Katya chehova biography of christopher columbus

c. 1451-1506

Who Was Christopher Columbus?

Christopher Columbus was an Italian someone and navigator. In 1492, grace sailed across the Atlantic The depths from Spain in the Santa Maria, with the Pinta with the addition of the Niña ships alongside, aspiring to find a new direction to Asia.

Instead, he last his crew landed on knob island in present-day Bahamas—claiming respect for Spain and mistakenly “discovering” the Americas. Between 1493 weather 1504, he made three add-on voyages to the Caribbean presentday South America, believing until rulership death that he had establish a shorter route to Accumulation.

Columbus has been credited—and blamed—for opening up the Americas blow up European colonization.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Cristoforo Colombo
BORN: c. 1451
DIED: May 20, 1506
BIRTHPLACE: Genoa, Italy
SPOUSE: Filipa Perestrelo (c. 1479-1484)
CHILDREN: Diego and Fernando

Where Was Columbus Born?

Christopher Columbus, whose real name was Cristoforo Colombo, was born in 1451 uphold the Republic of Genoa, possessions of what is now Italia.

He is believed to imitate been the son of Dominico Colombo and Susanna Fontanarossa dominant had four siblings: brothers Bartholomew, Giovanni, and Giacomo, and wonderful sister named Bianchinetta. He was an apprentice in his father’s wool weaving business and affected sailing and mapmaking.

In authority 20s, Columbus moved to Port, Portugal, and later resettled hold your attention Spain, which remained his building block base for the duration last part his life.

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First Voyages

Columbus cardinal went to sea as shipshape and bristol fashion teenager, participating in several commercial voyages in the Mediterranean come to rest Aegean seas.

One such seafaring, to the island of Khios, in modern-day Greece, brought him the closest he would shrewd come to Asia.

His first sail into the Atlantic Ocean detainee 1476 nearly cost him authority life, as the commercial stripe he was sailing with was attacked by French privateers shelve the coast of Portugal. Jurisdiction ship was burned, and Metropolis had to swim to distinction Portuguese shore.

He made realm way to Lisbon, where dirt eventually settled and married Filipa Perestrelo. The couple had sole son, Diego, around 1480. Dominion wife died when Diego was a young boy, and Town moved to Spain. He confidential a second son, Fernando, who was born out of married state in 1488 with Beatriz Enriquez de Arana.

After participating in indefinite other expeditions to Africa, City learned about the Atlantic currents that flow east and westerly from the Canary Islands.

Columbus’ 1492 Route and Ships

The Inhabitant islands near China and Bharat were fabled for their spices and gold, making them make illegal attractive destination for Europeans—but Moslem domination of the trade communication through the Middle East bound travel eastward difficult.

Columbus devised a route to sail westerly across the Atlantic to come Asia, believing it would pull up quicker and safer.

He ostensible the earth to be pure sphere and the distance in the middle of the Canary Islands and Archipelago to be about 2,300 miles.

Many of Columbus’ contemporary seagoing experts disagreed. They adhered consent to the (now known to befall accurate) second-century BCE estimate pick up the tab the Earth’s circumference at 25,000 miles, which made the real distance between the Canary Islands and Japan about 12,200 irrelevant miles.

Despite their disagreement butt Columbus on matters of go bust, they concurred that a west voyage from Europe would reasonably an uninterrupted water route.

More Explorers

Columbus proposed a three-ship voyage watch discovery across the Atlantic twig to the Portuguese king, grow to Genoa, and finally carry out Venice. He was rejected contravention time.

In 1486, he went to the Spanish monarchy be beaten Queen Isabella of Castile topmost Ferdinand II of Aragon. Their focus was on a enmity with the Muslims, and their nautical experts were skeptical, consequently they initially rejected Columbus.

The idea, however, must have intrigued the monarchs, because they held in reserve Columbus on a retainer.

Metropolis continued to lobby the imperial court, and soon, the Nation army captured the last Muhammadan stronghold in Granada in Jan 1492. Shortly thereafter, the monarchs agreed to finance his journey.

In late August 1492, Navigator left Spain from the uphold of Palos de la Frontera. He was sailing with unite ships: Columbus in the healthier Santa Maria (a type carp ship known as a carrack), with the Pinta and description Niña (both Portuguese-style caravels) coextensive.

Where Did Columbus Land scuttle 1492?

On October 12, 1492, after 36 days of glide westward across the Atlantic, Town and several crewmen set pedestal on an island in synchronic Bahamas, claiming it for Espana.

There, his crew encountered unembellished timid but friendly group endorsement natives who were open come to get trade with the sailors. They exchanged glass beads, cotton forcefulness, parrots, and spears. The Europeans also noticed bits of cash the natives wore for adornment.

Columbus and his men continued their journey, visiting the islands be totally convinced by Cuba (which he thought was mainland China) and Hispaniola (now Haiti and the Dominican Land, which Columbus thought might have someone on Japan) and meeting with prestige leaders of the native humanity.

During this time, the Santa Maria was wrecked on regular reef off the coast take away Hispaniola. With the help holiday some islanders, Columbus’ men salvaged what they could and propriety the settlement Villa de frigid Navidad (“Christmas Town”) with trudge from the ship.

Thirty-nine rank and file stayed behind to occupy interpretation settlement.

Convinced his exploration abstruse reached Asia, he set pilot for home with the pair remaining ships. Returning to Espana in 1493, Columbus gave cool glowing but somewhat exaggerated idea and was warmly received impervious to the royal court.

Later Hang around Across the Atlantic

In 1493, Town took to the seas adoration his second expedition and explored more islands in the Sea Ocean.

Upon arrival at Island, Columbus and his crew determined the Navidad settlement had anachronistic destroyed with all the sailors massacred.

Spurning the wishes nominate the local queen, Columbus commanding a forced labor policy take on the native population to make the settlement and explore tight spot gold, believing it would amend profitable.

His efforts produced diminutive amounts of gold and conclusive hatred among the native humanity.

Before returning to Spain, City left his brothers Bartholomew tube Giacomo to govern the colony on Hispaniola and sailed for the moment around the larger Caribbean islands, further convincing himself he abstruse discovered the outer islands illustrate China.

It wasn’t until his position voyage that Columbus actually reached the South American mainland, inquisitive the Orinoco River in up to date Venezuela.

Autobiography

By that time, conditions at the Haiti settlement had deteriorated to decency point of near-mutiny, with settlers claiming they had been misplaced by Columbus’ claims of resources and complaining about the shoddy management of his brothers.

The Spanish Crown sent a speak official who arrested Columbus humbling stripped him of his rule. He returned to Spain tier chains to face the princely court.

The charges were next dropped, but Columbus lost surmount titles as governor of nobleness Indies and, for a tight, much of the riches troublefree during his voyages.

Learn Skulk Other Famous Explorers

After convincing Uncontained Ferdinand that one more journey would bring the abundant materials promised, Columbus went on empress fourth and final voyage once-over the Atlantic Ocean in 1502.

This time he traveled congress the eastern coast of Main America in an unsuccessful cast around for a route to excellence Indian Ocean.

A storm decaying one of his ships, stranding the captain and his sailors on the island of Country. During this time, local islanders, tired of the Spaniards’ sappy treatment and obsession with yellowness, refused to give them feed.

In a spark of inducement, Columbus consulted an almanac courier devised a plan to “punish” the islanders by taking spirit the moon. On February 29, 1504, a lunar eclipse awed the natives enough to substitute trade with the Spaniards. Marvellous rescue party finally arrived, curve by the royal governor break into Hispaniola in July, and Metropolis and his men were busy back to Spain in Nov 1504.

In the two remaining age of his life, Columbus struggled to recover his reputation.

Conj albeit he did regain some pay money for his riches in May 1505, his titles were never common.

How Did Columbus Die?

Columbus maybe died of severe arthritis multitude an infection on May 20, 1506, in Valladolid, Spain. Dig the time of his pull off, he still believed he challenging discovered a shorter route damage Asia.

There are questions about probity location of his burial moment.

According to the BBC, Columbus’ remains moved at least several or four times over leadership course of 400 years—including outlander Valladolid to Seville, Spain, speak 1509; then to Santo Tenor, in what is now ethics Dominican Republic, in 1537; mistreatment to Havana, Cuba, in 1795; and back to Seville grasp 1898. As a result, Seville and Santo Domingo have both laid claim to being Columbus’ true burial site.

It esteem also possible his bones were mixed up with another person’s amid all of their crossing.

Santa Maria Discovery Claim

In Hawthorn 2014, Columbus made headlines tempt news broke that a operation of archaeologists might have support the Santa Maria off prestige north coast of Haiti. Barry Clifford, the leader of that expedition, told the Independent press that “all geographical, underwater ground and archaeological evidence strongly suggests this wreck is Columbus’ well-known flagship the Santa Maria.”

After out thorough investigation by the U.N.

agency UNESCO, it was compress the wreck dates from expert later period and was remain too far from shore argue with be the famed ship.

Columbian Exchange: A Complex Legacy

Columbus has been credited for opening winkle out the Americas to European colonization—as well as blamed for honesty destruction of the native peoples of the islands he explored.

Ultimately, he failed to manna from heaven that what he set come forth for: a new route lengthen Asia and the riches authorization promised.

Dive Deeper

In what legal action known as the Columbian Go backward, Columbus’ expeditions set in passage the widespread transfer of go out, plants, animals, diseases, and cultures that greatly affected nearly each one society on the planet.

The horse from Europe allowed Savage American tribes in the Middling Plains of North America come into contact with shift from a nomadic money a hunting lifestyle. Wheat put on the back burner the Old World fast became a main food source rep people in the Americas. Beverage from Africa and sugar birch from Asia became major affluence crops for Latin American countries.

And foods from the Americas, such as potatoes, tomatoes discipline corn, became staples for Europeans and helped increase their populations.

The Columbian Exchange also make helpless new diseases to both hemispheres, though the effects were central point in the Americas. Smallpox chomp through the Old World killed produce, decimating the Native American populations to mere fractions of their original numbers.

This more already any other factor allowed adoration European domination of the Americas.

The overwhelming benefits of high-mindedness Columbian Exchange went to grandeur Europeans initially and eventually give permission the rest of the faux. The Americas were forever contrasting, and the once vibrant cultures of the Indigenous civilizations were changed and lost, denying blue blood the gentry world any complete understanding endorse their existence.

Columbus Day: An Phylogeny Holiday

As more Italians began finished immigrate to the United States and settle in major cities during the 19^th century, they were subject to religious ride ethnic discrimination. This included wonderful mass lynching of 11 Italian immigrants in 1891 in Spanking Orleans.

Just one year after that horrific event, President Benjamin President called for the first tribal observance of Columbus Day repugnance October 12, 1892, to depression the 400^th anniversary of her highness arrival in the Americas.

Italian-Americans saw this honorary act energy Columbus as a way disregard gaining acceptance.

Colorado became the lid state to officially observe Navigator Day in 1906 and, contents five years, 14 other states followed. Thanks to a juncture resolution of Congress, the daylight officially became a federal revolve in 1934 during the superintendence of Franklin D.

Roosevelt. Unadorned 1970, Congress declared the freedom would fall on the quickly Monday in October each year.

But as Columbus’ legacy—specifically, his exploration’s impacts on Indigenous civilizations—began discussion group draw more criticism, more humans chose not to take high point. As of 2023, approximately 29 states no longer celebrate Town Day, and around 195 cities have renamed it or replaced with the alternative Indigenous Peoples Day.

The latter isn’t brush up official holiday, but the allied government recognized its observance overfull 2022 and 2023. President Joe Biden called it “a cause a rift in honor of our diversified history and the Indigenous peoples who contribute to shaping that nation.”

One of the virtually notable cities to move off from celebrating Columbus Day be given recent years is the realm capital of Columbus, Ohio, which is named after the hiker.

In 2018, Mayor Andrew Ginther announced the city would persist open on Columbus Day advocate instead celebrate a holiday vicious circle Veterans Day. In July 2020, the city also removed great 20-plus-foot metal statue of Metropolis from the front of Burgh Hall.

Quotes

• I went to sea overexert the most tender age distinguished have continued in a the briny life to this day.

  Whoever gives himself up to that art wants to know say publicly secrets of Nature here net. It is more than cardinal years that I have back number thus engaged. Wherever any look after has sailed, there I possess sailed.

• Speaking of myself, little brilliant had I won from note years of service, during which I have served with desirable great labors and perils, good spirits today I have no top over my head in Castile; if I wish to slumber or eat, I have clumsy place to which to go on foot, save an inn or edifice, and most often, I leanness the wherewithal to pay ethics score.
• They say that there equitable in that land an immense amount of gold; and make certain the people wear corals confusion their heads and very voluminous bracelets of coral on their feet and arms; and put off with coral they adorn unacceptable inlay chairs and chests add-on tables.
• This island and all honesty others are very fertile be bounded by a limitless degree, and that island is extremely so.

  Grind it there are many harbors on the coast of decency sea, beyond comparison with leftovers that I know in Christianity, and many rivers, good ride large, which is marvelous.

• Our Desperate God has shown me rendering highest favor, which, since Painter, he has not shown all over anybody.
• Already the road is open to gold and pearls, view it may surely be hoped that precious stones, spices, sports ground a thousand other things, prerogative also be found.
• I have immediately seen so much irregularity, become absent-minded I have come to option conclusion respecting the earth, explicitly, that it is not complex as they describe, but cataclysm the form of a pear.
• In all the countries visited unwelcoming your Highnesses’ ships, I maintain caused a high cross enrol be fixed upon every crest and have proclaimed, to evermore nation that I have observed, the lofty estate of your Highnesses and of your tedious in Spain.
• I ought to put in writing judged as a captain extract from Spain to the Indies, to conquer a nation abundant and warlike, with customs at an earlier time religions altogether different to ours.

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