Who was Christopher Columbus? His name is well-known to everyone since school days. The first association that springs to mind when he is mentioned is America. Indeed, Columbus’s discovery of America was the most significant event of his time, changing the course of many nations’ histories. It marked the beginning of European colonization of this territory. However, Columbus’s achievements as a traveler and renowned navigator do not end there. He was also the first to explore the Caribbean and Sargasso Seas, as well as the Bahamas and the Antilles, and he became the first person to successfully cross the Atlantic Ocean.
Christopher Columbus: A Brief Biography
The personality and life journey of the famous navigator are quite murky and ambiguous. The question of where Christopher Columbus was born still sparks heated debates. Six Italian and Spanish cities claim the right to be called his birthplace. Many facts about his life are surrounded by legends, the truth of which has yet to be proven.
According to various accounts, the future discoverer of America was born in Genoa in 1451, in an area that now belongs to Corsica. Some biographers believe his parents were Italians, while others claim they were converted Jews, known as Marranos. This is often cited as an explanation for Columbus’s impressive education for someone from a family of a simple weaver and a homemaker.
Initially, the boy was educated at home until he turned 14. He received a solid grounding in mathematics, Latin, and learned several foreign languages. In addition to him, the family had three other brothers and one sister, all of whom also received an education. One of his brothers died young, while the other two later accompanied Columbus on his voyages.
Young Columbus, by Giulio Monteverde, Genoa
He continued his studies at the University of Padua, indicating potential support from his family through Genoese financiers of Marrano descent. Columbus’s education led him to reject the medieval belief that the Earth was flat, as he had been exposed to the works of ancient Greek scholars. However, such beliefs had to be kept hidden, as the harsh Inquisition ruled at that time.
During his studies, he formed many friendships with peers and professors. His best friend was the astronomer Toscanelli. After conducting some calculations, Toscanelli concluded that it would be easier and faster to reach India by sailing west rather than east, circumventing the African continent. Columbus later confirmed this hypothesis with his own calculations. It was during this time that he developed a desire to travel westward, which became the goal of his life.
It’s worth noting that Columbus had some maritime experience even before entering university. His father arranged for him to work on a trading ship, where he learned the basics of navigation and trade. He sailed the Mediterranean Sea, which was the trade route between Asia and Europe. He heard many stories from Eastern merchants about the riches and gold that could be found in those lands. Thus, his initial motivation to reach the shores of India was driven by a desire for wealth rather than geographical discovery.
Most of Columbus’s later life was spent traveling. Not much is known about his personal life either. Biographers assert that he was married twice. His first wife was Felipa Moniz, with whom he had an official marriage. His second wife, Beatriz Enriquez de Arana, was with him in a common-law marriage.
Columbus had two sons with his wives. He cared for both equally, and he even took his younger son, Fernando, with him on voyages when he turned 13. Interestingly, Fernando became the first biographer of his father.
Over time, Columbus’s sons became quite influential, holding high positions. The elder, Diego, became the Admiral of the Indies and the fourth Viceroy of New Spain. Fernando became a respected writer and scholar, earning great esteem from the Spanish emperor. He lived in a marble palace and had an annual income of up to 200,000 francs. It should be noted that the titles and wealth of Columbus’s sons were inherited due to their father’s merits to the state—this was how the Spanish monarchs rewarded him.
Christopher Columbus died on May 20, 1506, in Seville. At that time, he had been stripped of all his privileges and lived in poverty. He was buried there, but later Charles V ordered his remains to be relocated to the West Indies, in Santo Domingo. This was the navigator’s last wish. Later, after that part of Spain was captured by the French, Columbus’s remains were moved to Havana and then back to Seville. Thus, even after his death, Columbus had to travel once more.
Christopher Columbus kneeling before Queen Isabella of Castile
Christopher Columbus: Discoveries
The most significant achievement of the navigator is considered to be the discovery of the New World for Europeans. He was one of the first explorers to cross the Atlantic Ocean in the subtropical and tropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere. He also became a pioneer in the Caribbean and Sargasso Seas. His discoveries include:
- South and Central America, laying the groundwork for the exploration of these continents.
- The archipelagos of Haiti, Cuba, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico, as well as the territory from Dominica to Virginia, Trinidad, and the Bahamas.
Some researchers argue that Columbus’s discovery of America is a somewhat conditional fact. They point out that Europeans had already been in those territories during the Middle Ages. However, since no official information has been found to support this, Columbus’s expeditions are considered the first in the process of exploring new lands. After his death, the navigator’s name became famous worldwide and was used as a symbol of discovery. However, his brutality and methods of subjugating the indigenous peoples turned him into a highly controversial figure in America.
Columbus landing in the New World. Dioscoro Puebla, 1862
The Voyages of Christopher Columbus
He organized and undertook a total of four voyages.
First Expedition
This voyage began on August 3, 1492. The crew consisted of a hundred men who set sail on three ships. The sailors reached the Canary Islands, after which they turned westward, crossing the Atlantic Ocean. During this period, the Sargasso Sea was discovered. In the fall, the fleet docked at one of the Bahamian islands, later named San Salvador. This was the first island discovered by Columbus, and this event can be considered the day America was discovered. Although Columbus himself believed he had found lands in South Asia. Consequently, the new territories were referred to as the West Indies for a long time in Europe. The treasures of this expedition included several Bahamian islands, Cuba, and Haiti. The sailors returned home in March of the following year, filling their holds with exotic plants, previously unseen fruits, tobacco, bird feathers, and gold. They also brought back several natives, whom they referred to as Indians.
Second Voyage of Columbus
This voyage lasted from September 25, 1493, to June 11, 1496. This time, Columbus gathered 17 ships and about two thousand crew members. The expedition included not only sailors but also nobility, officials, and courtiers. By this time, Columbus had already been named Admiral.
Christopher Columbus’s route took him through the Lesser Antilles, Virginia, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Juventud, and the southern coast of Cuba.
Unfortunately, the voyage was accompanied by the expansion of Spanish colonizers. The local population was massively oppressed and destroyed. The sailors seized large cattle, horses, seeds of valuable plants, and many other items. During this time, the cities of Santo Domingo, San Diego, and La Isabella were founded on the continent.
Meanwhile, the Spanish authorities decided to part ways with Columbus, hiring a Florentine for the next expedition to India. Upon returning home, Columbus began to assert his rights. He reported on the vast gold deposits of King Solomon in the center of Hispaniola. To obtain it, he proposed sending criminals on an expedition, reducing their prison sentences. This idea appealed to the authorities, and they decided to organize a new expedition.
A replica of the ship “Santa Maria”
Third Expedition of Columbus
Compared to the previous one, this voyage was much more modest. The fleet consisted of 6 ships with 300 people on board. The crew included criminals from Spanish prisons. The journey began on July 32, 1498. During the expedition, the islands of Trinidad and Margarita were discovered, and the mouth of the Orinoco River and the Gulf of Paria were explored. The team then turned north toward Santo Domingo, where Columbus’s brother was the governor.
The traveler arrived in Hispaniola quite ill. The criminals staged an armed uprising, and to appease them, Columbus instituted a system of slavery over the indigenous people. Each colonist was granted a large piece of land.
Meanwhile, Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese explorer, found the route to the real India. He brought back many spices that were valued more than gold at the time. Everyone learned of Columbus’s mistake, and the Spanish monarchs decided to strip him of all his privileges and arrest him. The motivation for this was the lack of profits from Hispaniola. The authorities sent an emissary to him, who brought Columbus and his brother back to Spain in chains. After spending several months in prison, Columbus managed to clear some of the charges against him and even received permission for a new voyage. He was firmly convinced that a route to South Asia existed through the west, as he had noticed a strong current flowing westward near Cuba.
Fourth Voyage of Christopher Columbus
The expedition started in June 1502. Only four ships were prepared for it, and the traveler took his brother Bartolomeo and son Fernando with him.
This time, the fleet entered the Gulf of Honduras near the island of Martinique, passed along the coasts of Central America, and discovered the Cayman Islands. Near Jamaica, his team encountered a shipwreck. As a result, Columbus was able to confirm that the coast of the continent he had discovered separated the Atlantic Ocean from the Southern Sea, and he also found representatives of the Mayan civilization. This discovery was only appreciated by the Spaniards after Columbus’s death. At that time, he himself had no idea what he had accomplished. Meanwhile, after the conquest of Mexico, Peru, and the northern part of the Andes, ships filled with gold and jewels began arriving in Europe.
The expedition concluded in November 1504 when Columbus returned to Castile, completely ill and broken.
Christopher Columbus: Interesting Facts
- It took him 10 years to find funding for his first expedition.
- During his fourth voyage, he was only 65 kilometers away from the real India, but he never learned about it.
- For unknown reasons, Columbus always wore a simple Franciscan robe.
- Upon seeing the Orinoco River flowing into the Atlantic during his third voyage, he thought he had entered a paradise garden.
- Columbus is believed to have initiated the slave trade: seeing that there were no treasures in the new lands, he began bringing people to Spain as valuable resources.
- To avoid uprisings on the ships, Columbus kept two travel diaries. The first was for himself, where he recorded the true data, and the second was for the crew, in which he reduced the distance traveled several times.
- England, France, and Portugal refused to finance his voyages. The authorities of these countries considered the navigator to be insane.
Posthumous portrait of Columbus by Ridolfo Ghirlandaio, circa 1520.
But we already know that progress is only possible thanks to such “madmen” who not only dream but also forge ahead. And it is about them that the young Vasyl Symonenko wrote:
Hey, new Columbuses and Magellans,
Let’s hoist the sails of our dreams!
They call us to explore the oceans,
The calm harbor is licked by the surf.
Who said everything has already been discovered?
Why were we born then?
How can we fit into the hold
Our youthful hopes?
The 21st century no longer offers geographical discoveries, but humanity will never stop on the path of innovation. Now they are made not at the helm of a ship, but often in front of a monitor, yet they remain just as important and influential on the fate of individuals and humanity as a whole.