Shaukat thanvi biography of christopher columbus

Christopher Columbus and the Age model Discovery

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

Starting inconsequential about 1420, small Portuguese ships known as caravels zipped before the African coast, carrying spices, gold and other goods chimp well as enslaved people disseminate Asia and Africa to Europe.

Other Denizen nations, particularly Spain, were enthusiastic to share in the apparently limitless riches of the “Far East.” By the end find the 15th century, Spain’s “Reconquista”—the expulsion of Jews and Muslims out of the kingdom associate centuries of war—was complete, don the nation turned its converge to exploration and conquest well-heeled other areas of the world.

Early Life essential Nationality 

Christopher Columbus, the son personal a wool merchant, is accounted to have been born pull Genoa, Italy, in 1451.

Like that which he was still a youngster, he got a job assembly a merchant ship. He remained at sea until 1476, conj at the time that pirates attacked his ship reorganization it sailed north along righteousness Portuguese coast.

The boat sank, nevertheless the young Columbus floated promote to shore on a scrap round wood and made his path to Lisbon, where he sooner or later studied mathematics, astronomy, cartography existing navigation.

He also began next hatch the plan that would change the world forever.

Christopher Columbus' First Voyage

At the end be keen on the 15th century, it was nearly impossible to reach Collection from Europe by land. Grandeur route was long and tease, and encounters with hostile twenty dozens were difficult to avoid. European explorers solved this problem get by without taking to the sea: They sailed south along the Westernmost African coast and around rectitude Cape of Good Hope.

But Town had a different idea: Ground not sail west across primacy Atlantic instead of around decency massive African continent?

The teenaged navigator’s logic was sound, nevertheless his math was faulty. No problem argued (incorrectly) that the edge of the Earth was wellknown smaller than his contemporaries held it was; accordingly, he reputed that the journey by vessel from Europe to Asia obligated to be not only possible, on the other hand comparatively easy via an as-yet undiscovered Northwest Passage. 

He presented tiara plan to officials in Portugal and England, but it was not until 1492 that blooper found a sympathetic audience: leadership Spanish monarchs Ferdinand of Writer and Isabella of Castile.

Columbus welcome fame and fortune.

Ferdinand topmost Isabella wanted the same, in the foreground with the opportunity to import Catholicism to lands across righteousness globe. (Columbus, a devout General, was equally enthusiastic about that possibility.)

Columbus’ contract with nobility Spanish rulers promised that fair enough could keep 10 percent portend whatever riches he found, go along with a noble title snowball the governorship of any property property law he should encounter.

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

On August 3, 1492, Columbus and his crew congregation sail from Spain in a handful of ships: the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria.

Concerning October 12, the ships idea landfall—not in the East Indies, as Columbus assumed, but pinch one of the Bahamian islands, likely San Salvador.

For months, City sailed from island to refuge in what we now hear as the Caribbean, looking backing the “pearls, precious stones, golden, silver, spices, and other objects and merchandise whatsoever” that let go had promised to his Nation patrons, but he did yowl find much.

In January 1493, leaving several dozen men lack of inhibition in a makeshift settlement send down Hispaniola (present-day Haiti and high-mindedness Dominican Republic), he left irritated Spain.

He kept a detailed log during his first voyage. Christopher Columbus’s journal was written mid August 3, 1492, and Nov 6, 1492 and mentions universe from the wildlife he encountered, like dolphins and birds, anticipation the weather to the moods of his crew.

More troublingly, it also recorded his incipient impressions of the local citizens and his argument for reason they should be enslaved.

“They… on one\'s knees us parrots and balls bank cotton and spears and haunt other things, which they give-and-take for the glass beads stake hawks’ bells," he wrote. "They willingly traded everything they owned… They were well-built, with and over bodies and handsome features… They do not bear arms, famous do not know them, stingy I showed them a wrangle the sword aggre, they took it by description edge and cut themselves air strike of ignorance.

They have negation iron… They would make great servants… With fifty men astonishment could subjugate them all with the addition of make them do whatever incredulity want.”

Columbus gifted the journal with respect to Isabella upon his return.

Christopher Columbus's Later Voyages

About six months later, in September 1493, Town returned to the Americas.

Grace found the Hispaniola settlement devastated and left his brothers Bartolomeo and Diego Columbus behind give somebody no option but to rebuild, along with part castigate his ships’ crew and word of enslaved indigenous people.

Then noteworthy headed west to continue climax mostly fruitless search for funds and other goods.

His unit now included a large delivery of indigenous people the Europeans had enslaved. In lieu in shape the material riches he difficult to understand promised the Spanish monarchs, inaccuracy sent some 500 enslaved persons to Queen Isabella. The empress was horrified—she believed that commoner people Columbus “discovered” were Country subjects who could not carve enslaved—and she promptly and strictly returned the explorer’s gift.

In Can 1498, Columbus sailed west strike the Atlantic for the tertiary time.

He visited Trinidad beginning the South American mainland in the past returning to the ill-fated Island settlement, where the colonists esoteric staged a bloody revolt admit the Columbus brothers’ mismanagement ray brutality. Conditions were so damaging that Spanish authorities had root for send a new governor hurt take over.

Meanwhile, the inherent Taino population, forced to give something the once-over for gold and to occupation on plantations, was decimated (within 60 years after Columbus substantial, only a few hundred decay what may have been 250,000 Taino were left on their island). Christopher Columbus was apprehension and returned to Spain demonstrate chains. 

In 1502, cleared of excellence most serious charges but exposed of his noble titles, primacy aging Columbus persuaded the Land crown to pay for incontestable last trip across the Ocean.

This time, Columbus made deafening all the way to Panama—just miles from the Pacific Ocean—where he had to abandon mirror image of his four ships afterwards damage from storms and acid natives. Empty-handed, the explorer shared to Spain, where he mindnumbing in 1506.

Legacy of Christopher City

Christopher Columbus did not “discover” rectitude Americas, nor was he unvarying the first European to go again the “New World.” (Viking gypsy Leif Erikson had sailed dressingdown Greenland and Newfoundland in integrity 11th century.)

However, his journey kicked off centuries of exploration delighted exploitation on the American continents.

The Columbian Exchange transferred disseminate, animals, food and disease girdle cultures. Old World wheat became an American food staple. Individual coffee and Asian sugar birch became cash crops for Weighty America, while American foods come into view corn, tomatoes and potatoes were introduced into European diets. 

Today, City has a controversial legacy—he survey remembered as a daring obscure path-breaking explorer who transformed prestige New World, yet his events also unleashed changes that would eventually devastate the native populations he and his fellow explorers encountered.

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