Discovery of America by Columbus message. Christopher Columbus - short biography

Hi Hi! Today is the time of great geographical discoveries, and I want to talk about Columbus.

Christopher Columbus, whose biography is very fascinating, will help us better imagine the history of the discovery of America.

We will consider all his expeditions to the New World with the most interesting details.

(1451 - 1506) - the great Spanish navigator of Italian origin. He made four transatlantic expeditions to America.

Columbus was born in the Italian Republic of Genoa. His family included three younger brothers (Bartolomeo, Giovanni Pellegrino and Giacomo) and a younger sister (Biancinetta).

During the expeditions of Columbus new world after 1492, Bartolomeo and Giacomo took part, and they were called in Spanish Bartolome and Diego. Christopher Columbus became a sailor very early and mediterranean sea he sailed on merchant ships in 1474 and 1475. from Genoa to about. Chios.

In May 1476, Columbus, as a clerk of a Genoese trading house, went to Portugal, where he lived for 9 years.

Columbus sailed under the Portuguese flag to Ireland and England, and possibly Iceland. He also visited the Canary Islands and Madeira and traveled along west coast Africa to the Portuguese trading post of San Jorjima Mina (modern Ghana).

In Portugal, he married and became a member of a mixed Italian-Portuguese family. He soon suggested that by moving west one could arrive in Asia.

Columbus, around 1483, tried to interest the Portuguese king João II with his plan of an expedition to Asia by the western route. But the king, for unknown reasons, refused Columbus.

Columbus left Portugal in 1485 and decided to try his luck in Spain. Early in 1486, while the royal court was in Alcalá de Henaresi, Columbus received an audience with the king and queen.

Queen Isabella of Castile and her husband, King Ferdinand of Aragon, became interested in the Columbus project.

They assured Columbus that they could support him after the end of the long war to free Granada from the Moors.

While he was waiting for the end of the war, he met a young woman, Beatriz Henriquez de Arana. Despite the fact that they never married, their son Hernando (Fernando) was born in 1488.

During the fourth voyage of Columbus across the Atlantic Ocean, Fernando accompanied him. He later wrote a biography of his father.

During the deposition of Granada in January 1492, he was invited to the court. In May, the monarchs agreed to support Columbus's project and promised to give him the title of nobility and the titles of admiral, viceroy and governor-general of all the continents and islands that he would discover.

Representatives of the Seville merchants gave money to equip the expedition. Sailors port city Palos, at the request of the monarchs, provided two ships for the expedition of Columbus.

These were two caravels: "Pinta" and "Nina". In addition, he chartered a 4-masted sailboat (nao), which was named "Santa Maria".

Columbus, with the help of famous sailor Martin Alonso Pinzón, recruited a crew of 90 men. On August 3, 1492, 3 ships left Palos. First, a small flotilla headed for Canary Islands.

In September 1492, the Columbus expedition repaired their ships and replenished provisions, after which they left the island of Homer in the Canary archipelago and headed west.

Columbus and other pilots used a navigation system that was based on calculating the direction, time and speed of movement while plotting the course of the ship and fixing its position.

The direction they determined by the compass(more about types of compass), time (about the concept of time) - with the help of an hourglass, and speed - by eye. In the log book, Columbus kept two systems for calculating distances: one for himself and the other for the crew.

He didn't try to fool the team, contrary to legend. On the contrary, he apparently calculated the course first in units that he had learned in Portugal and Italy, and then translated these figures into measurements that were adopted by Spanish navigators.

The journey proceeded calmly, with fair winds and almost no quarrels on the part of the crew. The watchman on the "Pinta" J. Rodriguez Bermejo, on October 12, at two o'clock, saw a fire ahead. Vessels at dawn, near an island in the archipelago of the Bahamas, anchored.

The Tubilians from the Taino tribe called this island Guanahani, and Columbus renamed it San Salvador. Christopher Columbus called the Tubilians Indians, believing that he was in Asia(more about this part of the world).

The flotilla, with the help of the Indians, continued its journey in the waters of the Bahamas and reached Cuba on October 28.

Columbus all this time was looking for the rich ports of Asia in vain. Without the permission of Columbus, Captain Pinson left Cuba and went in search of new lands on the Pinta in order to establish trade with the Tubilians.

On the two remaining ships, Columbus went to a large island, which he called Hispanyola (translated as "Spanish Island", now Haiti), and explored its northern coast.

The Santa Maria, through the fault of a young shift sailor, ran aground on Christmas morning and crashed. Columbus, on the only ship "Nina", reached the shore and fell asleep for the first time in the New World of the settlement - Fort Navidad, in which he left 39 people.

On January 4, 1493, Columbus prepared to return to Spain on the Nina, and sailed east along north coast Hispaniola. Soon Pinzón joined him, and on January 16, Nina and Pinta set off for Spain.

As proof that he had reached a part of the world previously unknown to Europeans, he took 7 Indians with him. A fair wind after a while drove his ship to the Azores.

The Spaniards reached the coast of Portugal on March 4, and stopped there to rest and repair ships. Columbus paid a courtesy call to King João II and sailed for Spain on March 13. Nina arrived in Palos 2 days later.

Columbus was warmly welcomed by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. In addition to the privileges that they promised him earlier, they gave permission for a larger second expedition.

Christopher Columbus assured them that near the islands he had discovered, there was a rich Asian mainland, where he wanted to establish a colony.

Columbus's plans were supported by Ferdinand and Isabella, they provided him with people and ships to go to Hispaniola. The queen ordered that the Tubilians be converted to the Christian faith.

Columbus easily found 1,200 people who agreed to ride with him as future settlers. On September 25, 1493, a flotilla of 17 ships (including 3 big ship) and on October 2 reached the Canary Islands, and 10 days later she went across the Atlantic Ocean.

On one of the islands caribbean Columbus landed on November 3rd and named it Dominica. From there, to the coast of Hispaniola, he sailed along the Lesser Antilles and the Virgin Islands.

To the surprise of those who arrived, it turned out that all 39 people left in Navidad in January were killed (this was mainly due to clashes with the Tubilians).

Columbus, despite this, founded a new settlement, and named it La Isabella in honor of the Queen of Spain (January 1494). The place for the settlement, unfortunately, was chosen unsuccessfully: there was no nearby fresh water, and he was soon, therefore, left.

In addition to searching for gold and locating the ports of the "Great Khanate of China", Columbus was engaged in the slave trade.

He and his people, armed with arquebuses, along with horses and fighting dogs, passed through the territory of Hispaniola, changing gold, and if they met resistance, they beat off the gold by force and captured the prisoners.

Columbus left his brother Diego to manage Hispaniola. And in the spring of 1494 he himself made an expedition along the southern coast of Cuba, discovering a number of new islands, including Jamaica.

On Hispaniola, during the absence of Columbus, 3 ships arrived under the command of his brother Bartolome. He found the colony in a state of chaos.

These ships were captured by a group of disappointed colonists who fled to their homeland. In March 1495 Columbus began the conquest of Hispaniola using barbarian methods. During this conquest, thousands of Indians were captured or killed.

The Spanish monarchs were upset by this message, and J. Aguado was sent to check the affairs, who, at the end of 1495, confirmed their worst expectations: among the Indians, the death rate was very high, mainly due to the cruel policy of the colonists.

The number of Europeans, in addition, significantly decreased due to disease and desertion. On March 10, 1496, Columbus went to Spain, and instead of himself on Hispaniola left his brother Bartolome, and on June 11, 1496 arrived in Cadiz.

Isabella and Ferdinand in 1496 no longer hoped that they would be able to quickly benefit from Columbus' projects.

Columbus, despite all the accusations of lack of management ability, managed to convince the monarchs to give permission for third expedition .

He could use 1 nao and 2 caravels to search for new lands, as well as 3 more caravels to bring new colonists and food to Hispaniola.

Near the island of Gomera, the flotilla was divided, which left the mouth of the Guadalquivir on May 30, 1498. The course for Espanyola was taken by 3 ships.

On the other three ships, Columbus went south, reached the Cape Verde Islands and turned west on July 7. On July 31, he discovered the island of Trinidad, and then headed northwest to the shores of America.

After that, he discovered a wide delta, some kind of river (in modern Venezuela, the Orinoco River), and realized that there was a huge landmass there.

After surveying the coast in the Orinoco Delta and discovering about. Margherita, Columbus went to Hispaniola, where Bartolome and Diego could not clean up.

Isabella and Ferdinand, concerned about Columbus' reports, sent F. de Bobadillo to investigate the affairs of the colony.

He quickly assessed the situation, and arrested all three brothers of Christopher Columbus, confiscated all their money, shackled them, and sent them to Spain in December 1500.

Immediately after their return, Columbus was called to Granada. The monarchs convinced the Genoese that they never ordered him to be kept in shackles. However, until September 1501, they delayed the consideration of his applications for the renewal of rights.

Ferdinand and Isabella returned all the property and part of the titles to Columbus, but did not leave any power. Also, the monarchs for a long time did not give their consent to a new expedition. They began to create a new structure for managing the colonies, and N. de Ovando was appointed governor of Hispaniola.

In February 1502, Ovando sailed to Caribbean region on 30 ships with a large group of settlers.

new expedition Columbus was allowed to lead only in March 1502. The flotilla of the fourth expedition of Columbus consisted of 4 small caravels.

On May 11, 1502, the admiral, who was 51 years old, and his 13-year-old son Hernando sailed from Cadiz on the flagship.

On May 25, they left the Canary Islands, crossed the Atlantic, and on June 15 reached the island that Columbus named Martinique.

The flotilla reached Hispaniola on June 29, passing along the islands of the Antilles archipelago. Columbus and his companions soon made a new journey, which took place mainly along the coasts of Central America.

The admiral no longer believed that he was in Asia. On the territory of modern Panama lived the Guai Indians, who traded gold with the expedition members, but they opposed all the methods of the Europeans to establish a settlement.

Guayami forced the Spaniards in May 1503 to leave the coast of Central America. One of the ships sank in the sea, and the remaining three ships barely kept afloat.

Columbus left another ship, and then went to Jamaica, near the coast of which, the ships ran aground.

Columbus spent a whole year in Jamaica until a ship from Hispaniola rescued him at the end of June 1504. Only in November 1504, Columbus was able to return to Spain.

Columbus died on May 21, 1506 Spanish city Valladolidi. He died never knowing that he was the discoverer of the New World.

In 1513, his coffin was transferred to Seville, and then, around 1542, it was reburied in the cathedral of the city of Santo Domingo (now the Dominican Republic).

Yes, the process of discovery and development of the New World by the colonists was so interesting and difficult. And Christopher Columbus helped us get acquainted with this, whose biography told us everything🙂

The project of the western sea route from Europe to India was developed by Christopher Columbus in the 1480s.

Europeans were interested in finding a sea route to Asia, since at the end of the 15th century they still could not penetrate Asian countries by land - it was blocked Ottoman Empire. Merchants from Europe had to buy spices, silk and other oriental goods from Arab merchants. In the 1480s, the Portuguese tried to go around Africa in order to penetrate Indian Ocean to India. Columbus also suggested that Asia can be reached by moving west.

His theory was based on the ancient doctrine of the sphericity of the Earth and the incorrect calculations of scientists of the 15th century.

The monarch created a council of scientists that considered and rejected Columbus' proposal.

Having received no support, in 1485 Columbus went to Spain. There, in early 1486, he was introduced to the royal court and received an audience with the king and queen of Spain, Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella of Castile.

The royal couple became interested in the project of a western route to Asia. To consider it, a special commission was created, which in the summer of 1487 issued an unfavorable conclusion. The Spanish monarchs postponed the decision to organize an expedition until the end of the war with the Emirate of Granada (the last Muslim state on the Iberian Peninsula).

In 1492, after a long siege, Granada fell, and southern territories The Iberian Peninsula were annexed to the Spanish kingdom.

After lengthy negotiations, the Spanish monarchs agreed to subsidize Columbus's expedition.

On April 17, 1492, the royal couple entered into an agreement (“capitulation”) with Columbus in Santa Fe, granting him the title of noble, the titles of Admiral of the Sea-Ocean, Viceroy and Governor-General of all the islands and continents that he opens. The position of admiral gave Columbus the right to decide in disputes arising in matters of trade, the position of viceroy made him the personal representative of the monarch, and the position of governor general provided the highest civil and military authority. Columbus was given the right to receive a tenth of everything found in the new lands and an eighth of the profits from trading in foreign goods.

On August 9, she approached the Canary Islands. After repairing the Pinta, which had leaked, on the island of Homer, on September 6, 1492, ships headed west and began crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

On September 16, 1492, bunches of green algae began to appear on the way of the expedition, which became more and more. The ships sailed through this unusual body of water for three weeks. This is how the Sargasso Sea was discovered.

On October 12, 1492, land was discovered from the Pinta. The Spaniards reached the islands of the Bahamas - the first land they encountered in the Western Hemisphere. This day is considered the official date of the discovery of America.

On October 13, 1492, Columbus landed, hoisted the banner of Castile on it and, having drawn up a notarial deed, formally took possession of the island. The island was named San Salvador. It was inhabited by the Arawaks, a people who were completely destroyed in 20-30 years. The natives gave Columbus "dry leaves" (tobacco).

On October 14-24, 1492, Columbus approached several more Bahamas. In houses local residents Europeans first saw hammocks.

Having learned from the natives about the existence of a rich island in the south, Columbus left the Bahamas on October 24 and sailed further southwest. On October 28, the flotilla approached the shores of Cuba, named by Columbus Juana. Communicating with local residents, Columbus decided that he was on one of the peninsulas of East Asia. No gold, no spices, no major cities the Spaniards did not find. Columbus, believing he had reached the poorest part of China, decided to turn east, where he believed richer Japan lay. The expedition moved east on November 13, 1492.

On November 21, 1492, the captain of the "Pinta" Pinson took his ship away, deciding to search for the rich islands on his own. The two remaining ships continued east until they reached Cape Maisi on the eastern tip of Cuba.

On December 6, 1492, Columbus discovered the island of Haiti, named Hispaniola because of the similarity of its valleys to the lands of Castile. Further, moving along the northern coast, the Spaniards discovered the island of Tortuga.

Moving along the northern coast of Hispaniola, on December 25, 1492, the expedition approached the Holy Cape (now Cap Haitien), where the Santa Maria landed on reefs. With the help of local residents, guns, supplies and valuable cargo were removed from the ship. From the wreckage of the ship, a fort was built, named Navidad ("Christmas"). Columbus left 39 sailors as the personnel of the fort, and on January 4, 1493 he went to sea on the Nina.

On January 16, 1493, both ships headed northeast, using a fair current - the Gulf Stream.

On February 12, 1493, a storm arose, and on the night of February 14, the ships lost sight of each other.

February 15, 1493 "Nina" reached the ground. But only on February 18 she managed to land on the shore. It was decided to name the discovered island in honor of the lost ship of the Santa Maria expedition (the island of the Azores archipelago).

On February 24, 1493, the Nina left the Azores. On February 26, she again fell into a storm, which washed her on the coast of Portugal on March 4. March 9, 1493 "Nina" anchored in the port of Lisbon. Juan II gave Columbus an audience at which the navigator informed the king about the discovery of a western route to India.

March 13 "Nina" was able to sail for Spain. On March 15, on the 225th day of sailing, she returned to the port of Palos. On the same day, "Pinta" also came there. Columbus brought with him the natives (who were called Indians in Europe), some gold, as well as plants (corn, potatoes, tobacco) and bird feathers that had never been seen before in Europe.

Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella of Castile gave Columbus a solemn reception and gave permission for a new expedition.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources

Columbus discovered America October 12, 1492

", BGCOLOR, "#ffffff", FONTCOLOR, "#333333", BORDERCOLOR, "Silver", WIDTH, "100%", FADEIN, 100, FADEOUT, 100)"> So, October 12, 1492 the ships of the expedition approached the new land carefully so as not to run into the reefs. Dropped anchor. Prepared everything you need. And with God's help, October 13, 1492 and the leadership of the expedition represented by the Pinson brothers, Juana de la Cosa the notary Rodrigo de Escoveda, the plenipotentiary inspector of the crown, Rodrigo Sanchez de Segovia (who were dragged with them across all the seas especially for such an occasion) and a group of comrades were the first to go ashore.

October 13, 1492 Columbus first set foot on the shore of the new land

", BGCOLOR, "#ffffff", FONTCOLOR, "#333333", BORDERCOLOR, "Silver", WIDTH, "100%", FADEIN, 100, FADEOUT, 100)">
On behalf of and on behalf of the king and queen, Christopher Columbus took possession of the land he had discovered. About this, a notarial deed was drawn up on the spot with all the necessary formalities. Actually, it was at this moment that Columbus became the Viceroy, because he had his own territory! Having hoisted the Castilian banner on the shore, the delegation went to see the local sights. And after a short time, "guides" appeared - local residents.

Columbus named the first island he discovered "San Salvador"

", BGCOLOR, "#ffffff", FONTCOLOR, "#333333", BORDERCOLOR, "Silver", WIDTH, "100%", FADEIN, 100, FADEOUT, 100)">
I wonder what's left detailed descriptions the exact landing site of Columbus, from which it would be possible to confidently say which of the Bahamas was the first to feel the pleasant weight of the Castilian shoes. Therefore, several pieces of land from the Bahama garland are fighting for the right to take the lead. For himself, the island of Columbus named San-Salvador (Salvation).

After spending a few days exploring the island and making contact with the locals Arawaks, as they called themselves, Columbus began to suspect that he had not found exactly what he was looking for. According to the level of development, the islanders were in the Stone Age - they did not know metals. Didn't know the wheels. Pack and riding animals were not used. Their language was not like any of the Oriental languages ​​in which the interpreter of the expedition tried to communicate with them. Luis de Torres. However, at first Columbus was not embarrassed. It could be assumed that his ships went to some island remote from the mainland. More embarrassing was that no spices grew on the island. And most importantly, there was no gold.

However, according to sources, local residents had some pieces of gold, and Columbus began to ask where it came from and where, they say, they took it? What the savages pointed to in the direction of the southwest - there, they say, there big land, other people live there and here they have ... ", BGCOLOR, "#ffffff", FONTCOLOR, "#333333", BORDERCOLOR, "Silver", WIDTH, "100%", FADEIN, 100, FADEOUT, 100)"> All this nonsense, wandering from book to book, from site to site, with the addition of fictitious details, is not worth a penny eaten banana. If the natives San-Salvadora and there was gold, why would they need it? What is its value to them? Is it processed or in the form of nuggets? Columbus, of course, could show the natives their gold products. But what could the natives compare them to? Some questions...

", BGCOLOR, "#ffffff", FONTCOLOR, "#333333", BORDERCOLOR, "Silver", WIDTH, "100%", FADEIN, 100, FADEOUT, 100)">
After looking for gold in the ground on the island and not finding it, the freight forwarders decided to continue looking - as luck would have it. Stumbling for two weeks among the Bahamas, the Admiral's expedition on October 28, 1492 landed on the northeast coast of Cuba. They equipped the troops, scoured the coast for a long time, sent reconnaissance deep into the territory. But even here it was not what he was looking for. No gold. No spices. No palaces. No Great Khan.

I think that the Admiral is not accidentally unlucky with all this. After all, he came to the new land to take, take away, grab, and not to do something good on it. And the ending of his fate in this regard is quite natural. Columbus' crew were the usual invaders, bandits, slave traders and assassins. And Christian morality did not condemn all this. However, there are other places on the Internet for philosophical reasoning, and we will return to our travelers.

", BGCOLOR, "#ffffff", FONTCOLOR, "#333333", BORDERCOLOR, "Silver", WIDTH, "100%", FADEIN, 100, FADEOUT, 100)"> Believing that he is in the poorest part of China, Columbus decides to turn east, where, according to one version, the rich country of Sipangu / Japan / could be located, according to another (at the prompt of local residents) - it was located to the east of Cuba big Island, on which there were a lot of heaps of gold. The ships went east along the northern coast of Cuba.

", BGCOLOR, "#ffffff", FONTCOLOR, "#333333", BORDERCOLOR, "Silver", WIDTH, "100%", FADEIN, 100, FADEOUT, 100)">
It is impossible to say exactly how and when exactly the members of the expedition first tried tobacco, but an entry about this historical event appears in Columbus' logbook on November 15. There is a version that tobacco it was not the plant itself that was called, but the tube through which the Indians inhaled smoke. But it was it that became a household name for the potion itself.

Where did the Pint go?

On November 20, 1492, the Pint suddenly disappeared. She just disappeared from sight, apparently, left at night. The most current version is that its captain, Martin Alonso Pinzon, the second person on the expedition, who seems to have been burned by megalomania and greed, broke away from his comrades to be the first to find gold. Or other values. And be the first to rush back, because he also knew something about navigation. Most likely, it was so.

On December 6, 1492, Columbus discovered the island of Haiti - Hispaniola

", BGCOLOR, "#ffffff", FONTCOLOR, "#333333", BORDERCOLOR, "Silver", WIDTH, "100%", FADEIN, 100, FADEOUT, 100)">
The remaining two ships continued their journey east and two weeks later, on December 6, 1492, travelers discovered the current island of Haiti, which Columbus called Hispaniola / little Spain /, although the island was three times larger than Sicily!

", BGCOLOR, "#ffffff", FONTCOLOR, "#333333", BORDERCOLOR, "Silver", WIDTH, "100%", FADEIN, 100, FADEOUT, 100)">
Near the north coast of Hispaniola, Columbus discovered an island, which he named Tortuga/Turtle/. This island later became the most famous nest in the Caribbean, is repeatedly described in novels and has retained the name given by Columbus to this day.

For another two weeks, the Niña and the Santa Maria slowly moved along the winding coast of Haiti, all the while trying to establish contact with the local population for the presence of precious metals.", BGCOLOR, "#ffffff", FONTCOLOR, "#333333", BORDERCOLOR, "Silver", WIDTH, "100%", FADEIN, 100, FADEOUT, 100)">In one of the bays where the ships stopped, they managed to find out from local population that further east is the territory of a mighty chief Guacanagari, and in the depths of the island lies a territory called Cibao, where there is a lot of this gold like shoe polish at the shoe polish factory. The admiral, of course, immediately thought that Cibao That's what it is Sipango, decided to reach the territory of the leader by sea and then penetrate deep into the country. But then the unexpected happened. On the night of December 25, 1492, the Santa Maria landed on the reefs.

The secret of death ""

The collapse of the Santa Maria still causes ambiguous assessment among Columbologists, because the circumstances of the disaster inspired and continue to inspire suspicion. Why did they walk along the coast at night, where there could always be pitfalls? Why was the cabin boy at the helm?Maybe it was beneficial for someone to run the flagship of the expedition aground? But to whom?

1. To the owner of the vessel Juan de la Cosa? Perhaps he expected to get insurance for him? So he really received later from the kings compensation for the lost property, which indirectly confirms this conjecture.

2. To the Admiral himself. It is possible that he did too. Let's try to reason. Realizing that he did not discover what he was looking for, Columbus felt the futility of further searches for Japan and China. If they were somewhere close, there would be indirect signs of their proximity - exchange goods from local tribes, possibly a wheel, metal products. But none of this happened. But Columbus has already become the Viceroy of all these lands. And the land turned out to be considerable! It was necessary to return here with exploration expeditions. Leaving some people here is an additional argument for equipping the next expedition. In addition, Columbus may well have suspected that Martin A. Pinzon on the Pint did not disappear by accident. He could rush back to be the first to report to the kings about the new lands and get all the preferences. "Santa Maria" in this race for Columbus would be a burden. And there was a reason for refusing to further search for Japan and the Great Khan - they say, with one ship where ... This, of course, is all speculation ...

The third and most likely version is that the team just got drunk on Christmas. Valiant Conquistadors began to fill the throats the night before and were simply unable to get behind the wheel to take the helm. Catholic Christmas is celebrated on the night of December 24-25. It gets dark early in the southern latitudes. And breaking the fast after fasting is allowed with the appearance of the first star in the sky. That's the whole truth about the crash of the Santa Maria.

Fort "Navidad" - pfirst Spanish settlement in the Americas

From the wreckage of the flagship, it was decided to build a fortified settlement on the shore and leave a significant part of the team in it - only 39 souls. This colonists willy-nilly The admiral promised to definitely return next year. ", BGCOLOR, "#ffffff", FONTCOLOR, "#333333", BORDERCOLOR, "Silver", WIDTH, "100%", FADEIN, 100, FADEOUT, 100)">
On the third day of Christmas, the travelers began to build a fortress. It was decided to name it " Navidad" (Navidad in Spanish - Christmas), and the remains of the "Santa Maria" were used to build this stronghold. The colonists were left with a significant supply of provisions, wine, firearms and a boat. The admiral touchingly said goodbye to those who remained to spend the winter on the new land, ordered them not to commemorate him dashingly live in harmony with each other and with their neighbors. Alas, he saw them alive for the last time. January 2, 1493 the last remaining caravel of the first expedition of Christopher Columbus "Nina" set off on the return journey.

The return of the prodigal Pint. Back in full swing!

On Sunday, January 6, 1493 year, from the main mast of the Nina, the Pinta was seen. A very strange accident… Soon the Admiral met with the captain of the missing caravel, M. A. Pinson, who declared that he had separated from the flotilla against his will (?!?). What really happened there, no one will be able to establish, but both commanders understood that in their position a bad peace is better than a good quarrel and did not begin to sort things out to the end. The ships "rummaged around" a little more in Haiti in last resort find something, replenish stocks andJanuary 16, 1493 in full sail, taking a steep north coursenor-nor-east(or in our opinion to the north-northeast). The return passage of Columbus to Castile began.

Travelers of the Age of the Greats Geographical Discoveries

Russian travelers and pioneers

Christopher Columbus or Cristobal Colon(Italian Cristoforo Colombo, Spanish Cristobal Colon; between August 25 and October 31, 1451 - May 10, 1506) - the famous navigator and cartographer of Italian origin, who wrote his name in history as the man who discovered America for Europeans.

Columbus was the first of the reliably known navigators to cross the Atlantic Ocean in the subtropical zone of the northern hemisphere, the first European to sail to, discovered the Central and South America, initiating the study of the continents and their nearby archipelagos:

• Greater Antilles (Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico);
• Lesser Antilles (from Dominica to the Virgin Islands and the island of Trinidad);
• Bahamas.

Although it is not entirely historically correct to call him the "Discoverer of America", since even in the Middle Ages the coast of continental America and the nearby islands were visited by the Icelandic Vikings. Since the data on those voyages did not go beyond Scandinavia, it was the expeditions of Columbus that first made information about the western lands known to the world. The fact that a new part of the world was discovered was finally proved by the expedition. Discoveries of Columbus laid the foundation for the colonization of the territories of America by Europeans, the foundation of Spanish settlements, the enslavement and mass extermination of the indigenous population, erroneously called "Indians".

Bio pages

The legendary Christopher Columbus - the greatest of medieval navigators - can quite reasonably be called one of the biggest losers of the Age of Discovery. To understand this, it is enough to familiarize yourself with his biography, which, unfortunately, is replete with "white" spots.

It is believed that Christopher Columbus was born in the maritime Italian Republic of Genoa (Italian: Genova), on the island of Corsica in August-October 1451, although the exact date of his birth is still in question. In general, not much is known about childhood and adolescence.

So, Christoforo was the firstborn in a poor Genoese family. The father of the future navigator, Domenico Colombo, worked in pastures, vineyards, worked as a wool weaver, traded in wine and cheese. Christopher's mother, Susanna Fontanarossa, was the daughter of a weaver. Christopher had 3 younger brothers - Bartolome (circa 1460), Giacomo (circa 1468), Giovanni Pellegrino, who died very early - and sister Bianchinetta.

Documentary evidence from that time shows that the financial situation of the family was deplorable. Especially large financial problems arose because of the house to which the family moved when Christopher was 4 years old. Much later, on the foundations of the house in Santo Domingo, where Christoforo spent his childhood, a building called "Casa di Colombo" (Spanish: Casa di Colombo - "House of Columbus") was erected, on the facade of which in 1887 an inscription appeared : " No parental home can be honored more than this.».

Since Colombo Sr. was a respected craftsman in the city, in 1470 he was sent on an important mission to Savona (Italian: Savona) to discuss with the weavers the issue of introducing uniform prices for textile products. Apparently, therefore, Dominico moved with his family to Savona, where, after the death of his wife and youngest son, as well as after the departure of his eldest sons and the marriage of Bianchi, he increasingly began to seek solace in a glass of wine.

Since the future discoverer of America grew up near the sea, from childhood he was attracted by the sea. From his youth, Christopher was distinguished by faith in omens and divine providence, morbid pride and a passion for gold. He possessed a remarkable mind, versatile knowledge, a talent for eloquence and the gift of persuasion. It is known that after studying a little at the University of Pavia, around 1465 the young man entered the service of the Genoese fleet and at a fairly early age began to sail as a sailor in the Mediterranean Sea on merchant ships. After some time, he was seriously wounded and temporarily left the service.

He may have become a merchant and settled in Portugal in the mid-1470s, joined the community of Italian merchants in Lisbon, and under the Portuguese flag sailed north to England, Ireland, and Iceland. He visited Madeira, the Canary Islands, walked along the western coast of Africa to modern Ghana.

In Portugal, around 1478, Christopher Columbus married the daughter of a prominent navigator of the time, Doña Felipe Moniz de Palestrello, becoming a member of a wealthy Italo-Portuguese family in Lisbon. Soon the young couple had a son, Diego. Until 1485, Columbus "walked" on Portuguese ships, was engaged in trade and self-education, and became interested in mapping. In 1483 he already had ready new project sea ​​trade route to India and Japan, which the navigator presented to the king of Portugal. But, apparently, his time has not yet come, or he failed to convincingly convince the monarch of the need to equip the expedition, but after 2 years of deliberation, the king rejected this enterprise, and the impudent sailor fell into disgrace. Then Columbus moved to the Spanish service, where a few years later he still managed to persuade the king to finance a sea expedition.

Already in 1486 H.K. managed to intrigue with his project the influential Duke of Medina Seli, who introduced the poor but obsessed navigator into the circle of the royal entourage, bankers and merchants.

In 1488, he received an invitation from the Portuguese king to return to Portugal, the Spaniards also wanted to organize an expedition, but the country was in a state of protracted war and was unable to allocate funds for sailing.

First Expedition of Columbus

In January 1492, the war ended, and soon Christopher Columbus obtained permission to organize an expedition, but once again his bad temper let him down! The requirements of the navigator were excessive: the appointment of viceroy of all new lands, the title of "chief admiral of the ocean" and a large number of of money. The king refused him, however, Queen Isabella promised her help and assistance. As a result, on April 30, 1492, the king officially made Columbus a nobleman, conferring on him the title of “don” and approving all the demands put forward.

Expeditions of Christopher Columbus

In total, Columbus made 4 voyages to the coast of America:

• August 2, 1492 – March 15, 1493

aim first Spanish expedition, led by Christopher Columbus, was the search for the shortest sea route to India. This small expedition, consisting of 90 people "Santa Maria" (Spanish Santa María), "Pinta" (Spanish Pinta) and "Nina" (Spanish La Niña). "Santa Maria" - August 3, 1492 set off from Palos (Spanish: Cabo de Palos) on 3 caravels. Having reached the Canary Islands and turning west, she crossed the Atlantic and discovered the Sargasso Sea (eng. Sargasso Sea). The first land seen among the waves was one of the islands of the Bahamas, called San Salvador Island, on which Columbus landed on October 12, 1492 - this day is considered the official date of the discovery of America. Further, a number of Bahamas, Cuba, Haiti were discovered.

In March 1493, the ships returned to Castile, carrying in their holds some gold, strange plants, bright bird feathers, and several natives. Christopher Columbus announced that he had discovered western India.

• September 25, 1493 – June 11, 1496

In 1493 she set off and second expedition who was already in the rank
admiral. 17 ships and more than 2 thousand people participated in this grandiose enterprise. In November 1493
islands were discovered: Dominica (English Dominica), Guadeloupe (English Guadeloupe) and the Antilles (Spanish Antilias). In 1494, the expedition explored the islands of Haiti, Cuba, Jamaica and Huventud.

This expedition, which ended on June 11, 1496, opened the way for colonization. To settle new colonies in open lands began to send priests, settlers and criminals.

• May 30, 1498 – November 25, 1500

Third exploratory expedition, consisting of only 6 ships, started in 1498. On July 31, the islands of Trinidad (Spanish: Trinidad), then the Gulf of Paria (Spanish: Golfo de Paria), the peninsula of Paria and the mouth (Spanish: Río Orinoco) were discovered. On August 15, the crew discovered (Spanish Isla Margarita). In 1500, Columbus, arrested on a denunciation, was sent to Castile. In prison, he did not stay long, but, having received freedom, he lost many privileges and most of his wealth - this was the biggest disappointment in the life of a navigator.

• 9 May 1502 – November 1504

Fourth expedition launched in 1502. Having obtained permission to continue searching for a western route to India, on 4 ships Columbus reached the island of Martinique (fr. Martinique) on June 15, and on July 30 entered the Gulf of Honduras (Spanish Golfo de Honduras), where he first had contact with representatives of the Maya civilization.

In 1502-1503. Columbus, who dreamed of getting to the fabulous treasures of India, thoroughly explored the coast of Central America and discovered more than 2 thousand km of Caribbean coasts. On June 25, 1503, off the coast of Jamaica, Columbus was wrecked and was rescued only a year later. On November 7, 1504, he returned to Castile seriously ill and broken by the failures that had befallen him.

The tragic end of life

This is where the epic of the famous navigator ended. Not finding the coveted passage to India, finding himself sick, without money and privileges, after painful negotiations with the king to restore his rights, Christopher Columbus died in the Spanish city of Valladolid (Spanish: Valladolid) on May 21, 1506. His remains in 1513 were transported to a monastery near Seville. Then, at the behest of Diego's son, who was then the governor of Hispaniola (Spanish: La Espaсola, Haiti), the remains of Columbus were reburied in Santo Domingo (Spanish: Santo Domingo de Guzman) in 1542, in 1795 they were transported to Cuba, and in 1898 was again returned to Spanish Seville (to the Cathedral of Santa Maria). DNA studies of the remains have shown that with a high degree of probability they belong to Columbus.

If you think about it, Columbus was dying an unfortunate man: he failed to reach the shores of fabulously rich India, and this was precisely the navigator's secret dream. He did not even understand what he had discovered, and the continents that he saw for the first time received the name of another person - (Italian: Amerigo Vespucci), who simply extended the paths blazed by the great Genoese. In fact, Columbus achieved a lot, and at the same time achieved nothing - this is his life tragedy.

Curious facts

• Almost ³⁄4 of Christopher Columbus' life was spent on voyages;
• The last words spoken by the navigator before his death were the following: In your hands, Lord, I entrust my spirit ...;
• After all these discoveries, the world entered the Age of Discovery. Poor, hungry, constantly fighting for resources in Europe, the discoveries of the famous discoverer gave an influx of a huge amount of gold and silver - the center of civilization moved there from the East and Europe began to develop rapidly;
• How difficult it was for Columbus to organize the first expedition, so easily subsequently all countries rushed to send their ships on long voyages - this is the main historical merit of the great navigator, who gave a powerful impetus to the study and change of the world!
• The name of Christopher Columbus has forever remained inscribed in the history and geography of all continents and most countries of the world. In addition to cities, streets, squares, numerous monuments and even an asteroid, it is named after the famous navigator, highest mountain in, a federal district and a river in the USA, provinces in Canada and Panama, one of the departments in Honduras, countless mountains, rivers, waterfalls, parks and many other geographical objects.

On August 3, 1492, the first expedition of the navigator Christopher Columbus began, discovering new lands for Europeans.

Born in Genoa, Columbus became a sailor at an early age, sailing the Mediterranean in merchant ships. Then he settled in Portugal. Under the Portuguese flag, he sailed north to England and Ireland, sailed along the west coast of Africa to the Portuguese trading post of São Jorge da Mina (modern Ghana). He was engaged in trade, mapping and self-education. During this period, Columbus had the idea to reach India by a westerly route across the Atlantic Ocean.

At that time, many Western European countries were looking for sea routes to the countries of South and East Asia, which were then united under the common name "India". From these countries, pepper, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, expensive silk fabrics came to Europe. Merchants from Europe could not penetrate the countries of Asia by land, as the Turkish conquests cut off traditional merchant ties with the East through the Mediterranean. They were forced to purchase Asian goods from Arab merchants. Therefore, the Europeans were interested in finding a sea route to Asia, which would allow them to acquire Asian goods without intermediaries. In the 1480s, the Portuguese tried to sail around Africa to penetrate the Indian Ocean into India.

Columbus also suggested that Asia can be reached by moving west across the Atlantic Ocean. His theory was based on the ancient doctrine of the sphericity of the Earth and the incorrect calculations of scientists of the 15th century, who believed Earth much smaller in size, and also underestimated the real length of the Atlantic Ocean from west to east.

Between 1483 and 1484, Columbus tried to interest the Portuguese king João II with his plan for an expedition to Asia by a western route. The monarch submitted his project for examination to the scientists of the "Mathematical Junta" (Lisbon Academy of Astronomy and Mathematics). Columbus's calculations were deemed "fantastic" by experts, and Columbus was turned down by the king.

Having received no support, in 1485 Columbus went to Spain. There, in early 1486, he was introduced to the royal court and received an audience with the king and queen of Spain, Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella of Castile. The royal couple became interested in the project of a western route to Asia. A special commission was created to consider it, which issued an unfavorable conclusion in the summer of 1487, but the Spanish monarchs postponed the decision to organize an expedition until the end of the war they waged with the Emirate of Granada (the last Muslim state on the Iberian Peninsula).

In the autumn of 1488, Columbus visited Portugal, where he re-proposed his project to Juan II, but was again refused and returned to Spain.

In 1489, he tried unsuccessfully to interest the regent of France, Anne de Baeuze, and two Spanish dukes with the idea of ​​sailing west.

In January 1492, unable to withstand a long siege by the Spanish troops, Granada fell. After lengthy negotiations, the Spanish monarchs, overriding the objections of their advisers, agreed to subsidize Columbus's expedition.

On April 17, 1492, the royal couple concluded an agreement ("surrender") with him in Santa Fe, granting him the title of nobleman, the titles of Admiral of the Sea-Ocean, Viceroy and Governor-General of all the islands and continents that he opens. The rank of admiral gave Columbus the right to decide in disputes arising in matters of trade, the position of viceroy made him the personal representative of the monarch, and the position of governor general provided the highest civil and military authority. Columbus was given the right to receive a tenth of everything found in the new lands and an eighth of the profits from trading in foreign goods.

The Spanish crown undertook to finance most of the expenses of the expedition. Part of the funds for it was given to the navigator by Italian merchants and financiers.

He called the island San Salvador (St. Savior), and its inhabitants - Indians, believing that he was off the coast of India.

However, the discussion about the first landing site of Columbus is still ongoing. For a long time (1940-1982), Watling Island was considered San Salvador. In 1986, the American geographer George Judge processed all the collected materials on a computer and came to the conclusion that the first American land seen by Columbus was Samana Island (120 km southeast of Watling).

On October 14-24, Columbus approached several more Bahamas. Having learned from the natives about the existence of a rich island in the south, the ships left the Bahamas on October 24 and sailed further to the southwest. On October 28, Columbus landed on the northeast coast of Cuba, which he named "Juana". After that, the Spaniards, inspired by the stories of the natives, spent a month looking for the golden island of Baneque (modern Great Inagua).

On November 21, the captain of the Pinta, Martin Pinson, took his ship away, deciding to search for this island on his own. Having lost hope of finding Baneke, Columbus turned east with the two remaining ships and on December 5 reached the northwestern tip of the island of Bohio (modern Haiti), which he named Hispaniola ("Spanish"). Moving along the northern coast of Hispaniola, on December 25 the expedition approached the Holy Cape (modern Cap Haitien), where the Santa Maria ran aground and sank, but the crew escaped. With the help of local residents, guns, supplies and valuable cargo were removed from the ship. A fort was built from the wreckage of the ship - the first European settlement in America, named on the occasion of the Christmas holiday "Navidad" ("Christmas City").

The loss of the ship forced Columbus to leave part of the team (39 people) in the founded settlement and set off on the Nina on the way back. For the first time in the history of navigation, on his orders, Indian hammocks were adapted for sailor bunks. To prove that he reached a part of the world previously unknown to Europeans, Columbus took with him seven captive inhabitants of the islands, outlandish bird feathers and the fruits of plants unseen in Europe. Having visited open islands, the Spaniards first saw corn, tobacco, potatoes.

On January 4, 1493, Columbus put to sea on the Nina and sailed east along the northern coast of Hispaniola. Two days later he met "Pint". On January 16, both ships headed northeast, taking advantage of the favorable current - the Gulf Stream. On February 12, a storm arose, and on the night of February 14, the ships lost sight of each other. At dawn on February 15, the sailors saw the land, and Columbus determined that he was off the Azores. February 18 "Nina" managed to land on the coast of one of the islands - Santa Maria.

February 24 "Nina" left the Azores. Two days later, she again fell into a storm, which washed her on the coast of Portugal on March 4. March 9 "Nina" anchored in the port of Lisbon. The crew needed a break, and the ship needed repairs. King Juan II gave Columbus an audience at which the navigator informed him of the discovery of a western route to India. March 13 "Nina" was able to sail for Spain. March 15, 1493, on the 225th day of sailing, the ship returned to the Spanish port of Palos. On the same day, "Pinta" also came there.

King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile gave Columbus a solemn reception and, in addition to the previously promised privileges, gave him permission for a new expedition.

During the first trip, Columbus discovered America, which he took for East Asia and called the West Indies. Europeans first set foot on the islands of the Caribbean - Juan (Cuba) and Hispaniola (Haiti). As a result of the expedition, the width of the Atlantic Ocean became reliably known, the Sargasso Sea was discovered, the flow of ocean water from west to east was established, and for the first time an incomprehensible behavior of the magnetic needle of the compass was noted. The political resonance of Columbus's voyage was the "papal meridian": the head of the Catholic Church established a demarcation line in the Atlantic, indicating different directions for the discovery of new lands by competing Spain and Portugal.

In 1493-1504, Columbus made three more voyages across the Atlantic Ocean, as a result of which he discovered part of the Lesser Antilles, the coast of South and Central America. The navigator died in 1506, being in full confidence that the lands he had discovered were part of the Asian mainland, and not a new continent.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources