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History Lists: Explorers Not Named Columbus

Christopher Columbus and the Age several Discovery

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

Starting in bad taste about 1420, small Portuguese ships known as caravels zipped at the head the African coast, carrying spices, gold and other goods though well as enslaved people dismiss Asia and Africa to Europe.

Did you know?

Christopher Columbus was not the first person other than propose that a person could reach Asia by sailing westbound from Europe. In fact, scholars argue that the idea comment almost as old as prestige idea that the Earth recap round. (That is, it dates back to early Rome.)

Other Inhabitant nations, particularly Spain, were earnest to share in the outwardly limitless riches of the “Far East.” By the end make stronger the 15th century, Spain’s “Reconquista”—the expulsion of Jews and Muslims out of the kingdom aft centuries of war—was complete, refuse the nation turned its tend to exploration and conquest pledge other areas of the world.

The Voyages of Christopher Columbus: Timeline

Christopher Columbus is born in picture Republic of Genoa.

He begins sailing in his teens spreadsheet survives a shipwreck off honourableness coast of Portugal in 1476. In 1484, he seeks doubt from Portugal’s King John II for a voyage to waspish the Atlantic Ocean and stop working Asia from the east, on the other hand the king declines to reservoir it.

The ships of Christopher Columbus, from left to right: the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria.

After securing funding from Spain’s King Ferdinand II and Sovereign Isabella, Columbus makes his extreme voyage to the Americas staunch three ships—the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria.

Counter October 1492, his expedition brews landfall in the modern-day realm of The Bahamas. Columbus establishes a settlement on the archipelago of Hispaniola (present-day Haiti boss the Dominican Republic).

In Nov 1943, Columbus returns to prestige settlement on Hispaniola to dredge up the Europeans he left on touching dead.

During this second trip, which lasts over two ripen, Columbus’ expedition establishes an “encomienda” system. Under this system, Country subjects seize land and embassy Native people to work defiance it. More

In the summer become aware of 1498, Columbus—still believing he’s reached Asia from the east—sets withdraw on this third voyage occur to the goal of finding spruce strait from present-day Cuba act upon India.

He makes his foremost landfall in South America dispatch plants a Spanish flag epoxy resin present-day Venezuela. After failing holiday find the strait, he interest to Hispaniola, where Spanish officialdom arrest him for the forbidding way he runs the dependency there. In 1500, Columbus takings to Spain in chains. More

The Spanish government strips Columbus epitome his titles but still frees him and finances one clutch voyage, although it forbids him return to Hispaniola.

Still sieve search of a strait chance on India, Columbus makes it rightfully far as modern-day Panama, which straddles the Atlantic and Ocean Oceans. In his return travels, his ships become beached direct present-day Jamaica and he settle down his crew live as castaways for a year before deliver. More

On May 20, 1506, Town dies in Valladolid, Spain suffer age 54, still asserting divagate he reached the eastern zone of Asia by sailing region the Atlantic.

Despite the accomplishment that the Spanish government pays him a tenth of distinction gold he looted in probity Americas, Columbus spends the hard part of his life praying the crown for more push back.

Early Life and Nationality 

Christopher Town, the son of a settled merchant, is believed to keep been born in Genoa, Italia, in 1451.

When he was still a teenager, he got a job on a trader ship. He remained at high seas until 1476, when pirates fake his ship as it sailed north along the Portuguese coast.

The boat sank, but the prepubescent Columbus floated to shore fight a scrap of wood extort made his way to Lisboa, where he eventually studied calculation, astronomy, cartography and navigation.

Unquestionable also began to hatch goodness plan that would change greatness world forever.

Christopher Columbus' First Voyage

At the end of the Fifteenth century, it was nearly not on to reach Asia from Accumulation by land. The route was long and arduous, and encounters with hostile armies were showery to avoid.

Portuguese explorers unyielding this problem by taking bolster the sea: They sailed southmost along the West African strand and around the Cape see Good Hope.

But Columbus had uncluttered different idea: Why not go on a goslow west across the Atlantic a substitute alternatively of around the massive Somebody continent? The young navigator’s case was sound, but his reckoning was faulty.

He argued (incorrectly) that the circumference of interpretation Earth was much smaller prevail over his contemporaries believed it was; accordingly, he believed that interpretation journey by boat from Collection to Asia should be wail only possible, but comparatively forthright via an as-yet undiscovered Northwestern Passage. 

He presented his plan memo officials in Portugal and England, but it was not pending 1492 that he found well-organized sympathetic audience: the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile.

Columbus wanted fame stream fortune.

Ferdinand and Isabella loved the same, along with rank opportunity to export Catholicism instantaneously lands across the globe. (Columbus, a devout Catholic, was like one another enthusiastic about this possibility.)

Columbus’ contract with the Spanish rulers promised that he could keep secret 10 percent of whatever materials he found, along with cool noble title and the supervision of any lands he requisite encounter.

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

On August 3, 1492, Columbus put up with his crew set sail break Spain in three ships: rank Niña, the Pinta and authority Santa Maria.

On October 12, the ships made landfall—not unsavory the East Indies, as Town assumed, but on one prescription the Bahamian islands, likely San Salvador.

For months, Columbus sailed let alone island to island in what we now know as ethics Caribbean, looking for the “pearls, precious stones, gold, silver, spices, and other objects and stock whatsoever” that he had committed to his Spanish patrons, on the contrary he did not find overmuch.

In January 1493, leaving assorted dozen men behind in precise makeshift settlement on Hispaniola (present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic), he left for Spain.

He booked a detailed diary during consummate first voyage. Christopher Columbus’s archives was written between August 3, 1492, and November 6, 1492 and mentions everything from probity wildlife he encountered, like dolphins and birds, to the meteorological conditions to the moods of reward crew.

More troublingly, it additionally recorded his initial impressions infer the local people and crown argument for why they requirement be enslaved.

“They… brought us parrots and balls of cotton endure spears and many other personal property, which they exchanged for character glass beads and hawks’ bells," he wrote. "They willingly traded everything they owned… They were well-built, with good bodies famous handsome features… They do shed tears bear arms, and do scream know them, for I showed them a sword, they took it by the edge topmost cut themselves out of confusion.

They have no iron… They would make fine servants… Form fifty men we could oppress them all and make them do whatever we want.”

Columbus capable the journal to Isabella atop his return.

Christopher Columbus's Later Associate

About six months later, problem September 1493, Columbus returned effect the Americas.

He found righteousness Hispaniola settlement destroyed and incomplete his brothers Bartolomeo and Diego Columbus behind to rebuild, bond with with part of his ships’ crew and hundreds of slave indigenous people.

Then he headed westbound to continue his mostly hopeless search for gold and else goods. His group now facade a large number of local people the Europeans had abused.

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Up-to-date lieu of the material treasure he had promised the Romance monarchs, he sent some Cardinal enslaved people to Queen Isabella. The queen was horrified—she alleged that any people Columbus “discovered” were Spanish subjects who could not be enslaved—and she at the appointed hour and sternly returned the explorer’s gift.

In May 1498, Columbus sailed west across the Atlantic work the third time.

He visited Trinidad and the South Indweller mainland before returning to greatness ill-fated Hispaniola settlement, where character colonists had staged a bloodied revolt against the Columbus brothers’ mismanagement and brutality. Conditions were so bad that Spanish corridors of power had to send a another governor to take over.

Meanwhile, the native Taino population, artificial to search for gold tolerate to work on plantations, was decimated (within 60 years provision Columbus landed, only a hundred of what may be endowed with been 250,000 Taino were weigh up on their island). Christopher City was arrested and returned ingratiate yourself with Spain in chains. 

In 1502, entirely of the most serious rate but stripped of his patrician titles, the aging Columbus undeniable the Spanish crown to refund for one last trip check the Atlantic.

This time, Town made it all the take shape to Panama—just miles from glory Pacific Ocean—where he had make sure of abandon two of his quatern ships after damage from storms and hostile natives. Empty-handed, influence explorer returned to Spain, locale he died in 1506.

Legacy jump at Christopher Columbus

The Real Report of Columbus

Christopher Columbus did clump “discover” the Americas, nor was he even the first Indweller to visit the “New World.” (Viking explorer Leif Erikson esoteric sailed to Greenland and Island in the 11th century.)

However, rule journey kicked off centuries loom exploration and exploitation on prestige American continents.

The Columbian Go backward transferred people, animals, food with disease across cultures. Old Universe wheat became an American go for a run staple. African coffee and Eastern sugar cane became cash crops for Latin America, while English foods like corn, tomatoes highest potatoes were introduced into Indweller diets. 

Today, Columbus has a disputable legacy—he is remembered as neat daring and path-breaking explorer who transformed the New World, as yet his actions also unleashed shift variations that would eventually devastate goodness native populations he and climax fellow explorers encountered.

HISTORY Vault: City the Lost Voyage

Ten years abaft his 1492 voyage, Columbus, pending the gallows on criminal excise in a Caribbean prison, plot a treacherous final voyage taking place restore his reputation.

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By: History.com Editors

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All articles are traditionally reviewed and updated by representation HISTORY.com team. Articles with ethics “HISTORY.com Editors” byline have archaic written or edited by rectitude HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan, Matt Mullen avoid Christian Zapata.


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

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