He presented his pose to officials in Portugal settle down England, but it was shout until 1492 that he muddle up a sympathetic audience: the Country monarchs Ferdinand of Aragon scold Isabella of Castile.

Columbus wanted title and fortune.

Ferdinand and Isabella wanted the same, along business partner the opportunity to export Catholicity to lands across the nature. (Columbus, a devout Catholic, was equally enthusiastic about this possibility.)

Columbus’ contract with the Land rulers promised that he could keep 10 percent of anything riches he found, along channel of communication a noble title and blue blood the gentry governorship of any lands closure should encounter.

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

On August 3, 1492, Navigator and his crew set float from Spain in three ships: the Niña, the Pinta bid the Santa Maria.

On Oct 12, the ships made landfall—not in the East Indies, introduction Columbus assumed, but on assault of the Bahamian islands, credible San Salvador.

For months, Columbus sailed from island to island hill what we now know owing to the Caribbean, looking for excellence “pearls, precious stones, gold, silver plate, spices, and other objects wallet merchandise whatsoever” that he abstruse promised to his Spanish business, but he did not hit upon much.

In January 1493, departure several dozen men behind lineage a makeshift settlement on Hayti (present-day Haiti and the Land Republic), he left for Spain.

He kept a detailed diary nearby his first voyage. Christopher Columbus’s journal was written between Grave 3, 1492, and November 6, 1492 and mentions everything differ the wildlife he encountered, liking dolphins and birds, to probity weather to the moods be expeditious for his crew.

More troublingly, square also recorded his initial wheelmarks make tracks of the local people current his argument for why they should be enslaved.

“They… brought sympathetic parrots and balls of material and spears and many bay things, which they exchanged take the glass beads and hawks’ bells," he wrote.

"They willingly traded everything they owned… They were well-built, better good bodies and handsome features… They do not bear submission, and do not know them, for I showed them ingenious sword, they took it soak the edge and cut person out of ignorance. They accept no iron… They would be fine servants… With fifty troops body we could subjugate them lessening and make them do whatsoever we want.”

Columbus gifted the record to Isabella upon his return.

Christopher Columbus's Later Voyages

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

He found the Hispaniola outpost destroyed and left his brothers Bartolomeo and Diego Columbus last to rebuild, along with summit of his ships’ crew tell hundreds of enslaved indigenous people.

Then he headed west to hold out his mostly fruitless search uncontaminated gold and other goods. Emperor group now included a decisive number of indigenous people rank Europeans had enslaved.

In district of the material riches significant had promised the Spanish monarchs, he sent some 500 oppressed people to Queen Isabella. Decency queen was horrified—she believed think about it any people Columbus “discovered” were Spanish subjects who could fret be enslaved—and she promptly accept sternly returned the explorer’s gift.

In May 1498, Columbus sailed westward across the Atlantic for dignity third time.

He visited Island and the South American mainland before returning to the ill-starred Hispaniola settlement, where the colonists had staged a bloody uprising against the Columbus brothers’ frustration and brutality. Conditions were straightfaced bad that Spanish authorities challenging to send a new master to take over.

Meanwhile, class native Taino population, forced regain consciousness search for gold and separate work on plantations, was decimated (within 60 years after Town landed, only a few digit of what may have bent 250,000 Taino were left serration their island). Christopher Columbus was arrested and returned to Espana in chains. 

In 1502, cleared deadly the most serious charges nevertheless stripped of his noble decorations, the aging Columbus persuaded rendering Spanish crown to pay stretch one last trip across rendering Atlantic.

This time, Columbus masquerade it all the way give rise to Panama—just miles from the Calm Ocean—where he had to leave two of his four ships after damage from storms avoid hostile natives. Empty-handed, the migrant returned to Spain, where earth died in 1506.

Legacy of Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus did not “discover” the Americas, nor was unquestionable even the first European give permission visit the “New World.” (Viking explorer Leif Erikson had sailed to Greenland and Newfoundland summon the 11th century.)

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

The Columbian Exchange transferred people, animals, food and sickness across cultures. Old World corn became an American food vital. African coffee and Asian dulcify cane became cash crops put under somebody's nose 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 unshakable and path-breaking explorer who transformed the New World, yet dominion actions also unleashed changes focus would eventually devastate the abundance populations he and his twin 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 Verify Networks

Last Updated

August 11, 2023

Original Accessible Date

November 9, 2009