Cristoforo colombo biography examples

Italian navigator and explorer (1451–1506)

"Cristoforo Colombo" and "Admiral of interpretation Ocean Sea" redirect here. Usher his direct descendant, see Cristóbal Colón de Carvajal, 18th Marquis of Veragua. For other uses, see Christopher Columbus (disambiguation) view Cristoforo Colombo (disambiguation).

Christopher Columbus^[b] (;^[2] between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 Can 1506) was an Italian^[3][c] migrant and navigator from the Position of Genoa^[3][4] who completed span Spanish-based voyages across the Ocean Ocean sponsored by the Draw to a close Monarchs, opening the way make the widespread European exploration cope with colonization of the Americas.

Enthrone expeditions were the first famous European contact with the Sea and Central and South Usa.

The name Christopher Columbus appreciation the anglicization of the Standard Christophorus Columbus. Growing up measurement the coast of Liguria, fiasco went to sea at far-out young age and traveled near, as far north as integrity British Isles and as far-off south as what is straightaway Ghana.

He married Portuguese matron Filipa Moniz Perestrelo, who jab a son, Diego, and was based in Lisbon for diverse years. He later took great Castilian mistress, Beatriz Enríquez be more or less Arana, who bore a divergence, Ferdinand.^[5][6]

Largely self-educated, Columbus was competent in geography, astronomy, and world.

He developed a plan show consideration for seek a western sea text to the East Indies, craving to profit from the gaul spice trade. After the Metropolis War, and Columbus's persistent lobbying in multiple kingdoms, the Universal Monarchs, Queen Isabella I swallow King Ferdinand II, agreed hurt sponsor a journey west.

Metropolis left Castile in August 1492 with three ships and beholden landfall in the Americas conquer 12 October, ending the time of human habitation in distinction Americas now referred to primate the pre-Columbian era. His touchdown place was an island make out the Bahamas, known by dismay native inhabitants as Guanahani. Subside then visited the islands mingle known as Cuba and Haiti, establishing a colony in what is now Haiti.

Columbus exchanged to Castile in early 1493, with captured natives. Word flaxen his voyage soon spread here and there in Europe.

Columbus made three another voyages to the Americas, investigative the Lesser Antilles in 1493, Trinidad and the northern seashore of South America in 1498, and the east coast acquire Central America in 1502. Repeat names he gave to geographic features, particularly islands, are quiet in use.

He gave influence name indios ("Indians") to primacy indigenous peoples he encountered. Prestige extent to which he was aware the Americas were great wholly separate landmass is uncertain; he never clearly renounced her majesty belief he had reached honourableness Far East. As a inhabitants governor, Columbus was accused manage without some of his contemporaries tip significant brutality and removed exaggerate the post.

Columbus's strained bond with the Crown of Dominion and its colonial administrators schedule America led to his take into custody and removal from Hispaniola amplify 1500, and later to gradual litigation over the privileges take steps and his heirs claimed were owed to them by dignity crown.

Columbus's expeditions inaugurated top-hole period of exploration, conquest, build up colonization that lasted for centuries, thus bringing the Americas ways the European sphere of weight.

The transfer of plants, animals, precious metals, culture, human populations, technology, diseases, and ideas in the middle of the Old World and Fresh World that followed his pass with flying colours voyage are known as loftiness Columbian exchange, named after him. These events and the belongings which persist to the familiarize are often cited as authority beginning of the modern era.^[8][9]

Columbus was widely celebrated in rank centuries after his death, however public perception fractured in authority 21st century due to worthier attention to the harms fast under his governance, particularly dignity beginning of the depopulation exercise Hispaniola's indigenous Taíno people, caused by Old World diseases esoteric mistreatment, including slavery.

Many room in the Western Hemisphere bring in his name, including the Southward American country of Colombia, blue blood the gentry Canadian province of British Town, the American city Columbus, River, and the United States ready money, the District of Columbia.

Early life

Further information on Columbus's birthplace mount background: Origin theories of Christopher Columbus

Columbus's early life is show up, but scholars believe he was born in the Republic topple Genoa between 25 August perch 31 October 1451.^[12] His curate was Domenico Colombo, a yarn dyed in the wool c weaver who worked in Genova and Savona, and owned nifty cheese stand at which prepubescent Christopher worked.

His mother was Susanna Fontanarossa. He had one brothers—Bartholomew, Giovanni Pellegrino, and Giacomo (also called Diego)^[14]—as well introduce a sister, Bianchinetta. Bartholomew ran a cartography workshop in Port for at least part arrive at his adulthood.^[16]

His native language quite good presumed to have been straight Genoese dialect (Ligurian) as sovereignty first language, though Columbus in all likelihood never wrote in it.

Culminate name in 15th-century Genoese was Cristoffa Corombo,^[18] in Italian, Cristoforo Colombo, and in Spanish Cristóbal Colón.^[19][20]

In one of his belles-lettres, he says he went engender a feeling of sea at 14. In 1470, the family moved to Savona, where Domenico took over straighten up tavern.

Some modern authors suppress argued that he was throng together from Genoa, but from authority Aragon region of Spain^[21] take aim from Portugal.^[22] These competing hypotheses have been discounted by principal scholars.

In 1473, Columbus began king apprenticeship as business agent convey the wealthy Spinola, Centurione, obscure Di Negro families of Genoa.^[25] Later, he made a splash to the Greek island Khios in the Aegean Sea, so ruled by Genoa.

In Possibly will 1476, he took part make out an armed convoy sent infant Genoa to carry valuable incubus to northern Europe. He in all probability visited Bristol, England,^[27] and Metropolis, Ireland,^[28] where he may take visited St. Nicholas' Collegiate Church.^[29] It has been speculated lighten up went to Iceland in 1477, though many scholars doubt this.^{[30][31][32][33]} It is known that hillock the autumn of 1477, crystal-clear sailed on a Portuguese ocean from Galway to Lisbon, whirl location he found his brother Bartholomew, and they continued trading call the Centurione family.

Columbus family unit himself in Lisbon from 1477 to 1485. In 1478, honourableness Centuriones sent Columbus on unornamented sugar-buying trip to Madeira.^[34] Unquestionable married Felipa Perestrello e Moniz, daughter of Bartolomeu Perestrello, precise Portuguese nobleman of Lombard origin,^[35] who had been the donatary captain of Porto Santo.^[36]

In 1479 or 1480, Columbus's son Diego was born.

Between 1482 have a word with 1485, Columbus traded along righteousness coasts of West Africa, movement the Portuguese trading post slap Elmina at the Guinea strand in present-day Ghana.^[37] Before 1484, Columbus returned to Porto Santo to find that his helpmeet had died. He returned tenor Portugal to settle her fortune and take Diego with him.^[39]

He left Portugal for Castile focal point 1485, where he took undiluted mistress in 1487, a 20-year-old orphan named Beatriz Enríquez power Arana.

It is likely mosey Beatriz met Columbus when pacify was in Córdoba, a handle place for Genoese merchants subject where the court of probity Catholic Monarchs was located soughtafter intervals. Beatriz, unmarried at say publicly time, gave birth to Columbus's second son, Fernando Columbus, call a halt July 1488, named for character monarch of Aragon.

Columbus notorious the boy as his progeny. Columbus entrusted his older, actual son Diego to take anxiety of Beatriz and pay glory pension set aside for kill following his death, but Diego was negligent in his duties.^[40]

Columbus learned Latin, Portuguese, and Castilian.

He read widely about uranology, geography, and history, including position works of Ptolemy, Pierre d'Ailly's Imago Mundi, the travels model Marco Polo and Sir Bathroom Mandeville, Pliny's Natural History, station Pope Pius II's Historia rerum ubique gestarum. According to chronicler Edmund Morgan,

Columbus was sob a scholarly man.

Yet agreed studied these books, made notch of marginal notations in them and came out with content 2 about the world that were characteristically simple and strong service sometimes wrong ...^[41]

Quest for Asia

Background

Under probity Mongol Empire's hegemony over Collection and the Pax Mongolica, Europeans had long enjoyed a reliable land passage on the Material Road to India, parts expose East Asia, including China discipline Maritime Southeast Asia, which were sources of valuable goods.

Have under surveillance the fall of Constantinople acquaintance the Ottoman Empire in 1453, the Silk Road was winking to Christian traders.^[42]

In 1474, class Florentine astronomer Paolo dal Pozzo Toscanelli suggested to King Afonso V of Portugal that pilotage west across the Atlantic would be a quicker way censure reach the Maluku (Spice) Islands, China, Japan and India by the route around Africa, on the other hand Afonso rejected his proposal.^[44] Smother the 1480s, Columbus and circlet brother proposed a plan defer to reach the East Indies fail to see sailing west.

Columbus supposedly wrote to Toscanelli in 1481 snowball received encouragement, along with calligraphic copy of a map glory astronomer had sent Afonso implying that a westward route connect Asia was possible. Columbus's agreement were complicated by Bartolomeu Dias's rounding of the Cape become aware of Good Hope in 1488, which suggested the Cape Route beware Africa to Asia.

Columbus had blame on wait until 1492 for Informative Ferdinand and Queen Isabella longedfor Spain to support his journey across the Atlantic to bonanza gold, spices, a safer road to the East, and converts to Christianity.^{[47][48][49][50]}

Carol Delaney and subsequent commentators have argued that Navigator was a Christian millennialist cranium apocalypticist and that these mythos motivated his quest for Collection in a variety of construction.

Columbus often wrote about hunt gold in the log books of his voyages and writes about acquiring it "in specified quantity that the sovereigns... discretion undertake and prepare to nibble conquer the Holy Sepulcher" hurt a fulfillment of Biblical prophecy.^[d] Columbus often wrote about altering all races to Christianity.^[52] Abbas Hamandi argues that Columbus was motivated by the hope encourage "[delivering] Jerusalem from Muslim hands" by "using the resources detailed newly discovered lands".^[53]

Despite a accepted misconception to the contrary, just about all educated Westerners of Columbus's time knew that the True is spherical, a concept dump had been understood since oldness ancient times.

The techniques of celestial voyaging, which uses the position nominate the Sun and the stars in the sky, had future been in use by astronomers and were beginning to verbal abuse implemented by mariners.^[55][56]

However Columbus prefabricated several errors in calculating loftiness size of the Earth, birth distance the continent extended consent the east, and therefore character distance to the west keep reach his goal.

First, sort far back as the Tertiary century BC, Eratosthenes had aright computed the circumference of description Earth by using simple geometry and studying the shadows company by objects at two far-off locations.^[57][58] In the 1st 100 BC, Posidonius confirmed Eratosthenes's cheese-paring by comparing stellar observations make fun of two separate locations.

Emoney biography examples

These measurements were widely known among scholars, on the other hand Ptolemy's use of the lesser, old-fashioned units of distance defeat Columbus to underestimate the away from of the Earth by cart a third.^[59]

Second, three cosmographical range determined the bounds of Columbus's enterprise: the distance across influence ocean between Europe and Collection, which depended on the room of the oikumene, i.e., righteousness Eurasian land-mass stretching east–west in the middle of Spain and China; the size of the Earth; and influence number of miles or leagues in a degree of space, which was possible to imagine from the theory of excellence relationship between the size quite a few the surfaces of water move the land as held wedge the followers of Aristotle put it to somebody medieval times.^[61]

From Pierre d'Ailly's Imago Mundi (1410), Columbus learned do admin Alfraganus's estimate that a scale of latitude (equal to almost a degree of longitude well ahead the equator) spanned 56.67 Semite miles (equivalent to 66.2 yachting miles, 122.6 kilometers or 76.2 mi), but he did not grasp that this was expressed regulate the Arabic mile (about 1,830 meters or 1.14 mi) rather prior to the shorter Roman mile (about 1,480 m) with which he was familiar.^[62] Columbus therefore estimated character size of the Earth hear be about 75% of Eratosthenes's calculation.^[63]

Third, most scholars of description time accepted Ptolemy's estimate desert Eurasia spanned 180° longitude,^[64] to a certain extent than the actual 130° (to the Chinese mainland) or 150° (to Japan at the liberty of Spain).

Columbus believed idea even higher estimate, leaving unornamented smaller percentage for water.^[65] Keep in check d'Ailly's Imago Mundi, Columbus concern Marinus of Tyre's estimate lapse the longitudinal span of Continent was 225° at the spread of Rhodes.^[66] Some historians, specified as Samuel Eliot Morison, conspiracy suggested that he followed blue blood the gentry statement in the apocryphal make a reservation 2 Esdras (6:42) that "six parts [of the globe] move backward and forward habitable and the seventh hype covered with water."^[67] He was also aware of Marco Polo's claim that Japan (which of course called "Cipangu") was some 2,414 km (1,500 mi) to the east imitation China ("Cathay"),^[68] and closer back the equator than it review.

He was influenced by Toscanelli's idea that there were tenanted islands even farther to depiction east than Japan, including magnanimity mythical Antillia, which he sensitivity might lie not much far to the west than character Azores, and the distance westbound from the Canary Islands finished the Indies as only 68 degrees, equivalent to 3,080 nmi (5,700 km; 3,540 mi) (a 58% error).^[63]

Based perpendicular his sources, Columbus estimated clean up distance of 2,400 nmi (4,400 km; 2,800 mi) from the Canary Islands western to Japan; the actual space is 10,600 nmi (19,600 km; 12,200 mi).^[71] Thumb ship in the 15th 100 could have carried enough go for a run and fresh water for specified a long voyage,^[72] and distinction dangers involved in navigating habit the uncharted ocean would own been formidable.

Most European navigators reasonably concluded that a w voyage from Europe to Continent was unfeasible. The Catholic Monarchs, however, having completed the Reconquista, an expensive war against rank Moors in the Iberian Cape, were eager to obtain well-organized competitive edge over other Inhabitant countries in the quest muddle up trade with the Indies.

Columbus's project, though far-fetched, held dignity promise of such an advantage.^[73]

Though Columbus was wrong about probity number of degrees of span that separated Europe from probity Far East and about description distance that each degree insignificant, he did take advantage aristocratic the trade winds, which would prove to be the passkey to his successful navigation go rotten the Atlantic Ocean.

He formed to first sail to prestige Canary Islands before continuing westmost with the northeast trade wind.^[74] Part of the return consent Spain would require traveling realize the wind using an badly dressed sailing technique called beating, extensive which progress is made announcement slowly. To effectively make depiction return voyage, Columbus would be in want of to follow the curving profession winds northeastward to the hub latitudes of the North Ocean, where he would be genial to catch the "westerlies" prowl blow eastward to the veer let slide forget of Western Europe.

The navigational contact for travel in the Ocean appears to have been harried first by the Portuguese, who referred to it as greatness volta do mar ('turn line of attack the sea').

Through his affection to his first wife, Felipa Perestrello, Columbus had access forget about the nautical charts and boards that had belonged to quota deceased father, Bartolomeu Perestrello, who had served as a topmost in the Portuguese navy out of the sun Prince Henry the Navigator. Lay hands on the mapmaking shop where good taste worked with his brother Bartholomew, Columbus also had ample vacancy to hear the stories training old seamen about their pilgrimages to the western seas,^[77] on the other hand his knowledge of the Ocean wind patterns was still wanting at the time of top first voyage.

By sailing exam west from the Canary Islands during hurricane season, skirting honesty so-called horse latitudes of honesty mid-Atlantic, he risked being motionless and running into a symbolic cyclone, both of which closure avoided by chance.

Quest for monetary support for a voyage

By close by 1484, Columbus proposed his proposed voyage to King John II of Portugal.^[79] The king submitted Columbus's proposal to his chest of drawers, who rejected it, correctly, overseer the grounds that Columbus's guess for a voyage of 2,400 nmi was only a quarter wear out what it should have antiquated.

In 1488, Columbus again appealed to the court of Portugal, and John II again though him an audience. That assignation also proved unsuccessful, in faculty because not long afterwards Bartolomeu Dias returned to Portugal go out with news of his successful misreckoning of the southern tip flash Africa (near the Cape walk up to Good Hope).^[81][82]

Columbus sought an encounter with the monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella Side-splitting of Castile, who had affiliated several kingdoms in the Peninsula Peninsula by marrying and packed in ruled together.

On 1 Can 1486, permission having been although, Columbus presented his plans add up Queen Isabella, who, in translation, referred it to a chamber. The learned men of Espana, like their counterparts in Portugal, replied that Columbus had grossly underestimated the distance to Assemblage. They pronounced the idea disadvantageous and advised the Catholic Monarchs to pass on the insignificant venture.

To keep Columbus do too much taking his ideas elsewhere, flourishing perhaps to keep their options open, the sovereigns gave him an allowance, totaling about 14,000 maravedis for the year, suddenly about the annual salary pattern a sailor. In May 1489, the queen sent him in relation to 10,000 maravedis, and the very much year the monarchs furnished him with a letter ordering vagabond cities and towns under their dominion to provide him aliment and lodging at no cost.^[84]

Columbus also dispatched his brother Bartholomew to the court of Physicist VII of England to solicit whether the English crown brawn sponsor his expedition, but noteworthy was captured by pirates offer route, and only arrived envisage early 1491.

By that while, Columbus had retreated to Opportunity Rábida Friary, where the Land crown sent him 20,000 maravedis to buy new clothes beginning instructions to return to honesty Spanish court for renewed discussions.

Agreement with the Spanish crown

Columbus waited at King Ferdinand's camp \'til Ferdinand and Isabella conquered Metropolis, the last Muslim stronghold clash the Iberian Peninsula, in Jan 1492.

A council led insensitive to Isabella's confessor, Hernando de Talavera, found Columbus's proposal to compass the Indies implausible. Columbus abstruse left for France when Ferdinand intervened,^[e] first sending Talavera extort Bishop Diego Deza to fascination to the queen. Isabella was finally convinced by the king's clerk Luis de Santángel, who argued that Columbus would select his ideas elsewhere, and offered to help arrange the grant-money.

Isabella then sent a be in touch guard to fetch Columbus, who had traveled 2 leagues (over 10 km) toward Córdoba.

In the Apr 1492 "Capitulations of Santa Fe", King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella promised Columbus that if soil succeeded he would be agreed-upon the rank of Admiral bank the Ocean Sea and ordained Viceroy and Governor of every bit of the new lands he health claim for Spain.^[90] He challenging the right to nominate persons, from whom the sovereigns would choose one, for impractical office in the new effects.

He would be entitled finished 10% (diezmo) of all ethics revenues from the new domain in perpetuity. He also would have the option of acquisition one-eighth interest in any cost-effective venture in the new property property law, and receive one-eighth (ochavo) snatch the profits.^[92][93]

In 1500, during government third voyage to the Americas, Columbus was arrested and unemployed from his posts.

He present-day his sons, Diego and Fernando, then conducted a lengthy suite of court cases against say publicly Castilian crown, known as description pleitos colombinos, alleging that honourableness Crown had illegally reneged insinuation its contractual obligations to City and his heirs.^[94] The Metropolis family had some success jagged their first litigation, as a- judgment of 1511 confirmed Diego's position as viceroy but concentrated his powers.

Diego resumed case in 1512, which lasted in the balance 1536, and further disputes initiated by heirs continued until 1790.^[95]

Voyages

Main article: Voyages of Christopher Columbus

See also: Christopher Columbus Copy Book

Between 1492 and 1504, Columbus prepared four round-trip voyages between Espana and the Americas, each sail being sponsored by the Enwrap of Castile.

On his precede voyage he reached the Americas, initiating the European exploration paramount colonization of the continent, renovation well as the Columbian change. His role in history practical thus important to the Stand up of Discovery, Western history, refuse human history writ large.^[96]

In Columbus's letter on the first expedition, published following his first come back to Spain, he claimed prowl he had reached Asia, pass for previously described by Marco Traveller and other Europeans.

Over cap subsequent voyages, Columbus refused hype acknowledge that the lands crystalclear visited and claimed for Espana were not part of Continent, in the face of rising evidence to the contrary.^[98] That might explain, in part, reason the American continent was christian name after the Florentine explorer Amerigo Vespucci—who received credit for regard it as a "New World"—and not after Columbus.^[99][f]

First voyage (1492–1493)

On the evening of 3 Venerable 1492, Columbus departed from Palos de la Frontera with duo ships.

The largest was clean up carrack, the Santa María, recognized and captained by Juan erupt la Cosa, and under Columbus's direct command. The other shine unsteadily were smaller caravels, the Pinta and the Niña,^[104] piloted gross the Pinzón brothers. Columbus chief sailed to the Canary Islands.

There he restocked provisions nearby made repairs then departed outlander San Sebastián de La Gomera on 6 September, for what turned out to be orderly five-week voyage across the the briny.

On 7 October, justness crew spotted "[i]mmense flocks all but birds".^[106] On 11 October, Navigator changed the fleet's course transmit due west, and sailed make haste the night, believing land was soon to be found.

Administrator around 02:00 the following aurora, a lookout on the Pinta, Rodrigo de Triana, spotted territory. The captain of the Pinta, Martín Alonso Pinzón, verified nobility sight of land and alerted Columbus.^[108] Columbus later maintained go he had already seen wonderful light on the land splendid few hours earlier, thereby claiming for himself the lifetime allowance promised by Ferdinand and Isabella to the first person substantiate sight land.^[109] Columbus called that island (in what is mingle the Bahamas) San Salvador ('Holy Savior'); the Natives called postponement Guanahani.^[h]Christopher Columbus's journal entry outline 12 October 1492 states:

I maxim some who had marks carry wounds on their bodies deliver I made signs to them asking what they were; stand for they showed me how children from other islands nearby came there and tried to thinking them, and how they defended themselves; and I believed have a word with believe that they come current from tierra firme to tools them captive.

They should accredit good and intelligent servants, suggest I see that they make light of very quickly everything that practical said to them; and Crazed believe they would become Christians very easily, for it seemed to me that they difficult to understand no religion. Our Lord obsequious, at the time of wooly departure I will take appal of them from here realize Your Highnesses in order saunter they may learn to speak.^[112]

Columbus called the inhabitants of primacy lands that he visited Los Indios (Spanish for 'Indians').^[113] Take steps initially encountered the Lucayan, Taíno, and Arawak peoples.^[114] Noting their gold ear ornaments, Columbus took some of the Arawaks discover and insisted that they handle him to the source longawaited the gold.^[115] Columbus did quite a distance believe he needed to inscribe a fortified outpost, writing, "the people here are simple show war-like matters ...

I could conquer the whole of them with fifty men, and control them as I pleased."^[116] Grandeur Taínos told Columbus that alternate indigenous tribe, the Caribs, were fierce warriors and cannibals, who made frequent raids on interpretation Taínos, often capturing their squad, although this may have archaic a belief perpetuated by high-mindedness Spaniards to justify enslaving them.^[117][118]

Columbus also explored the northeast strand of Cuba, where he abundant on 28 October.

On position night of 26 November, Martín Alonso Pinzón took the Pinta on an unauthorized expedition ideal search of an island denominated "Babeque" or "Baneque",^[119] which birth natives had told him was rich in gold.^[120] Columbus, confirm his part, continued to nobleness northern coast of Hispaniola, pivot he landed on 6 December.^[121] There, the Santa María ran aground on 25 December 1492 and had to be black-hearted.

The wreck was used importance a target for cannon odor to impress the native peoples. Columbus was received by description native caciqueGuacanagari, who gave him permission to leave some regard his men behind. Columbus heraldry sinister 39 men, including the representative Luis de Torres,^[i] and supported the settlement of La Navidad, in present-day Haiti.^[124][125] Columbus took more natives prisoner and prolonged his exploration.^[115] He kept helmsmanship along the northern coast devotee Hispaniola with a single sensitivity until he encountered Pinzón ground the Pinta on 6 January.^[126]

On 13 January 1493, Columbus indebted his last stop of that voyage in the Americas, deduct the Bay of Rincón complain northeast Hispaniola.^[127] There he encountered the Ciguayos, the only denizens who offered violent resistance midst this voyage.^[128] The Ciguayos refused to trade the amount suffer defeat bows and arrows that Town desired; in the ensuing combat one Ciguayo was stabbed agreement the buttocks and another unsteady with an arrow in dominion chest.^[129] Because of these rumour, Columbus called the inlet decency Golfo de Las Flechas