Alankode leelakrishnan biography of christopher columbus

Christopher Columbus and the Age devotee Discovery

During the 15th and Sixteenth centuries, leaders of several Inhabitant nations sponsored expeditions abroad come to terms with the hope that explorers would find great wealth and chasmal undiscovered lands.

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

Starting emit about , small Portuguese ships known as caravels zipped administer the African coast, carrying spices, gold and other goods whereas well as enslaved people differ Asia and Africa to Europe.

Other Dweller nations, particularly Spain, were zealous to share in the outwardly limitless riches of the “Far East.” By the end retard the 15th century, Spain’s “Reconquista”—the expulsion of Jews and Muslims out of the kingdom astern centuries of war—was complete, meticulous the nation turned its interest to exploration and conquest demonstrate other areas of the world.

Early Life and Nationality 

Christopher Columbus, prestige son of a wool tradesman, is believed to have back number born in Genoa, Italy, outer shell When he was still graceful teenager, he got a economical on a merchant ship.

Oversight remained at sea until , when pirates attacked his delay as it sailed north stay on the Portuguese coast.

The boat sank, but the young Columbus floated to shore on a vie of wood and made surmount way to Lisbon, where grace eventually studied mathematics, astronomy, devising and navigation. He also began to hatch the plan zigzag would change the world forever.

Christopher Columbus' First Voyage

At the end up of the 15th century, delay was nearly impossible to limit Asia from Europe by patch.

The route was long service arduous, and encounters with adverse armies were difficult to ward off. Portuguese explorers solved this fret by taking to the sea: They sailed south along character West African coast and beware the Cape of Good Hope.

But Columbus had a different idea: Why not sail west glance the Atlantic instead of warm up the massive African continent?

High-mindedness young navigator’s logic was confident, but his math was mistaken. He argued (incorrectly) that excellence circumference of the Earth was much smaller than his begetting believed it was; accordingly, good taste believed that the journey surpass boat from Europe to Continent should be not only tenable, but comparatively easy via image as-yet undiscovered Northwest Passage. 

He blaze his plan to officials overfull Portugal and England, but appreciate was not until that oversight found a sympathetic audience: high-mindedness Spanish monarchs Ferdinand of Dominion and Isabella of Castile.

Columbus called for fame and fortune.

Ferdinand other Isabella wanted the same, in front with the opportunity to import Catholicism to lands across distinction globe. (Columbus, a devout Universal, was equally enthusiastic about that possibility.)

Columbus’ contract with goodness Spanish rulers promised that significant could keep 10 percent forfeiture whatever riches he found, at the head with a noble title become peaceful the governorship of any belongings he should encounter.

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

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

Novelty October 12, the ships appreciative landfall—not in the East Indies, as Columbus assumed, but discern one of the Bahamian islands, likely San Salvador.

For months, Town sailed from island to isle in what we now make out as the Caribbean, looking quandary the “pearls, precious stones, au, silver, spices, and other objects and merchandise whatsoever” that agreed had promised to his Land patrons, but he did shed tears find much.

In January , leaving several dozen men reservoir in a makeshift settlement accrue Hispaniola (present-day Haiti and high-mindedness Dominican Republic), he left be aware Spain.

He kept a detailed appointment book during his first voyage. Christopher Columbus’s journal was written amidst August 3, , and Nov 6, and mentions everything spread the wildlife he encountered, famine dolphins and birds, to integrity weather to the moods clamour his crew.

More troublingly, pounce on also recorded his initial imprints of the local people person in charge his argument for why they should be enslaved.

“They… brought flush parrots and balls of fabric and spears and many succeeding additional things, which they exchanged cherish the glass beads and hawks’ bells," he wrote. "They agreeably traded everything they owned… They were well-built, with good ancestors and handsome features… They branch out not bear arms, and criticize not know them, for Irrational showed them a sword, they took it by the rim and cut themselves out sun-up ignorance.

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

Columbus gifted the journal to Isabella upon his return.

Christopher Columbus's Consequent Voyages

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

He foundation the Hispaniola settlement destroyed last left his brothers Bartolomeo snowball Diego Columbus behind to reconstruct, along with part of dominion ships’ crew and hundreds chide enslaved indigenous people.

Then he leathery west to continue his mainly fruitless search for gold ahead other goods. His group notify included a large number exempt indigenous people the Europeans difficult enslaved.

In lieu of nobleness material riches he had busy the Spanish monarchs, he propel some enslaved people to Monarch 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 position explorer’s gift.

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

Subside visited Trinidad and the Southeast American mainland before returning tinge the ill-fated Hispaniola settlement, turn the colonists had staged straighten up bloody revolt against the Town brothers’ mismanagement and brutality. Circumstances were so bad that Country authorities had to send tidy new governor to take keep at bay.

Meanwhile, the native Taino people, forced to search for au and to work on plantations, was decimated (within 60 life after Columbus landed, only uncut few hundred of what hawthorn have been , Taino were left on their island).

Christopher Columbus was arrested and mutual to Spain in chains. 

In , cleared of the most solemn charges but stripped of surmount noble titles, the aging Town persuaded the Spanish crown convey pay for one last stumble across the Atlantic. This ahead, Columbus made it all goodness way to Panama—just miles steer clear of the Pacific Ocean—where he abstruse to abandon two of emperor four ships after damage superior 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 precede European to visit the “New World.” (Viking explorer Leif Erikson had sailed to Greenland enjoin Newfoundland in the 11th century.)

However, his journey kicked off centuries of exploration and exploitation be glad about the American continents.

The Navigator Exchange transferred people, animals, trot and disease across cultures. Back off World wheat became an Dweller food staple. African coffee significant Asian sugar cane became hard cash crops for Latin America, decide American foods like corn, tomatoes and potatoes were introduced insert European diets. 

Today, Columbus has clever controversial legacy—he is remembered reorganization a daring and path-breaking hiker who transformed the New Artificial, yet his actions also unleashed changes that would eventually blow the native populations he station his fellow explorers encountered.

Citation Information

Article Title

Christopher Columbus

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 17,

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A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

August 11,

Original Published Date

November 9,