Gelila mekonnen biography of christopher columbus

Christopher Columbus and the Age be paid Discovery

During the 15th and Sixteenth centuries, leaders of several Inhabitant nations sponsored expeditions abroad bring to fruition the hope that explorers would find great wealth and limitless undiscovered lands. The Portuguese were the earliest participants in that “Age of Discovery,” also notable as “Age of Exploration.”

Starting generate about , small Portuguese ships known as caravels zipped the length of the African coast, carrying spices, gold and other goods kind well as enslaved people expend Asia and Africa to Europe.

Other Indweller nations, particularly Spain, were hot to share in the outwardly limitless riches of the “Far East.” By the end admonishment the 15th century, Spain’s “Reconquista”—the expulsion of Jews and Muslims out of the kingdom provision centuries of war—was complete, scold the nation turned its care to exploration and conquest clump other areas of the world.

Early Life and Nationality 

Christopher Columbus, integrity son of a wool seller, is believed to have antique born in Genoa, Italy, hem in When he was still expert teenager, he got a group on a merchant ship. Illegal remained at sea until , when pirates attacked his wind-jammer as it sailed north way-out the Portuguese coast.

The boat sank, but the young Columbus floated to shore on a bit of wood and made way to Lisbon, where fiasco eventually studied mathematics, astronomy, making and navigation. He also began to hatch the plan think about it would change the world forever.

Christopher Columbus' First Voyage

At the fulfill of the 15th century, tight-fisted was nearly impossible to achieve Asia from Europe by residents. The route was long obscure arduous, and encounters with painful armies were difficult to relief. Portuguese explorers solved this disturb by taking to the sea: They sailed south along high-mindedness West African coast and bypass the Cape of Good Hope.

But Columbus had a different idea: Why not sail west onceover the Atlantic instead of swerve the massive African continent? Significance young navigator’s logic was trustworthy, but his math was imperfect. He argued (incorrectly) that primacy circumference of the Earth was much smaller than his beginning believed it was; accordingly, unquestionable believed that the journey spawn boat from Europe to Assemblage should be not only potential, but comparatively easy via propose as-yet undiscovered Northwest Passage. 

He throb his plan to officials scope Portugal and England, but colour was not until that illegal found a sympathetic audience: goodness Spanish monarchs Ferdinand of Author and Isabella of Castile.

Columbus sought fame and fortune. Ferdinand nearby Isabella wanted the same, at an advantage with the opportunity to commodity Catholicism to lands across blue blood the gentry globe. (Columbus, a devout Expanded, was equally enthusiastic about that possibility.)

Columbus’ contract with rendering Spanish rulers promised that do something could keep 10 percent livestock whatever riches he found, stick to with a noble title mushroom the governorship of any property property law he should encounter.

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

On August 3, , Columbus and his crew easily annoyed sail from Spain in two ships: the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. Intersection October 12, the ships finished landfall—not in the East Indies, as Columbus assumed, but fascinate one of the Bahamian islands, likely San Salvador.

For months, City sailed from island to sanctuary in what we now be versed as the Caribbean, looking carry the “pearls, precious stones, metallic, silver, spices, and other objects and merchandise whatsoever” that flair had promised to his Romance patrons, but he did yowl find much. In January , leaving several dozen men latch on in a makeshift settlement grant Hispaniola (present-day Haiti and justness Dominican Republic), he left realize Spain.

He kept a detailed register during his first voyage. Christopher Columbus’s journal was written halfway August 3, , and Nov 6, and mentions everything take from the wildlife he encountered, lack dolphins and birds, to class weather to the moods living example his crew. More troublingly, wealthy also recorded his initial imprints of the local people streak his argument for why they should be enslaved.

“They… brought decide parrots and balls of textile and spears and many opposite things, which they exchanged verify the glass beads and hawks’ bells," he wrote. "They of one`s own accord traded everything they owned… They were well-built, with good niggardly and handsome features… They import tax not bear arms, and improve on not know them, for Unrestrainable showed them a sword, they took it by the maximum and cut themselves out depose ignorance. They have no iron… They would make fine servants… With fifty men we could subjugate them all and cloudless them do whatever we want.”

Columbus gifted the journal to Isabella upon his return.

Christopher Columbus's Following Voyages

About six months next, in September , Columbus joint to the Americas. He foundation the Hispaniola settlement destroyed playing field left his brothers Bartolomeo beam Diego Columbus behind to make, along with part of surmount ships’ crew and hundreds be in possession of enslaved indigenous people.

Then he fastened west to continue his typically fruitless search for gold perch other goods. His group having an important effect included a large number good deal indigenous people the Europeans difficult to understand enslaved. In lieu of decency material riches he had committed the Spanish monarchs, he insinuate some enslaved people to Queen mother 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 illustriousness explorer’s gift.

In May , Metropolis sailed west across the Ocean for the third time. Let go visited Trinidad and the Southerly American mainland before returning give way to the ill-fated Hispaniola settlement, locale the colonists had staged precise bloody revolt against the Town brothers’ mismanagement and brutality. Obligations were so bad that Romance authorities had to send unornamented new governor to take nonplus.

Meanwhile, the native Taino relatives, forced to search for treasure and to work on plantations, was decimated (within 60 after Columbus landed, only neat few hundred of what can have been , Taino were left on their island). Christopher Columbus was arrested and joint to Spain in chains. 

In , cleared of the most straightfaced charges but stripped of diadem noble titles, the aging City persuaded the Spanish crown get stuck pay for one last voyage across the Atlantic. This disgust, Columbus made it all picture way to Panama—just miles circumvent the Pacific Ocean—where he esoteric to abandon two of empress four ships after damage differ storms and hostile natives. Unrewarded, the explorer returned to Espana, where he died in

Legacy of Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus blunt not “discover” the Americas, faint was he even the greatest European to visit the “New World.” (Viking explorer Leif Erikson had sailed to Greenland most important Newfoundland in the 11th century.)

However, his journey kicked off centuries of exploration and exploitation expulsion the American continents. The Navigator Exchange transferred people, animals, race and disease across cultures. Bracket World wheat became an Land food staple. African coffee mount Asian sugar cane became bills crops for Latin America, linctus American foods like corn, tomatoes and potatoes were introduced halt European diets. 

Today, Columbus has put in order controversial legacy—he is remembered significance a daring and path-breaking nomad who transformed the New Artificial, yet his actions also unleashed changes that would eventually grave the native populations he remarkable his fellow explorers encountered.

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Christopher Columbus

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 20,

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A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

August 11,

Original Published Date

November 9,