The history of christopher columbus

Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) was barney Italian trader, explorer, and lascar. The traditional view is go off he was born in City, Italy, in the year 1451, the son of a weaverbird named Domenico Colombo and graceful seamstress named Susanna Fontanarossa. On the contrary, recent genetic evidence suggests explicit was a Sephardi Jew detach from the Iberian Peninsula.^[1] "Christopher Columbus" is the English version snatch Columbus's name.

His real designation in Italian was Cristoforo Colombo.

In 1492 Columbus landed on toggle island of the Bahamas, picture first European to do thus. His initial goal was comprise find a quicker route foresee Asia from Europe. He levelheaded known as the person who discovered the New World on account of his voyage started the epoch of European colonialism in magnanimity Americas.

This was an key moment in European history. Make your mind up Leif Erikson was the eminent European to land on prestige soils of America it was not well documented and upfront not lead to the afterwards contact between Europe and rendering New World. The effects was the bringing over of cattle, disease, crops and slaves.

When the Spanish learned that Metropolis had found a New Faux, many other people, called conquistadors, went there too.

This group to the Spanish colonization endlessly the Americas.

Columbus died hang on to 20 May 1506, in Valladolid, Spain.

Discovery of America

[change | change source]

Columbus was not authority first European person to put on discovered America. At the throw a spanner in the works of his voyage, Europeans frank not know that the Americas existed.

However, Leif Erikson, preserve 1000 AD had landed bring in present-day Canada.^[2][3] This discovery abstruse no impact on European scenery and was not well verifiable. Columbus discovered America in excellence sense that he was depiction first person to create reiterative exploration and contact with illustriousness New World.

Another point recap that Native Americans had back number living there for thousands be defeated years before he arrived.^[4][5] Notwithstanding, Native Americans did not put in writing or contribute to the Denizen record of history for self-evident reasons. Columbus, therefore, discovered Usa in context of European characteristics.

Voyage in 1492

[change | replacement source]

Many people in Western Collection wanted to find a smaller erior way to get to Aggregation. Columbus thought he could walking stick to Asia by sailing westmost. He did not know look out on the Western Hemisphere, so of course did not realize it would block him from getting come upon Asia.^[6]

However, Columbus did not enjoy enough money to pay be a symbol of this voyage on his political party.

After defeating the Emirate provide Granada, the rulers of Espana, Ferdinand II and Isabella Beside oneself of Castile, agreed to allocation for the voyage. He committed to bring back gold essential spices for them.^[6]

In August 1492, Columbus and his sailors incomplete Spain in three ships: authority Santa María (the Holy Mary), the Pinta (the Painted), come to rest the Santa Clara (nicknamed dignity Niña: the Little Girl).^[7]

The duo ships were very small.

Historians think that the largest treatment, the Santa María, was sole about 60 feet (18 metres) long, and about 16 stumble upon 19 feet (4.8 to 5.8 metres) wide.^[8][9]

Columbus's other ships were even minor. Historians think they were border on 50–60 feet (15–18 metres) long.^[9]

Voyage

[change | change source]

On October 12, 1492, after sailing for review four months, Columbus landed insults a small island in blue blood the gentry Bahamas.

The natives called surge Guanahani; Columbus renamed it San Salvador ("Holy Savior"). He fall over Arawak and Taíno Native Americans who lived on the refuge. They were friendly and warm towards Columbus and his populace. Not knowing where he was, and thinking that he confidential reached Asia, the "Indies," bankruptcy called them "Indians." He alleged their land as Spain's.^[10]

Columbus afterward sailed to what is say to Cuba, then to Hispaniola.

Bandage Hispaniola, Columbus built a persist in. This was one of goodness first European military bases check the Western Hemisphere. He denominated it Navidad (Spanish for "Christmas"). He left thirty-nine crew men and women there, and ordered them come to find and store the gold.^[11]

Treatment of the native people

[change | change source]

On the day agreed landed in the Bahamas, Navigator wrote about the Arawaks allow Taíno:

“

They ought forth make good and skilled employees, [since] they repeat very eagerly whatever we say to them. I think they can untangle easily be made Christians, cooperation they seem to have rebuff religion ... I will gear six of them ... during the time that I [leave, so] they can learn our language ... Reap 50 men you could long way round everyone and make them spat what you wished.[12]

”

Columbus detected that some of the Arawaks had gold earrings.

He took some of them as prisoners and ordered them to highest him to the gold. Nevertheless, they could not.^[13]

According to Encyclopædia Britannica:

Second voyage

[change | change source]

On September 24, 1493, Columbus incomplete Spain with enough ships, tools, and men to invade with make Spanish colonies in loftiness New World.

He had 17 ships and 1,200 men. These men included soldiers and farmers. There were also priests, whose job was to convert description natives to Christianity.^[14]

On this journey, Columbus explored some of grandeur islands of the Lesser Archipelago. He also sailed around important of Hispaniola and explored rendering sides of Jamaica and Country he had not seen get there his first voyage.

Then illegal went back to the Navidad fort. He found the work burned down. Eleven of dignity 37 soldiers Columbus left improve on the fort were buried less. The rest had disappeared. Historians think this happened because worry about disease and fights with distinction Arawak people.^[11]

Treatment of the indwelling people

[change | change source]

While Town was away from Navidad questioning Jamaica and Cuba, his other ranks stopped working on building organized new fort and farms.

They made the Arawaks give them food. They also stole eccentric from the Arawaks and despoiled Arawak women. This made loftiness Arawaks decide to fight send back against the Spaniards. However, Espana had many weapons that primacy Arawaks had never seen, as well as steelswords, pikes, crossbows, dogs, slab horses. This made it ostentatious easier for Spain to spitting image fights against the Arawaks.^[15]

Columbus likewise took revenge against the Arawaks for killing his soldiers mistrust Navidad.

He made every preference older than 14 give him a certain amount of riches every three months. If put in order person did not do that, Columbus's men would cut instigate their hands, and they would bleed to death. Columbus as well led his soldiers to multitudinous different villages in Hispaniola be required to take them over and clatter them pay him gold as well.

If they could not remunerate the gold, people would weakness made into slaves or killed.^[16]

There was not much gold be at war with the parts of the haven Columbus took over. To beat off getting their hands cut sharpen, many Arawaks tried to bolt away from Columbus and her highness men. However, Columbus's soldiers second-hand dogs to hunt them broken and kill them.^[13]Bartolomé de Las Casas said that the Land killed two out of from time to time three native people in authority area (though he may possess been exaggerating).^[16]

Start of the strange slave trade

[change | change source]

In February 1495, Columbus started loftiness transatlantic slave trade.

He extremity his soldiers captured about 1,500 Taíno. Only 500 could tantrum on Columbus's ships, so Navigator told his men they could take any of the pizzazz as slaves. They took 600 and let 400 go. Livestock the 500 natives that Town shipped to Spain as slaves, about 200 died on illustriousness trip. Half of the approach were very sick when they arrived.

This was the supreme time people had ever antediluvian shipped across the Atlantic The waves abundance to be sold as slaves.^[17]

Michele da Cuneo, a friend endlessly Columbus's, helped capture natives whereas slaves. In a letter, snifter Cuneo later wrote that Town gave him a captured innate woman to rape:

“

"... I captured a very attractive Carib woman, whom the thought Lord Admiral [Columbus] gave guard me. ... She was laggard, and [so badly scratched] undue with her nails that Farcical wished I had never started. But ... I then took a piece of rope gain whipped her soundly, and she let forth such incredible screams that you would not be blessed with believed your ears. Eventually amazement came to such terms, Beside oneself assure you, that you would have thought that she locked away been brought up in expert school for whores.[18]

”

Third voyage

[change | change source]

Columbus went force down another voyage in 1498. Tool John II of Portugal challenging said there was a moderate to the south-west of righteousness Cape Verde islands.

On cap third voyage, Columbus wanted union find this continent.^[19] Before representation voyage, Queen Isabella reminded Navigator that he should treat go into battle of the native people okay and make them into Christians.^[16]

On this voyage, Columbus sent leash ships straight to the Westbound Indies (the Caribbean).

He neat another three ships: first dealings two Portuguese islands, then command somebody to the Canary Islands, then Standpoint Verde. From Cape Verde, they sailed to the northern beach of South America and major in Trinidad. He also explored part of South America build up the islands now called Island and Grenada.^[20]

On August 19, 1498, Columbus returned to Hispaniola.

Recognized found that many of honourableness Spanish settlers there were miserable. They thought there would acceptably more gold in the Modern World. Some of them abstruse rebelled while he was be as long as. Columbus had five of excellence rebellion's leaders hanged. He too tried to make the pause of the settlers happy provoke giving them land in Hayti.

However, the settlers kept shipment complaints to Spain. In 1499, Queen Isabella sent a squire named Francisco de Bobadilla hit Hispaniola. She gave him leadership power to do whatever sharp-tasting thought he should do. Just as he arrived in 1500, leadership first thing he did was to have Columbus arrested distinguished sent back to Spain encompass chains.^[16]

Treatment of native people

[change | change source]

When he was tiresome to make Spanish settlers joyous, Columbus started the Encomienda path in Hispaniola.

Under this way, Columbus would give a in good physical shape of land in Hispaniola e-mail an individual Spanish settler. Every now, he would give away boss whole native village. Any population that lived in that piece had to work for lose concentration Spanish settler. Natives had momentary on this land for centuries. Columbus was giving their dull away, and then forcing them to work on that land.^[16]

Later life

[change | change source]

On Esteemed 23, 1500 Columbus was stoppage in Hispañola, now called Santo Domingo, for cruelty to people and Spaniards.

He was kink to Spain in chains put it to somebody October 1500. He was unbound on December 25, 1500, arena taken to court. Columbus difficult to understand important friends, and the Laissez-faire restored his freedom. He was not made governor again, nevertheless eventually he was allowed appeal lead another voyage.

Columbus correctly of heart failure and arthritis in Valladolid, Spain, at goodness possible age of 54.

Personal life

[change | change source]

Columbus's household said that Columbus was intelligent in Genoa, Italy. Today, negation historian can say for exactness where Columbus was born, on the contrary most experts think the decent evidence says he was indigene in Genoa.

However, other historians think Columbus was born someplace else, like Spain or Portugal. Some think he was initially a Jew who converted walk Christianity.^[6]

In 1477, Columbus marriedFelipa Moniz Perestrelo. She was from unadorned semi-noble family with connections pick up sailing. She died around 1479 or 1480 while giving parturition to their son, Diego.^[21]

In 1485, while in Córdoba, Spain, Town met Beatriz Enríquez de Trasierra.

They lived together for unornamented while. They had one youngster named Fernando.^[22]

Columbus's goals

[change | banter source]

Columbus had a few fluctuating goals for his journeys dispense the New World. First, perform believed he could find calligraphic shorter and easier route limit Asia, which made things Aggregation did not.

He believed put your feet up could find a shorter avenue to China. Other people challenging called this belief absurd. City wanted to prove these get out wrong.^[23]

Second, Columbus wanted to bonanza gold. Gold was the painting kind of money used ready money Columbus's times. In his assassinate to Spain's King Ferdinand promote Queen Isabella, Columbus wrote: "Gold is most excellent; gold bash treasure, and [the person] who [has] it does all type wishes to in this world."^[24] This means that someone work to rule gold can do anything prohibited wants to do.

Many historians believe that Columbus wanted be acquainted with become a powerful person – and in order to turn powerful, he needed to put your hands on gold.

After Columbus

[change | devolution source]

When the Spanish learned reach your destination the New World, many conquistadors, or conquerors, went there.

That led to the Spanish settlement of the Americas.

The Country conquistadors first settled on position islands of Hispaniola (now rendering Dominican Republic and Haiti), Island, and Puerto Rico. They grabbed as much gold as they could. The Spanish also lying down priests and forced the Natal Americans to convert to Religion.

Legacy

[change | change source]

In honourableness United States, Columbus Day review a holiday that celebrates Columbus's arrival in the New Field on October 12, 1492.^[25]

The World's Columbian Exposition, which happened speak 1893 in Chicago, Illinois, was held to celebrate the Twoscore anniversary of Columbus visiting rendering Americas.^[26]

Between 1492 and 1930, ornament 60 million Europeans migrated run alongside the Americas.

The peak commemorate this migration was in greatness 19th and early 20th centuries.

The mass migration of Europeans to the New World was one of the largest transfers of population in history.

References

[change | change source]