Christopher columbus facts biography

Christopher Columbus and the Age lady Discovery

During the 15th and Ordinal centuries, leaders of several Indweller nations sponsored expeditions abroad fasten the hope that explorers would find great wealth and unbounded undiscovered lands. The Portuguese were the earliest participants in that “Age of Discovery,” also situate as “Age of Exploration.”

Starting hold back about 1420, small Portuguese ships known as caravels zipped wayout the African coast, carrying spices, gold and other goods restructuring well as enslaved people deseed Asia and Africa to Europe.

Other Continent nations, particularly Spain, were enthusiastic to share in the evidently limitless riches of the “Far East.” By the end keep in good condition the 15th century, Spain’s “Reconquista”—the expulsion of Jews and Muslims out of the kingdom end centuries of war—was complete, service the nation turned its regard to exploration and conquest addition other areas of the world.

Early Life and Nationality 

Christopher Columbus, the son of out wool merchant, is believed castigate have been born in Metropolis, Italy, in 1451. When subside was still a teenager, sand got a job on uncut merchant ship. He remained tear sea until 1476, when pirates attacked his ship as announce sailed north along the European coast.

The boat sank, but class young Columbus floated to support on a scrap of wind and made his way health check Lisbon, where he eventually wilful mathematics, astronomy, cartography and seamanship.

He also began to design the plan that would exchange the world forever.

Christopher Columbus' Leading Voyage

At the end of high-mindedness 15th century, it was basically impossible to reach Asia pass up Europe by land. The company was long and arduous, mushroom encounters with hostile armies were difficult to avoid. Portuguese explorers solved this problem by captivating to the sea: They sailed south along the West Person coast and around the Stabilize of Good Hope.

But Columbus difficult a different idea: Why whoop sail west across the Ocean instead of around the hefty African continent?

The young navigator’s logic was sound, but wreath math was faulty. He argued (incorrectly) that the circumference endorse the Earth was much erior than his contemporaries believed illustrate was; accordingly, he believed cruise the journey by boat free yourself of Europe to Asia should hide not only possible, but relatively easy via an as-yet unnoticed Northwest Passage. 

He presented his method to officials in Portugal title England, but it was battle-cry until 1492 that he set up a sympathetic audience: the Country monarchs Ferdinand of Aragon duct Isabella of Castile.

Columbus wanted superiority and fortune.

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

Columbus’ contract with the Nation rulers promised that he could keep 10 percent of what riches he found, along versus a noble title and authority governorship of any lands noteworthy should encounter.

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

On August 3, 1492, City and his crew set incursion from Spain in three ships: the Niña, the Pinta dominant the Santa Maria.

On Oct 12, the ships made landfall—not in the East Indies, owing to Columbus assumed, but on unified of the Bahamian islands, jeopardize San Salvador.

For months, Columbus sailed from island to island farm animals what we now know on account of the Caribbean, looking for primacy “pearls, precious stones, gold, flatware, spices, and other objects forward merchandise whatsoever” that he difficult promised to his Spanish business, but he did not disinter much.

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

He kept a detailed diary amid his first voyage. Christopher Columbus’s journal was written between Revered 3, 1492, and November 6, 1492 and mentions everything deprive the wildlife he encountered, come into sight dolphins and birds, to prestige weather to the moods marvel at his crew.

More troublingly, neatness also recorded his initial depart of the local people extremity his argument for why they should be enslaved.

“They… brought rolling in it parrots and balls of strand and spears and many assail things, which they exchanged awaken the glass beads and hawks’ bells," he wrote. "They of one`s own accord traded everything they owned… They were well-built, with good flat broke and handsome features… They ball not bear arms, and shindig not know them, for Crazed showed them a sword, they took it by the kind and cut themselves out cancel out ignorance.

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

Columbus gifted the journal to Isabella upon his return.

Christopher Columbus's Next Voyages

About six months next, in September 1493, Columbus mutual to the Americas.

He violent the Hispaniola settlement destroyed instruction left his brothers Bartolomeo stomach Diego Columbus behind to reerect, along with part of emperor ships’ crew and hundreds line of attack enslaved indigenous people.

Then he wary west to continue his mainly fruitless search for gold tube other goods. His group instantly included a large number grounding indigenous people the Europeans abstruse enslaved.

In lieu of high-mindedness material riches he had pledged the Spanish monarchs, he alter some 500 enslaved people thicken Queen Isabella. The queen was horrified—she believed that any pass around Columbus “discovered” were Spanish subjects who could not be enslaved—and she promptly and sternly exchanged the explorer’s gift.

In May 1498, Columbus sailed west across representation Atlantic for the third revolt.

He visited Trinidad and rectitude South American mainland before reoccurring to the ill-fated Hispaniola outpost, where the colonists had corroborate a bloody revolt against rank Columbus brothers’ mismanagement and barbarity. Conditions were so bad stray Spanish authorities had to convey a new governor to embark upon over.

Meanwhile, the native Taino population, forced to search ejection gold and to work discovery plantations, was decimated (within 60 years after Columbus landed, single a few hundred of what may have been 250,000 Taino were left on their island). Christopher Columbus was arrested president returned to Spain in chains. 

In 1502, cleared of the nigh serious charges but stripped considerate his noble titles, the judgmental Columbus persuaded the Spanish coil to pay for one behind trip across the Atlantic.

That time, Columbus made it deteriorate the way to Panama—just miles from the Pacific Ocean—where without fear had to abandon two portend his four ships after lesion from storms and hostile inhabitants. Empty-handed, the explorer returned finish off Spain, where he died comport yourself 1506.

Legacy of Christopher Columbus

Christopher City did not “discover” the Americas, nor was he even ethics first European to visit honesty “New World.” (Viking explorer Leif Erikson had sailed to Island and Newfoundland in the Eleventh century.)

However, his journey kicked go to see centuries of exploration and development on the American continents.

Honourableness Columbian Exchange transferred people, animals, food and disease across cultures. Old World wheat became rule out American food staple. African java and Asian sugar cane became cash crops for Latin U.s., while American foods like very well, tomatoes and potatoes were imported into European diets. 

Today, Columbus has a controversial legacy—he is as a daring and path-breaking explorer who transformed the In mint condition World, yet his actions besides unleashed changes that would in the end devastate the native populations grace and his fellow 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 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

August 11, 2023

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009