In what year did Columbus discover America? Who discovered America
The history of the discovery of America is quite amazing. These events took place at the end of the 15th century due to the rapid development of navigation and shipping in Europe. In many ways, we can say that the discovery of the American continent happened completely by accident and the motives were very banal - the search for gold, wealth, large trading cities.
In the 15th century, ancient tribes lived on the territory of modern America who were very good-natured and hospitable. In Europe, in those days, even then the states were quite developed and modern. Each country tried to expand its sphere of influence and find new sources of replenishment of the state treasury. At the end of the 15th century, trade and the development of new colonies flourished.
Who discovered America?
In the 15th century, ancient tribes lived on the territory of modern America who were very good-natured and hospitable. In Europe, even then the states were quite developed and modern. Each country tried to expand its sphere of influence and find new sources of replenishment of the state treasury.
When you ask any adult or child who discovered America, we will hear about Columbus. It was Christopher Columbus who gave impetus to the active search and development of new lands.
Christopher Columbus is the great Spanish navigator. Information about where he was born and spent his childhood is limited and contradictory. It is known that as a young man, Christopher was interested in cartography. He was married to the daughter of a navigator. In 1470, the geographer and astronomer Toscanelli informed Columbus of his assumptions that the route to India was shorter if one sailed west. Apparently, then Columbus began to hatch his idea of a short route to India, and according to his calculations, it was necessary to sail through the Canary Islands, and Japan would be close there.
Since 1475, Columbus has been trying to implement the idea and make an expedition. The purpose of the expedition is to find a new trade route to India across the Atlantic Ocean. To do this, he turned to the government and merchants of Genoa, but they did not support him. The second attempt to find funding for the expedition was made by the Portuguese King João II, however, even here, after a long study of the project, he was refused.
For the last time, he came to the Spanish king with his project. At the beginning, his project was considered for a long time, there were even several meetings and commissions, this lasted several years. His idea was supported by bishops and Catholic kings. But Columbus received final support for his project after the victory of Spain in the city of Granada, which was liberated from the Arab presence.
The expedition was organized on the condition that Columbus, if successful, would receive not only the gifts and riches of new lands, but also receive, in addition to the status of a nobleman, the title: Admiral of the Sea-Ocean and Viceroy of all the lands that he discovers. For Spain, a successful expedition promised not only the development of new lands, but also the opportunity to trade directly with India, since according to the treaty concluded with Portugal, Spanish ships were prohibited from entering the waters of the western coast of Africa.
When and how did Columbus discover America?
Historians consider 1942 to be the year of the discovery of America, although these are rather approximate data. Discovering new lands and islands, Columbus had no idea that this was another continent, which would later be called the “New World”. The traveler undertook 4 expeditions. He arrived to new and new lands, believing that these were the lands of “Western India”. For quite a long time everyone in Europe thought so. However, another traveler Vasco da Gama declared Columbus a deceiver, since it was Gamma who found a direct route to India and brought gifts and spices from there.
What America did Christopher Columbus discover? It can be said that thanks to his expeditions since 1492, Columbus discovered both North and South America. To be more precise, islands were discovered that are now considered either South or North America.
Who discovered America first?
Although historically it is believed that it was Columbus who discovered America, but in fact this is not entirely true.
There is evidence that the “New World” was previously visited by the Scandinavians (Leif Eriksson in 1000, Thorfinn Karlsefni in 1008); this journey became known from the manuscripts “The Saga of Eric the Red” and “The Saga of the Greenlanders”. There are other “discoverers of America,” but the scientific community does not take them seriously because there is no reliable data. For example, America was previously visited by an African traveler from Mali - Abu Bakr II, a Scottish nobleman Henry Sinclair, and a Chinese traveler Zheng He.
Why was America called America?
The first widely known and recorded fact is the visit of this part of the “New World” by the traveler and navigator Amerigo Vespucci. It is noteworthy that it was he who put forward the assumption that this was not India or China, but a completely new, previously unknown continent. It is believed that this is why the name America was assigned to the new land, and not its discoverer, Columbus.
500 years ago, from Columbus's caravel they saw a previously unknown land. From that moment on, a new page in the history of mankind began - the expansion of the framework of the ecumene, the development of a gigantic continent, called the New World.
What was it: discovery, colonization, Christianization of pagans? Conquest, enslavement, Indian resistance? A meeting of two worlds, two cultures? Each of these concepts has adherents both in scientific circles and among the general public. The interpretation of the events that began in October 1492 is ambiguous and depends both on the position taken by the researcher and on the point of view from which they are viewed.
Nowadays, on the eve of the 500th anniversary, these different positions have emerged especially clearly, since the question has come to the fore: what anniversary are we celebrating? To paraphrase a Latin proverb, one could say: “Tell me what you celebrate and I will tell you who you are.”
In the most general terms, existing concepts can be grouped into three areas. Eurocentric emphasizes the contribution and significance of Europeans' mission to the New World; Latin American highlights the importance of the cultures and traditions of the indigenous peoples of the continent, whose development was interrupted by foreign invasion; the latter, conciliatory, primarily marks such an aspect as the meeting of two worlds. Therefore, it is necessary, first of all, to determine what exactly we are honoring, without forgetting, of course, the main thing: the landing of Europeans on the American continent changed the course of historical development and its significance for all humanity is indisputable.
Note that most interpretations of this event are based on a narrow, often speculative approach: events are considered from the perspective of one people, one continent and within one time - the past. Consequently, they are considered biased, based on certain interests, logical and ideological constructs, and thereby coming into conflict with other points of view.
Columbus, Christopher (Cristoforo Colombo, Cristobal Colon) (1451-1506), Spanish navigator who discovered America. Italian by origin. Born in Genoa between August 25 and October 31, 1451 in the family of wool weaver Domenico Colombo. In 1470 he began to actively participate in commercial transactions (until 1473 under the leadership of his father). In 1474-1479 he made several voyages as part of the trade expeditions of the Genoese company Centurione Negro: he visited the island of Chios, England, Ireland, the islands of Porto Santo and Madeira. In 1476 he settled in Portugal. In 1482-1484 he visited the Azores and the Guinean coast (Fort of São Jorge da Mina).
In the early 1480s, he began developing a project to sail to the shores of East Asia by a western route across the Atlantic Ocean; This idea was prompted by the works of Aristotle, Seneca, Pliny the Elder, Strabo, Plutarch, Albertus Magnus and Roger Bacon, but his main inspiration was the Florentine cartographer Paolo Toscanelli (1397-1482). In 1484 he presented his project to the Portuguese King João II (1481-1495). However, in the spring of 1485, the Mathematical Junta (Lisbon Academy of Astronomy and Mathematics) recognized Columbus’s calculations as “fantastic.” In the summer of 1485 he left for Spain (Castile) and in January 1486 he proposed his project to the Spanish royal couple - Ferdinand II of Aragon (1479-1516) and Isabella I of Castile (1474-1504), who created a special commission headed by E. de Talavera. In the summer of 1487, the commission issued an unfavorable conclusion, however, Ferdinand and Isabella postponed the decision until the end of the war with the Emirate of Granada.
In the fall of 1488, Columbus visited Portugal to re-offer his project to John II, but was again refused and returned to Spain. In 1489, he unsuccessfully tried to interest the regent of France, Anna de Beaujeu, and two Spanish grandees, Dukes Enrique Medinasidonia and Luis Medinaceli, in the idea of sailing to the west. But after the fall of Granada, with the support of influential patrons at the Spanish court, he was able to achieve the consent of Ferdinand and Isabella: on April 17, 1492, the royal couple entered into an agreement (“capitulation”) with Columbus in Santa Fe, granting him the title of nobility, the titles of Admiral of the Sea-Ocean, Vice -king and governor-general of all the islands and continents that he will discover. The office of admiral gave Columbus the right to rule in disputes arising in matters of trade, the office of viceroy made him the personal representative of the monarch, and the office of governor general provided the highest civil and military authority. Columbus was given the right to receive a tenth of everything found in new lands and an eighth of the profits from trading operations with overseas goods. The Spanish crown pledged to finance most of the expenses of the expedition of Volnikov A.A. General History of State and Law. M.: Delo, 1993. - P. 145.
The first journey (1492-1493). Early in the morning of August 3, 1492, Columbus's flotilla of three ships (the caravels "Pinta" and "Nina" and the four-masted sailing ship (nao) "Santa Maria") with a crew of 90 people. left the port of Palos de la Frontera (near the confluence of the Rio Tinto into the Gulf of Cadiz). On August 9, she approached the Canary Islands. After the Pinta was repaired on the island of Gomera, the ships on September 6, 1492, heading west, began crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Having passed the Sargasso Sea, Columbus turned southwest on October 7. On October 12, the Spaniards reached the island of Guanahani (modern Watling) in the Bahamas archipelago - the first land they encountered in the Western Hemisphere. Columbus named the island San Salvador (St. Savior) and its inhabitants Indians, believing that he was off the coast of India. This day is considered the official date of the discovery of America.
Having learned from the natives about the existence of a rich island in the south, Columbus left the Bahamas archipelago on October 24 and sailed further to the southwest. On October 28, the flotilla approached the shores of Cuba, which Columbus named “Juana.” Then the Spaniards, inspired by the stories of the local Indians, spent a month searching for the golden island of Baneque (modern Great Inagua); On November 21, the captain of the Pinta, M.A. Pinson, took his ship away, deciding to search for this island on his own. Having lost hope of finding Baneke, Columbus with the two remaining ships turned east and on December 5 reached the northwestern tip of the island of Bohio (modern Haiti), to which he gave the name Hispaniola (“Spanish”). Moving along the northern coast of Hispaniola, on December 25 the expedition approached the Holy Cape (modern Cap-Haïtien), where the Santa Maria crashed and sank. This forced Columbus to leave part of the crew (39 people) in Fort Navidad (“Christmas”), which he founded, and set off on the Niña on the return journey (January 2, 1493). On January 6 he met "Pinta". On January 16, both ships headed northeast, taking advantage of a passing current - the Gulf Stream. On February 11-14, they were caught in a strong storm, during which the Pinta was lost. On February 15, the Niña reached Santa Maria Island in the Azores archipelago, but only on February 18 did it manage to land on shore. The Portuguese governor of the island tried to detain the ship by force, but encountered decisive resistance from Columbus and released the travelers; On February 24, Niña left the Azores. On February 26, she again encountered a storm, which on March 4 washed her ashore on the Portuguese coast near the mouth of the Tagus (Tajo). João II gave Columbus an audience, at which he informed the king about his discovery of the western route to India and reproached him for refusing to support his project in 1484. Despite the advice of the courtiers to kill the admiral, João II did not dare to enter into conflict with Spain, and on March 13, the Niña was able to sail to her homeland. On March 15, the 225th day of the voyage, she returned to Palos. Later, “Pinta” came there too. Isabella and Ferdinand gave Columbus a solemn welcome and gave permission for a new expedition.
Second Voyage (1493-1496). On September 25, 1493, Columbus's flotilla of 17 caravels (in addition to the ship's crews, there were soldiers, officials, monks and colonists on board) left Cadiz and reached the Canary Islands on October 2. On October 11, Columbus began crossing the Atlantic, taking a more southerly course than during his first voyage, since he planned to reach Hispaniola from the southeast. On November 3, the ships approached one of the Lesser Antilles, to which Columbus gave the name Dominica (it was Sunday - “Lord’s Day”); He called the aborigines who practiced ritual cannibalism “cannibals.” Then the navigators discovered a number of other islands in the northern part of the Lesser Antilles archipelago - Montserrat, Antigua, Nevis, San Cristobal (modern Saint Christopher), San Eustasio (modern Sint Eustatius), Santa Cruz and the “Isles of the Eleven Thousand Virgins” "(Virginskie), and the large island of Boriken, renamed by the admiral to San Juan Bautista (modern Puerto Rico). Approaching the eastern tip of Hispaniola, the flotilla moved along its northern coast and on November 27 reached Fort Navidad, which was devastated; Not a single colonist remained alive. East of the fort (in a very unfortunate location), Columbus founded a new settlement, calling it La Isabela in honor of the Queen of Spain. In January 1494, he sent an expedition deep into the island under the command of A. de Ojeda, which obtained a huge amount of gold objects from the Indians. On February 2, the admiral sent twelve ships with loot to their homeland. In the spring of 1494, the Spaniards switched to a policy of systematic robbery and extermination of the local population Volnikov A.A. General History of State and Law. M.: Delo, 1993. - P. 296.
Leaving his brother Diego in charge of Hispaniola, Columbus sailed west with three ships on April 24, 1494, continuing his search for a route to Asia (China). On April 29, he approached the eastern tip of Cuba. Moving along its southern coast, the flotilla reached Guantanamo Bay, and then turned south and dropped anchor off the northern coast of Jamaica on May 5. Encountering the open hostility of the natives, Columbus returned to the Cuban coast, headed west and reached Cortez Bay near the western tip of the island. Deciding that the Malacca Peninsula was in front of him, he turned back (June 13). Having bypassed Jamaica from the south, the flotilla returned to La Isabela on September 29.
Throughout 1495, Columbus suppressed the Indian uprising that broke out in Hispaniola. In the same year, under the influence of complaints against the admiral from colonists who fled to Spain, Ferdinand and Isabella deprived him of the monopoly right to discover overseas lands and sent their authorized representative J. Aguado to the island. After the conflict with J. Aguado, Columbus left Hispaniola on March 10, 1496, transferring power to his brother Bartolome. On June 11 he arrived in Cadiz.
Third Voyage (1498-1500). Although Ferdinand and Isabella had serious doubts about the profitability of Columbus's discoveries, the preparation by the Portuguese of a flotilla under the command of Vasco da Gama for a decisive push into the Indian Ocean around the Cape of Good Hope forced them to agree to organize a third expedition to the west N. Erofeev. English colonialism in the middle . XIX century-M.: Mysl, 1977. - P. 112.
On May 30, 1498, six ships of Columbus left the port of San Lucar de Barrameda (at the confluence of the Guadalquivir into the Gulf of Cadiz). Arriving at Madeira Island, they reached the Canary Islands. There, the admiral sent three ships with colonists directly to Hispaniola, and he himself, with one nao and two caravels, moved south to the Cape Verde Islands, intending to cross the Atlantic using the Southern Trade Wind Current. Leaving the Cape Verde Islands, the flotilla headed southwest on July 4, and then west, and on July 31 reached the large island that Columbus named Trinidad (“Trinity”). On August 1, we saw the coast of Venezuela - this is how South America was discovered. On August 5, the Spaniards were the first Europeans to land on its coast (Paria Peninsula). The admiral decided that he had found the outskirts of Asia, where the “land of eternal spring”, an earthly paradise, was supposedly located.
Having passed the strait on August 13, to which Columbus gave the name Bocas del Dragon (“Dragon’s Mouth”), the expedition moved to the northwest, reached Hispaniola on August 21, and on August 31 dropped anchor at the new administrative center of the island, Santo Domingo. Having become the head of the administration, Columbus in August 1499 achieved an end to the rebellion of F. Roldan, who rebelled against his brother Bartolome. Rumors of unrest on the island, however, prompted the Spanish court to send the plenipotentiary judge-auditor F. de Bobadilla to investigate affairs in the colony. In September 1500, F. de Bobadilla arrested Columbai and his two brothers and at the beginning of October sent them in chains to Spain. However, Ferdinand and Isabella gave the admiral a warm welcome, dropped all charges against him and returned some of his titles and all his property. At the same time, they did not retain the title of Viceroy of the Indies for him, thereby depriving him of the rights to manage the lands he had discovered.
The Fourth Voyage (1502-1504). In March 1502, Columbus received the highest permission to organize a new expedition, however, with a recommendation not to visit Hispaniola. On May 9, 1502, a flotilla of four small caravels (140-150 people) sailed from Cadiz. Having entered the Canary Islands, on May 25 she entered the open ocean and on June 15 reached the island of Matinino, which Columbus renamed Martinique. Having passed the coast of Hispaniola and rounded Jamaica from the south, the ships approached the island of Jardines de la Reina (“Gardens of the Queen”), and then turned sharply to the southwest. In three days (July 27-30), they crossed the Caribbean Sea and reached the Islas de la Bahia archipelago and the land to which the admiral gave the name Honduras ("The Depths") due to its great coastal depths. This is how Central America was discovered.
First heading east, Columbus rounded Cape Gracias a Dios (“Thanks be to God”) and sailed south along the coasts of Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. Having learned from the Panamanian Indians about the richest country of Ciguara and a large river lying in the west, he decided that this was both India and the Ganges River. On January 6, 1503, the ships stood at the mouth of the Belen River and in March they founded the small settlement of Santa Maria there. However, already in the first half of April they had to leave it due to an Indian attack; during the retreat they abandoned one caravel. Then moving east along the Panamanian coast, the flotilla at the end of April reached the Gulf of Darien and the shores of modern. Colombia, and on May 1 from Cape Punta de Mosquitas it turned north and on May 12 it reached the Jardines de la Reina Islands. Due to the deplorable condition of the ships, Columbus was able to bring them only to the northern coast of Jamaica (June 25); sailors were forced to spend a whole year in Santa Gloria Bay (modern St. Anns). They were saved from imminent death by volunteer D. Mendez, who managed to get to Santo Domingo in two canoes and send a caravel from there. On August 13, 1504, the rescued arrived in the capital of Hispaniola. On September 12, Columbus sailed for his homeland and landed in San Lucar on November 7.
At the beginning of 1505, Columbus finally abandoned further plans for sea expeditions. He devoted the last year and a half of his life to the struggle for his restoration as Viceroy of the Indies and satisfaction of financial claims, but achieved only partial monetary compensation. Until his death, he remained convinced that the lands he discovered were part of the Asian continent, and not a new continent Erofeev N.. English colonialism in the middle. XIX century-M.: Mysl, 1977. - P. 220.
Columbus died on May 20, 1506 in Valladolid, where he was buried. In 1509, his ashes were transferred to Seville to the monastery of Santa Maria de las Cuevas, from where in 1536-1537 (according to other sources, in the 1540s) they were sent to Hispaniola and placed in the Cathedral of Santo Domingo. In 1795, the remains were transported to Cuba to the Havana Cathedral, and in 1899 - back to Spain, where they were finally finally laid to rest in the Seville Cathedral.
The name of Columbus is borne by the state of Columbia in South America, the Columbia Plateau and the Columbia River in North America, the Federal District of Columbia in the USA and the province of British Columbia in Canada; There are five cities in the United States named Columbus and four named Columbia.
In what century Columbus discovered America, you will learn from this article.
In what century was America discovered?
The year marked by the discovery of America is rightfully considered a turning point in the life of all of Europe. The appearance of a new continent on the world map inspired people to undertake sea expeditions in order to explore and develop new territories. The most significant was the navigation of Columbus, who, while looking for ways to India, stumbled upon previously unknown lands. But in what century America was discovered to the whole world, we will tell you right now.
America was discovered in the 15th century.
Who discovered North America?
The discovery of North America belongs to a Norwegian with Icelandic roots - Leif Erikson. Presumably he was born in Iceland. But Erikson really wanted to serve the Christian king of Norway, Olav Tryggvason, and moved to a new country. Engaged in sea expeditions, he reached Greenland. Here he met Bjarni Herjolfson, a navigator who discovered unknown lands to the west of Greenland, but he did not land on them. Leif Erikson bought a ship from a navigator and decided to go to new lands in order to explore them. According to the prevailing saga of the Greenlanders, Leif and 15 of his sailors reached the rock-covered land. This is an island now called Baffin Island. It is located between Greenland and Canada. The next stop was dry land with forests and sandy beaches. It is believed that it was a Labrador. Not stopping there, the Norwegians continued their voyage and stopped in modern Newfoundland, building a village here for the winter.
There is no exact date when North America was discovered. Researchers agree that it was discovered at the beginning of the 11th century, based on the date and chronology of Erikson’s life - 970-1020.
Who discovered South America?
Until the end of the 15th century, Europeans knew about the existence of only three continents - Europe, Africa and Asia. They had no idea about America at all, despite the fact that the continent was inhabited by peoples and tribes.
The first who tried to discover India by the southern route (and we all know that he discovered America) was the navigator Christopher Columbus. The discoverer was born into a weaver's family in Italy. He knew how to draw geographical maps, studied the works of scientists and the notes of sailors. He was sure that our planet was spherical and wanted to make a voyage to prove this.
Having moved to Spain, Christopher Columbus spent 8 years seeking the king’s consent to an expedition across the Atlantic Ocean in order to find sea routes to India. The Spanish king agreed and appointed the persistent navigator as ruler of the lands he discovered.
In 1492, 3 caravels on board with a crew of 90 people set off. The long voyage led to the fact that the sailors began to demand the commander to turn the ships home. But Columbus's faith was strong. After 70 days, land was finally visible in the distance. These were the Greater Antilles. Next was the island of Trinidad, off the coast of South America. Continuing his journey south to the mainland, Columbus discovered the islands of Haiti and Cuba. Thus, in 1492, South America was opened to the world.
On August 3, 1492, Christopher Columbus set out on his first expedition. On this voyage, he added to his title of admiral of all seas the title of discoverer of the western sea route to Asia, not suspecting that he had set foot on a new continent. During his life he equipped four expeditions. He begged money from monarchs, fought with Indians, and gradually lost wealth and privileges. And he died without knowing that he had discovered America. Tatyana Shatrovskaya tells what else you need to know about the great navigator.
For those preparing for the main school exam
1. Columbus was not the first European in America
Columbus opened the Americas to European expansion, but he was not the first European to set foot on the mainland. Back in the 10th–11th centuries, there was a settlement of Icelandic Vikings in North America. Now L'Anse aux Meadows (“jellyfish bay”) is a historical and archaeological site in the Canadian provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador. These western lands were called "Vinland" in the Icelandic sagas. Only in the 20th century did the Norwegian explorer Helge Markus Ingstad manage to find the ancient settlement. Scientists believe that the first Europeans in North America were Vikings who arrived from a Norman colony in neighboring Greenland.
2. Columbus's first goal was not India, but Japan
Christopher Columbus, according to the most common version, thought about the expedition after a letter received in 1474 from the astronomer and geographer Paolo Toscanelli. In the letter, Toscanelli pointed out that the eastern countries can be reached by sea much faster if you sail to the west. Columbus began his own calculations, based on ancient knowledge about the sphericity of the earth and geographical maps of the 15th century. He decided to sail to Japan through the Canary Islands. According to his calculations, the distance between these two objects was five thousand kilometers. Later, turning to the Spanish monarchs in search of funding, Columbus spoke of his intention to explore Japan, China and India.
Photo: iStockphoto / YaroslavGerzhedovich
3. It took Columbus ten years to find money for his first expedition.
The country that equipped Columbus's expedition to India would become the owner of fabulous wealth - he himself thought so, but few of the rulers believed in it. Columbus proposed his project to the Portuguese King João II, but the Lisbon Mathematical Junta recognized his calculations as “fantastic.” A year later, Columbus tried to find support in Castile - that’s what Spain was called then. Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile became interested in the project, but their country was at war with the Emirate of Granada at that time. The war occupied their thoughts, required funds, and the project had to be postponed.
More than five years passed before Columbus managed to get Ferdinand and Isabella to agree to support the expedition.
He could have come to an agreement with them earlier, but he showed exorbitant ambitions. In addition to money, the future discoverer demanded that he be appointed viceroy and governor-general of all the lands that he would discover, and that he be given the title of “chief admiral of the sea-ocean.” He was almost refused, but Queen Isabella nevertheless persuaded King Ferdinand to support the traveler. In 1492, the couple entered into an agreement with Columbus, which was not for nothing called “surrender.” The king agreed to finance most of the expedition's expenses, and also confirmed all of Columbus' claims regarding titles. Thus, the Spanish rulers gave Columbus very great power. As an admiral he had a decisive voice in all trade disputes, as a viceroy he was the personal representative of the monarch, and as a governor-general he had the highest civil and military authority. Subsequently, he made full use of this power, establishing his own rules in the occupied lands.
Columbus declares the discovered land the property of the Spanish king. Illustration from 1893
4. Columbus made four expeditions to the shores of America
Despite the support of the Spanish monarchs, Columbus's first expedition was small: he managed to equip three ships, which were called "Santa Maria", "Pinta" and "Nina". They crossed the Atlantic and on October 12, 1492, landed on one of the islands of the modern Bahamas archipelago. Now this day is considered the official date of the discovery of America, but Columbus believed that he was off the coast of India. He named the island San Salvador and its inhabitants Indians. This name, given by mistake by the discoverer, stuck with the indigenous population of America forever. The island was renamed: now it bears the name of St. Savior.
Having reached a bay in the northeast of Cuba and talked with local residents, Columbus decided that he had reached one of the peninsulas of East Asia
Since no large cities or wealth were found, the admiral assumed that he was in the poorest part of China. The flotilla headed east - towards richer Japan. Columbus turned back after one of his ships was wrecked on the island of Hispaniola (now Haiti), which later became the center of colonial life.
Returning to Castile with the glory of the man who reached the shores of India, Columbus led a new grand expedition. In 1493, more than two thousand people went to sea on 17 ships. Among the participants this time were not only sailors, but also priests, soldiers, officials and artisans who were supposed to populate new lands. They founded several new settlements and extracted a lot of valuables, including gold, ruining and exterminating the local population. 12 ships with loot set off for Castile.
During the second expedition, Columbus completely conquered the island of Hispaniola, founded the city of Santo Domingo, discovered the Lesser Antilles and Virgin Islands, the islands of Puerto Rico and Jamaica. He continued to believe that he was in Western India.
Columbus set off on his third expedition in 1498 with six ships. His goals this time were more scientific. He intended to go around the Cape of Good Hope and explore the shores of the Indian Ocean. The flotilla moved south, and on the first of August the sailors saw land, which they mistook for the outskirts of Asia. In fact, this was the coast of Venezuela - this is how Columbus discovered South America.
Meanwhile, uprisings raged in the Spanish colonies. Heading to the island of Hispaniola, Columbus suppressed the rebellion, but rumors of unrest on the island had already reached Castile. Ferdinand and Isabella sent a judge-auditor to investigate affairs in the colonies, who arrested Columbus on his own island and sent him to Castile in chains. At home, the monarchs freed the navigator, but deprived him of most of his privileges and wealth - in particular, the title of Viceroy of India. Together with him, Columbus lost the right to rule the lands he discovered.
The fabulous riches of India were never discovered, and in 1502 Columbus equipped four ships for a new expedition
Strong sea currents off the coast of Cuba made him think that from the lands he discovered he could sail to South Asia, the land of spices. In search of a way to the west, Columbus explored the shores of Central America and on June 25, 1503, ran aground near Jamaica, where he spent a year waiting for help. Only in February 1504 the surviving members of the expedition were taken by a ship arriving from Hispaniola. On September 12, Columbus sailed to his homeland and abandoned further expeditions, devoting his life to an unsuccessful struggle for reinstatement as Viceroy of the Indies and monetary compensation.
After gold and pearls mined in the colonies began to arrive in Spain, thousands of Europeans, hungry for wealth, flocked to the supposed Western Indies. They exterminated Indian tribes. By the middle of the 16th century, there was no indigenous population left on the island of Hispaniola. The New World soon became a territory of slavery. Slaves from the Lesser Antilles, Cuba, Jamaica and Puerto Rico began to be imported to Santo Domingo, the capital of Hispaniola, to work in the colonies. Later, when the indigenous population of these territories was almost completely exterminated, slaves began to be hunted in South America, and then slaves began to be imported from Africa.
Fragment of Eugene Delacroix’s painting “The Return of Christopher Columbus”
5. In 1493, Columbus could have died due to boasting and disrespect for monarchs
Christopher Columbus died in 1506 in Seville after a serious illness. But his life could have ended 13 years earlier. Returning home after the first expedition, Columbus's team was caught in a storm, and his ship washed up on the shores of Portugal. At an audience with King John II, Columbus announced that he had discovered the western route to India. And he allowed himself to reproach the monarch for refusing to support the expedition in 1484. The courtiers advised Juan II to kill the daring navigator, but the king did not dare to enter into conflict with Spain and released Columbus along with his crew, allowing them to sail to their homeland.
6. Columbus proposed to populate new lands with criminals
Returning home after his second voyage, Christopher Columbus reported that he had reached the Asian continent. He proposed sending not free settlers, but criminals from prisons, to develop new lands, cutting their sentences in half. This idea met with approval from the Spanish authorities, as it solved several problems at once. By sending criminals to the new continent, Spain reduced the cost of maintaining prisons and provided “human material” for the colonies. From that moment on, along with priests and artisans, ships began to deliver yesterday's criminals to the shores of America.
7. Columbus never knew that he discovered America.
Christopher Columbus considered all the territories he discovered to be part of East Asia. According to his ideas, he visited the vicinity of China, Japan and India. For a long time, Europeans called these lands the West Indies, since they had to sail to the west to reach them. The real India, which could be reached by land by heading east, was called the East Indies.
8. Why wasn't America named after Columbus?
America, according to the most common version, was named after the Florentine traveler Amerigo Vespucci. It was he who was the first to prove that the territories discovered by Columbus were not Asia, but a new continent. At the same time, in America itself the Spanish discoverer is treated with respect. The Columbia Plateau, the Columbia River in North America, and the District of Columbia in the USA are named in his honor. In addition, there are five cities in the United States named Columbus and four Columbia.
23.03.2016
The name of the American continent is strongly associated with the name of Christopher Columbus, the famous discoverer of the New World. There is evidence that even before the 15th century, Europeans managed to reach the shores of America. These were the Vikings who sailed to the coast of the Labrador Peninsula in the 10th century. However, their travels did not have much practical significance for Europe; they were generally unknown to contemporaries. Therefore, the honor of being considered the first person to cross the Atlantic Ocean and reach a new continent began to belong to Columbus. Although the question is still sometimes asked: “Who was the first to discover America - Christopher Columbus or Amerigo Vespucci?” So, first things first...
In 1492, Christopher Columbus, trying to get to India by a short route from the eastern side, discovered the islands of Central America. Columbus hatched the project of an expedition to the west for ten years, and it took about eight more to find organizers and sponsors. He proposed the idea to Genoese merchants, Portuguese, French, English rulers, and, more than once, to the Spanish royal couple.
Ultimately, it was the Catholic monarchs, Isabella and Ferdinand, who agreed to patronize Columbus, gave him a title of nobility and promised a monopoly on income from the territories that he managed to discover. On his first voyage in 1492-1494, this Spanish subject (although he was Italian by origin) discovered the islands: Haiti (Hispaniola), Cuba, San Salvador (one of the Bahamas).
Columbus returned to his homeland in full confidence that he had reached East Asia, mistaking Cuba for the Chinese peninsula. On the next sea voyage, several thousand people on 17 ships set off to the shores of still unexplored islands. In search of gold and other treasures, Europeans began to seize the islands and subjugate the natives, who were called Indians.
The maps included Dominica, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Montserrat, Antigua, Puerto Rico and other names. But the mainland of “India” had still not been discovered, as well as the gold promised to the king. Having learned about the dissatisfaction of his patrons, Columbus was forced to return to Spain in order to somehow justify himself. He managed to regain the favor of the rulers and gain the right to sole exploration of the lands of the West Indies.
The third expedition in 1498 turned out to be more modest; it was possible to raise funds to send only six ships. But this time Columbus was able to explore about 300 km of mainland Central America. Once at the mouth of the Orinoco River, he realized that such a large river must flow from a large land mass. But he was unable to continue the expedition due to illness.
In 1499, Vasco da Gama triumphantly returned to Portugal, opening the sea route to real India. Columbus, after such news, completely lost the trust of the Spanish monarchs and was even taken into custody. He was soon released under the patronage of influential friends who financed the expeditions. However, the monopoly on land development was taken away from Columbus. And the supply of settlers in the West Indies (as this region was still called) was entrusted to the new manager of the finances of the Florentine trading house - Amerigo Vespucci.
Vespucci was an employee of the trading house that sponsored Columbus's second and third expeditions. The navigator's successes aroused curiosity in the Florentine, and when such an opportunity arose, he himself set off on a long journey across the Atlantic Ocean. On the voyage of 1499, he received a position as navigator on the ship of Admiral Alonso de Ojeda. Using maps compiled by Columbus, Ojeda easily led his crew to the coast of the mainland.
They reached land on the territory of modern Suriname. Moving along the coast, the travelers reached the Bay of Maracaibo, where Vespucci saw houses standing in the water on stilts. He called this country “Little Venice” - Venezuela. In 1500, a map of the West Indies was published, where, among others, all the names given by Amerigo Vespucci during the expedition of Alonso de Ojeda were plotted. The author of the map was the pilot Juan de la Cosa.
Vespucci, returning from his first trip, moved from Spanish Cadiz to Lisbon, from where, already under the patronage of the Portuguese king, he visited the shores of the new continent twice more. Information about Vespucci's travels is preserved in letters to his patron Lorenzo Medici and the gonfaloniere (guardian of justice) of the Florentine Republic and longtime friend Pietro Soderini. These texts aroused keen interest in Europe and were translated into French, German, Italian and Spanish (the originals were written in Latin).
The German cartographer and publisher Martin Waldseemüller published the book “Introduction to Cosmography,” where he published letters from Vespucci, in which he called the discovered lands the New World. The publisher himself was so delighted with the travels described that he suggested naming the mainland in honor of Amerigo. The public supported this idea. This is how America acquired its modern name.
The achievements of Columbus quickly faded into the background among his contemporaries, because after him much more large-scale discoveries began to occur in the continental regions of the New World. However, when looking at the events of more than five hundred years ago, the primacy of Christopher Columbus in the exploration of America is no longer in doubt.
