What did Christopher Columbus discover? Discoveries of Christopher Columbus. Travels of Columbus Description of the expedition of Christopher Columbus

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The Middle Ages is rich in biographies of people with amazing destinies. In that harsh time, everything was possible: beggars became dukes and kings, apprentices created masterpieces of art, and dreamers discovered new worlds. For some, everything was easy and effortless, and for some, on the way to the top, they had to overcome all imaginable and unimaginable obstacles...

Few people today know that the greatest of medieval navigators, the legendary Christopher Columbus may well deservedly and reasonably be called one of the biggest losers of the Age of Discovery and the Middle Ages in general.

Why is that? It is enough to read at least a little bit into his biography to understand everything.

The most interesting for you!

Italian in the service of the Spanish crown

Let's start with the fact that Columbus is not a Spaniard or even a Portuguese, as many people think. He is an ardent son of Italy, from Genoa. It was there that he was born somewhere between August 26 and October 31, 1451 (and 29 years later, another famous navigator Ferdinand Magellan was born in Portugal). It is generally accepted that Christopher Columbus grew up in a poor family. But in general, not much is known about his childhood and youth. In general, it is amazing that in the biography of a person so famous even in his era, there are a lot of “blank spots”.

Since the future discoverer grew up near the sea, from childhood he raved about the profession of a sailor. By the way, from childhood he dreamed of the sea and Admiral Nelson is one of the most famous personalities in England. This did not stop Columbus from studying a little at the University of Pavia, after which he entered the service of the Genoese fleet around 1465. It is known that some time after that he was seriously wounded and temporarily left the sea. By the way, further Columbus sailed exclusively under the Spanish and Portuguese flags, and turned out to be unclaimed at home.

In 1470, Christopher married Doña Felipe Monis de Palestrello, who was the daughter of a prominent navigator of those times. He managed to live quietly almost without the sea until 1472 in Genoa. From 1472 he showed up in Savona, lived there for a while and moved to Portugal in 1476, and again began to actively participate in sea trading expeditions.

Until 1485, Columbus sailed on Portuguese ships, living either in Lisbon, or in Madeira, or in Porto Santo. At this time, he was mainly engaged in trade, raising his educational level and compiling maps. In 1483, he already had a ready-made project for a new sea trade route to India and Japan, with which the navigator went to the Portuguese king.

But the time of Columbus had not yet come, or he could not properly argue the need to equip the expedition, or for some other reason, but the monarch, after two years of deliberation, rejected this enterprise, and even put the impudent sailor in disgrace.

Columbus left him, going to the Spanish service, where a few years later, through a series of complex and subtle intrigues, he still managed to persuade the king to finance the expedition.

The birth of a great project

No one can say exactly when the project for the western sea route to India was drawn up. Scientists have proven that in their calculations, Columbus was based on ancient knowledge about the sphericity of the Earth, and also studied the calculations and maps of scientists of the 15th century. Presumably, the very idea of ​​​​sphericity and the possibility of such a voyage in 1474 was suggested by the geographer Paolo Toscanelli, which is confirmed by his letter to Columbus. The navigator began to make his own calculations and decided that if you sail through the Canary Islands, then from them to Japan should not be more than five thousand kilometers.

The improvement of the Columbus project was also facilitated by a visit to England, Ireland and Iceland in 1477, where he collected rumors and data from the Icelanders that there were vast lands in the west. He perfected his seafaring skills on long trips in 1481, when he sailed to Guinea, being the captain of one of the ships in the Diogo de Azambuja expedition sent to build the fortress of São Jorge da Mina. Apparently, it was after this voyage that Columbus had not only a firm conviction about the possibility of success of his project, but also a good evidence base was collected in his favor. It only remained to learn how to persuade those in power to finance ...

It should be noted that he made the first proposal to organize an expedition to the authorities and merchants of his native Genoa after about 1476, but then he was still too young and could provide very little evidence for his thoughts to be taken seriously. But Genoa, modest at all times, eclipsed by Venice and Rome, could become the center of the world instead of Spain for several centuries, by the time of Columbus's expedition the former weak and rather poor country.

In 1485, the project of sailing to India was rejected by the Portuguese king João II, so categorically that Columbus and his family were forced to urgently flee to Spain. Oddly enough, it was this flight that became fateful for Columbus, because he found his first refuge in the monastery of Santa Maria da Rabida, whose rector, Juan Perez de Marchena, was a close acquaintance of Hernando de Talavera, the queen's confessor. It was through him that it was possible to convey to the reigning lady a letter with the ideas of Columbus. The royal couple at that time lived in Cordoba, preparing the country and the army for war with Granada, but the grain was sown.

Already in 1486, Columbus managed to ignite with his project the fantasy of the rich and influential Duke of Medina Seli, who, moreover, introduced the essentially poor navigator into the circle of royal financial advisers, bankers and merchants. But the most useful was the acquaintance with his uncle, the Spanish Cardinal Mendoza. This one has already taken up the project in all seriousness, having gathered by his authority a commission of theologians, lawyers and courtiers. The commission worked for four whole years and did not give anything, since here Columbus let down his character - secretive and distrustful.

In any case, from 1487 to 1492, Columbus did not so much swim as travel around Spain after the Royal couple. In 1488, he received an invitation from the Portuguese king to return to Portugal, but it was too late - Columbus felt that here, in Spain, he would definitely achieve something. However, he sent letters with his proposals to all the influential courts of Europe, but received a response only from the English King Henry VII, who in 1488 expressed his support to the navigator, but did not offer anything concrete. Who knows, perhaps if Henry VIII, the son of Henry VII, was on the throne at that time, Christopher Columbus would have gone on an expedition under the flag of England. Henry VIII was very fond of the fleet, which only cost him the creation of huge ships by those standards Great Harry and Mary Rose!

The Spaniards wanted to organize an expedition, but the country was in a protracted war and it was not possible to allocate funds for swimming. In 1491, Columbus in Seville again personally met with Ferdinand and Isabella, but to no avail - they did not give money and help. In January 1492, Granada fell, Spain ended the war, and Columbus had the opportunity to organize an expedition almost immediately, but his character let him down again! The requirements of the sailor were exorbitant: the appointment of viceroy of all new lands, the title of "chief admiral of the sea-ocean" and a lot of money. The king refused.

The situation was saved by Queen Isabella, who dissuaded Columbus from emigrating to France and threatened to pawn her family jewels to organize the expedition. As a result, an enterprise was drawn up, according to which one ship was given by the state, one by Columbus himself, and one by Martin Alonso Pinson, who equipped the Pint. In addition, this magnate lent money to Columbus, who, according to the agreement, was supposed to take on an eighth of the expenses of the expedition.

On April 30, 1492, the king officially granted Christopher Columbus the title of "don", making him a nobleman, and also confirmed all the requirements of a daring sailor, up to the title of viceroy of all newly discovered lands and his inheritance.

Expeditions of Christopher Columbus

The first expedition of Columbus took place on August 3, 1492 and was small - about 90 people on three ships - Santa Maria, Pinte and Nina, set off from Palos. Having reached the Canary Islands, she turned west, crossed the Atlantic along a small diagonal, opening the Sargasso Sea along the way. The first land he saw was one of the islands of the Bahamas, called San Salvador. Columbus landed on it October 12, 1492 and this day became the official date of the discovery of America.

It is noteworthy that until 1986, geographers and historians did not know exactly which of the islands Columbus discovered first, until the geographer J. Judge proved that it was Samana Island. In the following days, Columbus discovered a number of the Bahamas, and on October 28, washed up on the coast of Cuba. Already on December 6, he saw Haiti and moved along the northern coast. There, on December 25, the Santa Maria landed on a reef, although the crew was saved.

It was after the crash of the Santa Maria, when the sailors had to make room on the remaining ships, that Columbus ordered hammocks to be installed for the sailors instead of beds, having peeped this idea from the natives. So it was possible to compactly accommodate more people, and the method itself took root so much that it went into oblivion only a century ago.

In March 1493, the remaining ships returned to Castile. They brought some gold, some natives, strange plants and bird feathers. Columbus claimed to have discovered the western Indies. After reading about Cook's first expedition, the inquisitive can compare the successes of Columbus and James Cook in the stages of their early careers. The difference between these expeditions is 275 years!

The second expedition set off in the same 1493. Columbus headed it already in the rank of admiral and viceroy of all open lands. It was a grand undertaking, which involved 17 large courts and more than 2,000 people, including priests and officials, as well as lawyers, artisans and soldiers. In November 1493, Dominica, Guadeloupe and the Antilles were discovered. In 1494, the expedition explored the islands of Haiti, Cuba, Youthud and Jamaica, but very little gold was found there.

In the spring of 1496, Columbus set off for home, completing his journey on June 11. This expedition opened the way for colonization, after which settlers, priests and criminals began to be sent to new lands, who turned out to be the cheapest way to settle new colonies.

The third expedition of Columbus began in 1498. It consisted of only six courts and was exclusively research. On July 31, he discovered Trinidad, found the Gulf of Paria, discovered the mouth of the Orinoco and the Peninsula of Paria, finally reaching the continent. Climbing a little further than Columbus, the conquerors Hernan Cortes and Claudio Pizarro invaded the rich lands of South America. On August 15, Margarita Island was discovered, after which the navigator arrived in Haiti, where the Spanish colony was already operating.

In 1500, Columbus was arrested on a denunciation and sent to Castile. However, he did not sit there for very long, but he kept his shackles for life. Having received freedom, Columbus was nevertheless deprived of most of the privileges and most of the wealth. So, he no longer became vice-emperor, and this was the main disappointment of the final part of the navigator's life. From the third expedition, Columbus was disappointed, but survived, but the third expedition of Cook was the last for the traveler.

The fourth expedition began in 1502 and was carried out on only four ships. On June 15, he went traverse Martinique, and on July 30 he entered the Gulf of Honduras, where he first came into contact with representatives of the Mayan state. In 1502-1503, Columbus carefully explored the shores of Central America in search of the coveted passage to the west, because the fabulous wealth of America had not yet been discovered and everyone was eager to get to India. On June 25, 1503, Columbus crashed near Jamaica and was rescued only a year later. The navigator came to Castile on November 7, 1504, seriously ill and upset by failures. This was the end of his epic. Not finding the coveted passage to India, left without rights and money, Christopher Columbus died in Valladolid on May 20, 1506. His merits were appreciated much later, centuries later, and for his era he remained just one of the sailors going to distant lands.

Character of Christopher Columbus

Great people do not have a simple character. The same can be said about Columbus, and this is what largely caused his collapse at the end of his life. Christopher Columbus was a passionate dreamer, a fan of his idea and purpose, which he served all his life. At the same time, historians and contemporaries characterize him as a greedy, immoderately domineering person who all his life dreamed of being superior to others. Immoderate desires did not allow him to remain at the top of wealth and nobility, but nevertheless he lived an outstanding life, having committed outstanding deeds!

Tragedy of Christopher Columbus

If you look deeper, you can understand that Columbus was dying an unfortunate man. He did not get to fabulously rich India, and it was precisely this, and not the discovery of a new continent, that was his goal and dream. He did not even understand what he had discovered, and for the first time the continents he saw received the name of a completely different person - Amerigo Vespucci, who simply slightly extended the paths beaten by Columbus. In fact, the Normans discovered America several centuries before him, so that here the navigator did not become the first. He achieved a lot, and at the same time achieved nothing. And this is his tragedy.

Named after Columbus...

Columbus forever remained in the history and geography of all continents and most countries. In addition to streets, numerous monuments, squares and even an asteroid, an entire state in South America, the highest mountain in Colombia, a federal district in the USA and a province in Canada, a city and province in Panama in the Panama Canal zone Colon, a department in Honduras and many others are named after him. , less significant geographical objects.

What did the discoveries of Columbus give to the world?

First of all, it should be noted that it was Columbus who showed the way to those people who, within a century after him, destroyed the original cultures of South and Central America, turning the history of the continents in a different direction.

Discoveries gave Europe an influx of a huge mass of gold and silver, thanks to which the center of civilization moved there from the East. Europe began to develop, its industry and science grew, its population and its quality of life grew, not only due to the flow of gold, which fell significantly in price, but also due to the import of new fertile crops from America.

Christopher Columbus had an unshakable conviction that it was possible to sail to East Asia and India by heading west from Europe. It was based not on the dark, semi-fabulous news about the discovery of Vinland by the Normans, but on the considerations of the brilliant mind of Columbus. The warm sea current from the Gulf of Mexico to the western coast of Europe gave evidence that a large land existed in the west. The Portuguese helmsman (skipper) Vincente caught in the sea at the height of the Azores a block of wood on which figures were carved. The carving was skillful, but it was clear that it was made not with iron, but with some other chisel. The same piece of carved wood was seen by Christopher Columbus at Pedro Carrei, his relative by wife, who was the ruler of the island of Porto Santo. The King of Portugal, John II, showed Columbus pieces of reed brought by the western sea current so thick and high that three azumbras (more than half a bucket) of water were placed in segments from one knot to another. They reminded Columbus of the words of Ptolemy about the enormous size of Indian plants. The inhabitants of the islands of Faial and Graciosa told Columbus that the sea brings to them from the west pine trees of a species that is not found in Europe and on their islands. There were several cases that the western current brought to the shores of the Azores boats with dead people of a race that was neither in Europe nor in Africa.

Portrait of Christopher Columbus. Artist S. del Piombo, 1519

Treaty of Columbus with Queen Isabella

After living for some time in Portugal, Columbus left to propose a plan for sailing to India by the western route. Castilian government. The Andalusian nobleman Luis de la Cerda, Duke of Medina Celi, became interested in Columbus's project, which promised enormous benefits to the state, and recommended him Queen Isabella. She accepted Christopher Columbus into her service, gave him a salary and submitted his project to the University of Salamanca for consideration. The commission, to which the queen entrusted the final decision of the case, consisted almost exclusively of persons of the clergy; the most influential person in it was the confessor of Isabella, Fernando Talavera. After much deliberation, she came to the conclusion that the foundations of the westward sailing project were weak and that it was unlikely to be carried out. But not everyone was of this opinion. Cardinal Mendoza, a very intelligent man, and the Dominican Diego Desa, later Archbishop of Seville and Grand Inquisitor, became patrons of Christopher Columbus; at their request, Isabella left him in her service.

In 1487 Columbus lived in Cordoba. It seems that he settled in this city, in fact, because Doña Beatriz Enriquez Avana lived there, with whom he had a relationship. She had a son, Fernando, from him. The war with the Muslims of Granada absorbed all the attention of Isabella. Columbus lost hope of getting funds from the queen to sail west and decided to go to France to offer his project to the French government. He and his son Diego came to Palos to sail from there to France and stayed at the Franciscan monastery of Ravide. The monk Juan Perez Marchena, who was Isabella's confessor, who lived there at the time, spoke to the visitor. Columbus began to tell him his project; he invited the doctor Garcia Hernandez, who knew astronomy and geography, to his conversation with Columbus. The confidence with which Columbus spoke made a strong impression on Marchena and Hernandez. Marchena persuaded Columbus to postpone his departure and immediately went to Santa Fe (to the camp near Granada) to talk with Isabella about the project of Christopher Columbus. Some courtiers supported Marchena.

Isabella sent Columbus money and invited him to come to Santa Fe. He arrived shortly before the capture of Granada. Isabella listened attentively to Columbus, who eloquently outlined to her his plan to sail to East Asia by the western route and explained what fame she would gain by conquering rich pagan lands and spreading Christianity in them. Isabella promised to equip a squadron for the voyage of Columbus, she said that if there was no money for this in the treasury, depleted by military spending, then she would pawn her diamonds. But when it came to defining the terms of the contract, difficulties arose. Columbus demanded that he be given the nobility, the rank of admiral, the rank of viceroy of all the lands and islands that he discovers in his voyage, a tenth of the income that the government will receive from them, so that he owns the right to appoint to some positions there and were some trading privileges are granted, so that the power granted to him remains hereditary in his posterity. The Castilian dignitaries who negotiated with Christopher Columbus considered these demands too great, urged him to reduce them; but he remained adamant. The negotiations were interrupted, and he again got ready to go to France. The state treasurer of Castile, Luis de San Angel, ardently urged the queen to agree to Columbus' demands; some other courtiers spoke to her in the same vein, and she agreed. On April 17, 1492, an agreement was concluded in Santa Fe by the Castilian government with Christopher Columbus on the terms that he demanded. The treasury was exhausted by the war. San Angel said that he would give his money to equip three ships, and Columbus went to the Andalusian coast to prepare for his first voyage to America.

Beginning of the first voyage of Columbus

The small port city of Palos had shortly before incurred the wrath of the government, and for this he was obliged to maintain two ships for a year for public service. Isabella told Palos to place these ships at the disposal of Christopher Columbus; the third ship he equipped himself with money given to him by friends. In Palos, the Pinson family, which was engaged in maritime trade, enjoyed great influence. With the assistance of the Pinsons, Columbus dispelled the fear of sailors to embark on a long voyage to the west and recruited about a hundred good sailors. Three months later, the equipment of the squadron was over, and on August 3, 1492, two caravels sailed from the harbor of Palos, Pinta and Nina, captained by Alonso Pinson and his brother Vincente Yanes, and a third ship of a slightly larger size, the Santa Maria ”, captained by Christopher Columbus himself.

Replica of Columbus' Santa Maria

Sailing from Palos, Columbus constantly kept the direction to the west under the degrees of latitude of the Canary Islands. The path along these degrees was longer than along latitudes more northerly or more southerly, but it represented the benefit that the wind was constantly favourable. The squadron stopped at one of the Azores to repair the damaged Pint; it took a month. Then the first voyage of Columbus continued further west. In order not to arouse concern in the sailors, Columbus hid from them the true magnitude of the distance traveled. In the tables that he showed to his companions, he put up numbers that were smaller than the actual ones, and noted the real numbers only in his journal, which he did not show to anyone. The weather was good, the wind was fair; the air temperature was reminiscent of the fresh and warm morning hours of April days in Andalusia. The squadron sailed for 34 days, seeing nothing but the sea and the sky. The sailors began to worry. The magnetic needle changed its direction, began to deviate from the pole further to the west than in parts of the sea not far from Europe and Africa. This increased the fear of the sailors; the voyage seemed to lead them to places dominated by influences unknown to them. Columbus tried to reassure them, explaining that the change in the direction of the magnetic needle is created by a change in the position of the ships relative to the polar star.

A fair east wind carried the ships in the second half of September along a calm sea, in some places covered with green sea plants. The invariance in the direction of the wind increased the anxiety of the sailors: they began to think that there was never any other wind in those places, and that they would not be able to sail the opposite way, but these fears disappeared when strong sea currents from the southwest became noticeable: they made it possible to return to Europe. The squadron of Christopher Columbus sailed on that part of the ocean, which later became known as the Grass Sea; this continuous vegetative shell of water seemed to be a sign of the proximity of the earth. A flock of birds circling over the ships reinforced the hope that land was near. Seeing on September 25 at sunset a cloud on the edge of the horizon in a northwesterly direction, the participants in the first voyage of Columbus mistook him for an island; but the next morning it turned out that they were mistaken. There are stories from earlier historians that the sailors plotted to force Columbus to return, that they even threatened his life, that they made him promise to turn back if no land appeared in the next three days. But now it has been proven that these stories are fictions that arose several decades after the time of Christopher Columbus. The fears of the sailors, very natural, were turned into a mutiny by the imagination of the next generation. Columbus calmed his sailors with promises, threats, reminders of the power given to him by the queen, kept himself firmly and calmly; this was enough for the sailors not to disobey him. He promised a lifetime pension of 30 gold coins to the first person to see the land. Therefore, the sailors who were on Mars gave signals several times that the land was visible, and when it turned out that the signals were erroneous, the crews of the ships were overcome with despondency. To stop these disappointments, Columbus said that whoever gives the wrong signal about the land on the horizon loses the right to receive a pension, even after actually seeing the first land.

Discovery of America by Columbus

In early October, signs of the proximity of the land intensified. Flocks of small, colorful birds circled over the ships and flew southwest; plants floated on the water, obviously not marine, but terrestrial, but still retaining their freshness, showing that they had recently been washed away from the earth by waves; a plank and a carved stick were caught. The navigators took a direction somewhat to the south; the air was fragrant, like Andalusian spring. On a clear night on October 11, Columbus noticed a moving light in the distance, so he ordered the sailors to look carefully and promised, in addition to the previous reward, a silk camisole to the one who first sees the land. At 2 o'clock in the morning on October 12, the sailor of Pinta Juan Rodriguez Vermejo, a native of the town of Molinos, neighboring Seville, saw the outline of the cape in the moonlight and with a joyful cry: “Land! Earth!" rushed to the cannon to make a signal shot. But then the award for the discovery was awarded to Columbus himself, who had seen the light earlier. At dawn, the ships sailed to the shore, and Christopher Columbus in the scarlet clothes of an admiral, with a Castilian banner in his hand, went out to the land he had discovered. It was an island that the natives called Guanagani, and Columbus named San Salvador to the glory of the Savior (later it was called Watling). The island was covered with beautiful meadows and forests, and there were inhabitants, naked, of a dark copper color; their hair was straight, not curly; their body was painted in bright colors. They met the foreigners timidly, respectfully, imagined that they were the children of the sun descended from the sky, and, understanding nothing, watched and listened to the ceremony by which Columbus took possession of the Castilian crown of their island. They gave expensive things for beads, bells, foil. Thus began the discovery of America.

In the following days of navigation, Christopher Columbus discovered several more small islands belonging to the Bahamas. He called one of them the island of the Immaculate Conception (Santa Maria de la Concepcion), the other Fernandina (this is the current island of Ehuma), the third Isabella; gave others new names in this genus. He believed that the archipelago discovered by him in this first voyage lies in front of the eastern coast of Asia, that from there it is not far to Jipangu (Japan) and Katai (China), described Marco Polo and drawn on the map by Paolo Toscanelli. He took several natives on his ships to learn Spanish and serve as interpreters. Traveling further southwest, Columbus discovered the large island of Cuba on October 26, and on December 6, a beautiful island that resembled Andalusia with its forests, mountains and fertile plains. For this resemblance, Columbus named it Hispaniola (or, in the Latin form of the word, Hispaniola). The natives called it Haiti. Luxurious vegetation of Cuba and Haiti approved in the Spaniards the belief that this is an archipelago neighboring India. No one then suspected the existence of the great continent of America. The participants in the first voyage of Christopher Columbus admired the charm of the meadows and forests on these islands, their excellent climate, bright feathers and the sonorous singing of birds in the forests, the aroma of herbs and flowers, which was so strong that it was felt far from the coast; admired the brightness of the stars in the tropical sky.

The vegetation of the islands was then, after the autumn rains, in the full freshness of its splendor. Columbus, endowed with a lively love of nature, describes in the ship's log of his first voyage the beauty of the islands and the sky above them with graceful simplicity. Humboldt says: “In his voyage along the coast of Cuba between the small islands of the Bahamas and the Hardinel group, Christopher Columbus admired the density of forests in which the branches of the trees intertwined so that it is difficult to make out which flowers belong to this or that tree. He admired the luxurious meadows of the wet coast, the pink flamingos standing along the banks of the rivers; each new land seems to Columbus even more beautiful than the one described before it; he complains that he lacks words to convey the pleasure he experiences. - Peschel says: “Fascinated by his success, Columbus imagines that mastic trees grow in these forests, that the sea is replete with pearl shells, that there is a lot of gold in the sand of the rivers; he sees the fulfillment of all the tales of rich India.”

But the Spaniards did not find as much gold, expensive stones and pearls on the islands they discovered as they wished. The natives wore small jewelry made of gold, willingly exchanged them for beads and other trinkets. But this gold did not satisfy the greed of the Spaniards, but only kindled in them the hope of the proximity of lands in which there is a lot of gold; they questioned the natives who came to their ships in canoes. Columbus treated these savages kindly; they ceased to be afraid of foreigners and answered questions about gold that further south there was a land in which there was a lot of it. But in his first journey, Christopher Columbus did not reach the mainland of America; he did not sail further than Hispaniola, whose inhabitants received the Spaniards gullibly. The most important of their princelings, the cacique Guacanagari, showed Columbus sincere friendship and filial piety. Columbus considered it necessary to stop sailing and return from the coast of Cuba to Europe, because Alonso Pinzon, the head of one of the caravels, secretly sailed away from the admiral's ship. He was a proud and quick-tempered man, he was burdened by his submission to Christopher Columbus, he wanted to acquire the merit of discovering a land rich in gold, and use its treasures alone. On November 20, his caravel sailed away from the ship of Columbus and never returned. Columbus suggested that he sailed to Spain to claim the fame and reward for the discovery.

A month later (December 24), the ship "Santa Maria" fell through the negligence of a young helmsman on a sandbar and was wrecked by waves. Columbus had only one caravel left; he saw himself in the necessity of hastening his return to Spain. Cacique and all the inhabitants of Hispaniola showed the most friendly disposition towards the Spaniards, tried to do everything they could for them. But Columbus was afraid that his only ship might crash on unfamiliar shores, and did not dare to continue discoveries. He decided to leave some of his companions on Hispaniola, so that they would continue to acquire gold from the natives for trifles that the savages liked. With the help of the natives, the participants in the first voyage of Columbus built a fortification from the wreckage of a crashed ship, circled it with a moat, transferred part of the food supplies into it, and placed several cannons there; sailors vying one before another volunteered to stay in this fortification. Columbus selected 40 of them, among whom were several carpenters and other artisans, and left them in Hispaniola under the command of Diego Arana, Pedro Gutierrez and Rodrigo Escovedo. The fort was named after the Christmas holiday La Navidad.

Before Christopher Columbus sailed to Europe, Alonso Pinson returned to him. Having sailed away from Columbus, he went further along the coast of Hispaniola, went to land, received from the natives in exchange for trinkets several pieces of gold two fingers thick, went inland, heard about the island of Jamaia (Jamaica), on which there is a lot of gold and from which ten days you can swim to the mainland, where people who wear clothes live. Pinzón had strong kinship and powerful friends in Spain, so Columbus hid his displeasure at him, pretended to believe in the fictions that he explains his act with. Together they sailed along the coast of Hispaniola and in the Gulf of Saman found the warlike Siguayo tribe, which entered into battle with them. This was the first hostile encounter between the Spaniards and the natives. From the shores of Hispaniola, Columbus and Pinson sailed to Europe on January 16, 1493.

Return of Columbus from the first voyage

On the way back from the first voyage, happiness was less favorable to Christopher Columbus and his companions than on the way to America. In the middle of February, they were subjected to a violent storm, which their ships, already quite badly damaged, could hardly withstand. The Pint was swept north by the storm. Columbus and other travelers who sailed on the Nina lost sight of her. Columbus felt great anxiety at the thought that the Pinta had sunk; his ship, too, could easily have perished, in which case information about his discoveries would not have reached Europe. He made a promise to God that if his ship survived, pilgrimage trips would be made to three of the most famous Spanish holy places. He and his companions cast lots to see which of them would go to these holy places. Of the three trips, two fell to the lot of Christopher Columbus himself; he took over the costs of the third. The storm was still going on, and Columbus came up with a means for the news of his discovery to reach Europe in the event of the death of the Nina. He wrote on parchment a short story about his voyage and about the lands he found, folded the parchment, covered it with a wax shell to protect it from water, put the package in a barrel, made an inscription on the barrel that whoever finds it and delivers it to the Queen of Castile will receive 1000 ducats rewards, and threw him into the sea.

A few days later, when the storm stopped and the sea calmed down, the sailor saw land from the main mast's top; the joy of Columbus and his companions was as great as at the discovery earlier during the voyage of the first island in the west. But no one except Columbus could figure out which coast was in front of them. Only he correctly conducted observations and calculations; all the others got mixed up in them, partly because he deliberately introduced them into errors, wanting one to have the information needed for the second voyage to America. He realized that the land in front of the ship was one of the Azores. But the waves were still so great and the wind so strong that the caravel of Christopher Columbus cruised for three days in sight of the land before it could land on Santa Maria (the southernmost island of the Azores archipelago).

The Spaniards went ashore on February 17, 1493. The Portuguese, who owned the Azores, met them unfriendly. Castanjeda, the ruler of the island, an insidious man, wanted to capture Columbus and his ship for fear that these Spaniards were rivals of the Portuguese in trade with Guinea, or at the desire to find out about the discoveries they made on the voyage, Columbus sent half of his sailors to the chapel to thank God for salvation from the storm. The Portuguese arrested them; they wanted to take possession of the ship later, but this failed because Columbus was careful. Having failed, the Portuguese ruler of the island released the arrested, excusing his hostile actions by the fact that he did not know whether the ship of Columbus was really in the service of the Queen of Castile. Columbus sailed to Spain; but near the Portuguese coast was subjected to a new storm; she was very dangerous. Columbus and his companions made a promise of a fourth pilgrimage; by lot, it fell to the lot of Columbus himself. The inhabitants of Cascaes, who saw from the shore the danger that the ship was in, went to church to pray for its salvation. Finally, on March 4, 1493, the ship of Christopher Columbus reached Cape Sintra and entered the mouth of the Tagus River. The sailors of the Belem harbor, where Columbus landed, said that his salvation was a miracle, that in the memory of people there had never been such a strong storm that it sank 25 large merchant ships sailing from Flanders.

Happiness favored Christopher Columbus on his first voyage, saving him from dangers. They threatened him in Portugal. Its king, John II, envied the amazing discovery that eclipsed all the discoveries of the Portuguese and, as it seemed then, robbed them of the benefits of trade with India, which they wanted to achieve thanks to the discovery Vasco da Gama way around Africa. The king received Columbus in his western palace of Valparaiso, listened to his story about the discoveries. Some nobles wanted to irritate Columbus, challenge him to some insolence and, using it, kill him. But John II rejected this shameful thought, and Columbus survived. John showed respect for him and took care to ensure his safety on the way back. On March 15, Christopher Columbus sailed to Palos; the inhabitants of the city greeted him with delight. His first voyage lasted seven and a half months.

In the evening of the same day, Alonso Pinzon sailed to Palos. He went ashore in Galicia, sent a notice of his discoveries to Isabella and Ferdinand, who were then in Barcelona, ​​and asked for an audience with them. They answered that he should come to them in the retinue of Columbus. This disfavor of the queen and king grieved him; he was also saddened by the coldness with which he was received in his native city of Palos. He grieved so much that he died a few weeks later. By his cunning towards Columbus, he brought contempt upon himself, so that his contemporaries did not want to appreciate the services rendered by him to the discovery of the New World. Only descendants did justice to his brave participation in the first voyage of Christopher Columbus.

Columbus reception in Spain

In Seville, Columbus received an invitation from the Queen and King of Spain to visit them in Barcelona; he went, taking with him several savages brought from the islands discovered by navigation, and products found there. The people gathered in a huge crowd to see him enter Barcelona. Queen Isabella and the King Ferdinand they received him with such honors as only the most distinguished people received. The king met Columbus in the square, seated him next to him, and then several times rode next to him on horseback around the city. The most famous Spanish nobles gave feasts in honor of Columbus and, as they say, at the feast given in his honor by Cardinal Mendoza, there was a famous anecdote with the “Columbian egg”.

Columbus before Kings Ferdinand and Isabella. Painting by E. Leutse, 1843

Columbus remained firmly convinced that the islands he discovered during his voyage lay off the eastern coast of Asia, not far from the rich lands of Jipangu and Cathay; almost everyone shared his opinion; only a few doubted its thoroughness.

Continued - see article

The Spanish navigator of Italian origin Christopher Columbus is a cult figure in world history and navigation. The discoveries made by him changed the ideas of scientists about geography, the planet, and contributed to the beginning of the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries. Columbus' voyages resulted in the establishment of trade between Europe and Asia, the discovery of new cultures and peoples, the beginning of the colonial policy of European states, and the spread of Spanish power beyond the Iberian Peninsula.

Origin of Columbus

The navigator was born on October 1, 1451 in Genoa to Dominico Colombo and Susanna Fontanarossa. Christopher's father was the guardian of the city gates, and was also engaged in weaving and cloth business. In Genoa, the house where Columbus was born and where the elder Columbus worked for a long time has been preserved.

Historians believe that the navigator's genealogy is much more extensive than it seems at first glance. Some scientists classify Columbus as Spaniards or Italians, others as Portuguese, others as Greeks. There is even a version that the Columbus family has Jewish roots. Historians draw similar conclusions on the basis of various sources and memoirs of contemporaries; there is no exact confirmation of one or another version. It is not yet possible to establish exactly who Columbus was by nationality. He wrote and spoke excellent Spanish, while the dialect that is in the inhabitants of Portugal was clearly heard. Christopher knew Latin, Italian, Greek.

A family

Columbus had four brothers, with whom he worked because he was the oldest child in the family. The navigator had no special education. After completing his basic education, he began to travel a lot on merchant ships. In the middle of the 1470s. ended up in Portugal, where he decided to start his own business. Columbus and his brother Bartholomew took up cartography, which at that time was actively developing.

In Portugal, he married Felipe Moniz de Palestrello, who was the daughter of the governor of that country. The marriage took place in 1479, a year later their son was born, who was called Diego. Columbus moved his wife to Genoa, and he continued to travel further. Finally, he "takes root" in Spain, finds work in a monastery, starts an affair with another woman. And at the same time, the idea comes to him that it is necessary to find America. It is not known exactly when Doña Felipa died. Most likely, death came to her after Columbus sailed to America. According to another version, the navigator's wife died before his first voyage.

The second wife of Columbus was Beatriz Henriquez de Arana. In this marriage, a son was also born, who received the name Fernando. The admiral died in 1506 in the Spanish city of Villadolid. His health was undermined by numerous voyages, viruses and unknown diseases that he picked up on the open islands. In addition, for a long time he unsuccessfully tried to obtain inheritance rights for himself and his children in some open territories.

Personal qualities

Columbus was quite religious, all his life he believed in holding and various omens. At the same time, the navigator was practical, suspicious, loved gold and wealth, and reacted painfully to criticism. A sharp mind, wide knowledge in various fields and the gift of persuasion helped him achieve what he wanted. In particular, H. Columbus was able to eloquently prove to the rulers of Spain that the financing of his expedition would bring them fame and make Spain a great maritime power.

Expeditions

By the end of the 15th century people have already accumulated enough knowledge not to believe in the version about the plane of the Earth. Columbus read a lot of ancient writings, which said that the planet is spherical. Most likely, the project of the marine company to open a route to India matured gradually. H. Columbus made calculations based on incorrect calculations made in the 15th century.

For the first time, the navigator spoke about an expedition to India in 1485, and with this idea he went to the Portuguese king. But at court he was refused, and he decided to move to Castile. Here, merchants and bankers from Andalusia helped organize a trip to distant lands.

At the same time, the Spanish rulers Isabella and Ferdinand agreed to finance the voyage to India. The first expedition lasted from 1492 to 1493. In 1492, three caravels left the city of Palos - Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria, on which there were 90 crew members and Columbus's assistants. During the first voyage were opened:

• Samana island.
• Sargasso Sea.
• Bahamas.
• Cuba and its northeast coast.
• Haiti - Columbus passed along the north coast.

The head of the Vatican, after the discoveries made by Columbus, drew the so-called demarcation line across the Atlantic Ocean - the papal meridian. This was how different vectors of the foreign policy of Portugal and Spain were designated, which concerned the discovery of new lands. The Spanish rulers appointed the navigator the positions of admiral and viceroy of the open territories, and agreed to allocate funds for the second voyage. It lasted from 1493 to 1496, and differed from the first in quantitative characteristics. Firstly, 17 ships were subordinate to the admiral. Secondly, the number of crew reached 2.5 thousand people.

The expedition explored Haiti, where a military campaign was carried out to search for gold, and also discovered:

• Islands - Guadeloupe, Dominican Republic, Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Huventud.
• Southern coasts of Cuba and Haiti.

After the second voyage, Columbus reported to the sovereigns of Spain and claimed that he had found a new route to Asia. New lands were proclaimed the property of the Spanish crown. Their colonization began, criminals were transported to the territories and islands, since the free settlers did not want to work in the colonies. The consequences were sad - destroyed, plundered, and then destroyed the ancient empires of the Aztecs, Incas, Mayans.

The third voyage lasted from 1498 to 1500, in which 6 ships went. Half of the ships led by Columbus passed through the Atlantic. As a result of this journey, the navigator reached the shores of South America, exploring Trinidad, the Gulf and the Paria Peninsula, the Orinoco River. By 1500, the expedition sailed to Haiti, where the admiral was arrested and sent to Castile. Here he was acquitted and released, after which Columbus began to prepare again for distant wanderings. He was haunted by the fact that for so many years, the western route to India had not been found.

Having begged money from the kings, the admiral hired four ships and set off. During 1502-1504. new lands passed under the Spanish crown. Among them are the island of Martinique, the Gulf of Honduras, the long coast of South America, washed by the Caribbean Sea. In 1503 the ships were wrecked off Jamaica. Columbus requested help from the island of Santo Domingo, which ripened only a year later. Repair of ships allowed the admiral to get to Castile, where he reached in November 1504. At this time, Christopher Columba was sick.

Significance of expeditions

The lands, which during the voyages from 1492 to 1504 were mapped by Columbus and the scientists who sailed with him, contributed to the active development of geographical science, navigation, and navigation. This gave impetus to the revision of views on the continents and the water space of the Earth. Scientific discoveries kept pace with the development of technology and shipbuilding. Columbus was not the first to find the North American continent for Europeans. Earlier in the 8th-9th centuries. the Vikings did it. Only Magellan proved that H. Columbus found America, which was in a new part of the world, unfamiliar until the 15th century. residents of Europe. The expeditions of Columbus contributed to the change in European trade, in which new directions appeared. Spain became a monopoly of many goods and services, controlling the Atlantic trade routes. Thanks to constant discoveries, new settlements were built in the established colonies.

But the discoveries of the admiral brought not only positive results. There were many negative consequences, among which it is worth noting:

• Spanish colonization of lands and the creation of new settlements there.
• Cruel treatment of the Indians of South, Central and North America, as well as with the native tribes of the open islands. Many states were completely destroyed, and the population was exterminated.
• Destruction of material and spiritual culture.
• The looting of the Mayan, Inca and Aztec empires.
• The foundations of the slave trade and the conversion of natives into slaves were laid.
• The traditional ties of the peoples on the islands, in North and Central America have been destroyed.

Who remembers Columbus?

In various countries of the world, the memory of the admiral and the navigator is honored. In particular, in South America, a country is named after him - Colombia. There is a province of the same name in the Channel, a river and a county in the United States. The capital of the island nation of Sri Lanka is called Colombo.

Natural objects are also named after Columbus, as well as administrative units. In particular, streets, cities, parks, squares and bridges in many countries of the world.

A monument to the discoverer of India stands in Barcelona, ​​which appeared in the city in the late 1880s.

Films, TV series have been made about Columbus' voyages, documentaries are told about him. In addition, scientists are constantly studying his life and work, finding new documents in the archives about sea expeditions, actions in the colonies, and family.

Interesting facts of the biography of the navigator

• Until the end of his life, he believed that he had sailed to the eastern coast of Asia. In fact, Columbus landed 15,000 km away, reaching India.
• For seven long years, the navigator persuaded Ferdinand and Isabella, proving to them that the ocean expedition would bring laurels to Spain. The rulers did not trust a stranger, a cartographer and merchant who was unfamiliar to Spanish society. The pundits of the time said that finding a western route to India was a gamble. They simply did not understand how they could sail west to discover new lands. Being in Spain since 1485, Columbus got an appointment with Ferdinand and Isabella only after 6 years.
• The first crew for the ships, which were supposed to set off in 1492, were formed from criminals. No one else wanted to embark on an unfamiliar voyage with a man whose idea scientists did not believe in and who was scarcely trusted by monarchs.
• The sailors during the first expedition did not know exactly where they were sailing, what distance they would have to go. The crew took whales, albatrosses, or algae as signs of approaching land. Columbus did not tell the sailors how many ships passed in a day. People did not see the earth for a long time, so every day they were seized by panic.
• Columbus was the first in the world to see that the magnetic needle on the compass began to deviate from its value. At that time, sailors and scientists believed that the magnetic needle should point strictly to the North Star, and it deviated more and more from the desired direction. Nobody knew about this observation, because Columbus was afraid that it would cause panic among the crew members.
• The navigator called the inhabitants of open lands and islands Indians, the name stuck and is used today.
• Columbus brought new types of food, spices, horses and cows to Europe. Neither animals nor foods were known on the continent. So potatoes, tomatoes, corn and grapes were delivered to Spain. Europeans quickly appreciated the benefits of animals and new crops, which contributed to the formation of a new trade exchange between Europe and America. This process became known as the Columbus exchange.
• The right to be called the homeland of the navigator is contested by 6 cities in Italy and Spain.
• In the Bahamas, sailors and the admiral got acquainted with a new culture that was popular with the natives. The new herb that Columbus took with him to Spain was called tobacco.
• Columbus had problems with the monarchs due to the fact that he did not bring wealth, spices, spices and precious metals from the voyage. Instead, exotic fruits, plants, bird feathers and natives were brought from the shores of Cuba, Tortuga and Haiti.
• The way to India was found during the life of Columbus, when in 1498 Vasco da Gama reached the shores of this country.

Interesting is the fate of the remains of Columbus, which were transported from Spain to Haiti. When the Spaniards left the island, the ashes of the great navigator were transported to Havana, and from there to Santa Domingo, and then to Seville. For a long time it was believed that the remains rest in the cathedral, but genetic research has proven otherwise. It was found that the bones belong to a friend of a man aged 45 years. Columbus was about 60 years old at the time of his death. Where the remains of the navigator are now, none of the historians knows.

Christopher Columbus is a legendary explorer who is considered to be the discoverer of the American continent. In addition, it was Columbus who first mapped the Sargasso and Caribbean Seas, the Bahamas and the Antilles. Christopher Columbus is the first famous traveler to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

The biography of Columbus in its content cannot be perceived as true, since it is extremely difficult to find real facts about his origin and life up to the first expedition. It so happened that even the ship's log, in which Christopher Columbus entered information about the journey to the New World, i.e. the most significant historical document of this voyage has not been preserved. The biography of Christopher Columbus is briefly as follows…

Childhood and youth

Italian by birth. Born in Genoa between August 25 and October 31, 1451 in the family of a woolen weaver Domenico Colombo (the exact date has not been established). Also in the sources there is the name Cristobal Colon, apparently an Italian transcription. In general, very little is known about childhood and adolescence. The right to be called the homeland of the navigator is actually contested by 6 cities in Italy and Spain, i.e. Genoa is also not accurate.

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 was erected, called "Casa di Colombo" (Spanish: Casa di Colombo - "House of Columbus"). In 1887, an inscription appeared on the facade of the house: “ No parental home can be honored more than this.».

Since Colombo Sr. was a respected artisan in the city, in 1470 he was sent on an important mission to Savona to discuss with the weavers the issue of introducing uniform prices for textile products. Apparently, therefore, Dominico moved with his family to this city, 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.

Life in Portugal

Somewhere in the middle of the 1470s. Christopher settled in Portugal, 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, he favorably married Felipe Moniz de Palestrello, who was the daughter of the governor of that country. The marriage took place in 1479, a year later their son was born, who was called Diego. Columbus moved his wife to Genoa, and he continued to travel further.

Surely every student can easily answer the question of what Christopher Columbus discovered. Well, of course, America! However, let's think about whether this knowledge is too scarce, because most of us do not even know where this famous discoverer comes from, what was his life path and what era he lived in.

This article is aimed at telling in detail about the discoveries of Christopher Columbus. In addition, the reader will have a unique opportunity to get acquainted with interesting data and the chronology of events that took place several centuries ago.

What did the great navigator discover?

Christopher Columbus, a traveler now known to the whole planet, was originally an ordinary Spanish navigator who worked both on a ship and in a port and, in fact, was practically no different from the same eternally busy hard workers.

It was later, in 1492, that he would become a celebrity - the man who discovered America, the first European to cross the Atlantic Ocean, to visit the Caribbean Sea.

By the way, not everyone knows that it was Christopher Columbus who laid the foundation for a detailed study of not only America itself, but also almost all the nearby archipelagos.

Although here I would like to make an amendment. The Spanish navigator was far from the only traveler who set off to conquer unknown worlds. In fact, even in the Middle Ages, there were already inquisitive Icelandic Vikings in America. But at that time this information did not receive such wide distribution, therefore the whole world believes that it was the expedition of Christopher Columbus that was able to popularize information about American lands and initiate the colonization of the whole continent by Europeans.

History of Christopher Columbus. Secrets and mysteries of his biography

This man was and remains one of the most mysterious historical figures on the planet. Unfortunately, not many facts have been preserved that tell about his origin and occupation before the first expedition. In those days, Christopher Columbus, we briefly note, was practically nobody, that is, he did not differ significantly from the usual average sailor, and therefore it is practically impossible to single him out from the general mass.

By the way, that is why, being lost in conjectures and trying to surprise the readership, historians have written hundreds of books about him. Almost all such manuscripts are full of assumptions and unverified claims. But in fact, even the original ship's log of the first expedition of Columbus has not been preserved.

It is believed that Christopher Columbus was born in 1451 (according to another, unverified version - in 1446), between August 25 and October 31, in the Italian city of Genoa.

To date, a number of Spanish and Italian cities ascribe to themselves the honor of being called the small homeland of the discoverer. As for his social position, it is only known that the Columbus family was not at all of noble origin, none of his ancestors was a navigator.

Modern researchers believe that Columbus Sr. earned a living by hard work and was either a weaver or a wool comber. Although there is also a version that the navigator's father served as a senior guard at the city gates.

Of course, the journey of Christopher Columbus did not begin immediately. Probably, from early childhood, the boy began to earn extra money, helping the elders to support the family. Perhaps he was a cabin boy on ships and that is why he fell in love with the sea so much. Unfortunately, there are no more detailed records of how the childhood and youth of this famous person passed.

As for education, there is a version that H. Columbus studied at the University of Pavia, but there is no documentary evidence of this fact. Therefore, it is quite possible that he was educated at home as well. Be that as it may, this man had excellent knowledge in the field of navigation, which provides for far from superficial knowledge in mathematics, geometry, cosmography and geography.

It is also known that at an older age, Christopher Columbus worked as a cartographer, and then moved to serve in a local printing house. He spoke not only his native Portuguese, but also Italian and Spanish. A good command of Latin helped him in deciphering maps and annals. There is evidence that the navigator could write a little in Hebrew.

It is also known that Columbus was a prominent man who was constantly looked at by ladies. So, while serving in Portugal in some Genoese trading house, the future discoverer of America met his future wife, Doña Felipe Moniz de Palestrello. They got married in 1478. Soon the couple had a son, Diego. The wife's family was also not rich, but it was the wife's noble origin that allowed Christopher to establish contacts, establish useful contacts in the circles of the nobility of Portugal

As for the nationality of the traveler, there are even more mysteries. Some researchers prove the Jewish origin of Columbus, but there are also versions of Spanish, German and Portuguese roots.

The official religion of Christopher was Catholic. Why can you say that? The fact is that, according to the rules of that era, otherwise he would simply not have been allowed into the same Spain. Although, it is quite possible that he hid his true religion.

Apparently, many mysteries of the navigator's biography will remain unsolved for all of us.

Pre-Columbian America or what the discoverer saw when he arrived on the mainland

America, until its discovery, was a land where certain groups of people lived, who for centuries remained in some kind of natural isolation. All of them, by the will of fate, were cut off from the rest of the planet. However, despite all this, they were able to create a high culture, demonstrating unlimited possibilities and skill.

The uniqueness of these civilizations lies in the fact that they are considered natural and ecological in nature, and not man-made, like ours. The local natives, the Indians, did not seek to transform the environment, on the contrary, their settlements blended harmoniously with nature as much as possible.

Experts say that all civilizations that arose in North Africa, Asia, and Europe developed approximately the same way. In pre-Columbian America, this development took a different path, so, for example, the contrast between the population of the city and the countryside was minimal. The cities of the ancient Indians also contained extensive agricultural lands. The only significant difference between the city and the countryside was the area occupied by the territory.

At the same time, the civilizations of pre-Columbian America did not make much progress in what Europe and Asia could rise on. For example, the Indians were not very eager to improve metal processing technologies. If in the Old World bronze was considered the main metal and new lands were conquered for it, then in pre-Columbian America this material was used exclusively as decoration.

But the civilizations of the New World are interesting for their unique structures, sculptures and paintings, which were characterized by a completely different style.

The beginning of the way

In 1485, after the categorical refusal of the King of Portugal to invest in a project to find the shortest sea route to India, Columbus moved to Castile for permanent residence. There, with the help of Andalusian merchants and bankers, he nevertheless managed to achieve the organization of a government sea expedition.

For the first time, the ship of Christopher Columbus went on a year-long voyage in 1492. 90 people took part in the expedition.

By the way, contrary to a fairly common misconception, there were three ships, and they were called "Santa Maria", "Pinta" and "Nina".

The expedition left Palos at the very beginning of the sultry August 1492. From the Canary Islands, the flotilla headed west, where it crossed the Atlantic Ocean without any problems.

Along the way, the navigator's team discovered the Sargasso Sea and successfully reached the Bahamas, where they landed on land on October 12, 1492. Since then, this very date has become the official day of the discovery of America.

In 1986, the US geographer J. Judge carefully processed all the available materials about this expedition on a computer and came to the conclusion that the first land that Christopher saw was Fr. Samana. From about October 14, for ten days, the expedition approached several more Bahamas, and by December 5 opened part of the coast of Cuba. On December 6, the team reached Fr. Haiti.

Then the ships moved along the northern coast, and then luck changed the pioneers. On the night of December 25, the Santa Maria suddenly landed on a reef. True, this time the crew was lucky - all the sailors survived.

Second Voyage of Columbus

The second expedition took place in 1493-1496, it was led by Columbus already in the official position of Viceroy of the lands he discovered.

It is worth noting that the team has increased significantly - the expedition already consisted of 17 ships. According to various sources, 1.5-2.5 thousand people participated in the expedition.

At the beginning of November 1493, the islands of Dominica, Guadeloupe and twenty Lesser Antilles were discovered, and on November 19, Fr. Puerto Rico. In March 1494, Columbus, in search of gold, decided to make a military campaign on about. Haiti, then in the summer opened about. Khuventud and about. Jamaica.

For 40 days, the famous navigator carefully explored the south of Haiti, but in the spring of 1496 he nevertheless sailed home, completing his second voyage on June 11 in Castile.

By the way, it was then that H. Columbus informed the public about the discovery of a new route to Asia.

Third expedition

The third trip took place in 1498-1500 and was not as numerous as the previous one. Only 6 ships participated in it, and the navigator himself led three of them across the Atlantic.

On July 31, in the first year of the trip, Fr. Trinidad, the ships entered the Gulf of Paria, as a result, the peninsula of the same name was discovered. This is how South America was discovered.

On August 31, Columbus landed in the Caribbean Sea in Haiti. Already in 1499, the monopoly right of Christopher Columbus to new lands was canceled, the royal couple sent their representative F. Bobadilla to the destination, who in 1500 arrested Columbus along with his brothers on a denunciation.

The navigator, shackled, was sent to Castile, where local financiers persuaded the royal family to release him.

Fourth voyage to American shores

What continued to excite such a restless person as Columbus? Christopher, for whom America was already a practically passed stage, wanted to find a new way from there to South Asia. The traveler believed that such a route existed, for he observed off the coast of about. Cuba is a strong current that went west through the Caribbean Sea. As a result, he was able to convince the king to give permission for a new expedition.

On his fourth trip, Columbus went along with his brother Bartolomeo and his 13-year-old son Hernando. He was lucky to discover the mainland south of about. Cuba is the coast of Central America. And Columbus was the first to inform Spain about the Indian peoples inhabiting the coast of the South Sea.

But, unfortunately, he never found the strait into the South Sea. I had to return home with almost nothing.

Unexplained facts, the study of which continues

The distance from Palos to the Canaries is 1600 km, the ships participating in the Columbus expedition covered this distance in 6 days, that is, they covered 250-270 km per day. The way to the Canary Islands was well known, it did not present any difficulties. But it was on this site that on August 6 (possibly 7) a strange breakdown occurred on the Pinta ship. According to some reports, the steering wheel broke, according to others, there was a leak. This circumstance aroused suspicion, because then the Pint crossed the Atlantic twice. Before that, she quite successfully covered about 13 thousand km, visited terrible storms and arrived in Palos without damage. Therefore, there is a version that the crew members arranged the accident at the request of the co-owner of the ship K. Quintero. It is possible that the sailors received part of the salary in their hands and spent it. They didn’t see any more sense in risking their lives, and the owner himself had already received a lot of money for renting the Pint. So it was logical to simulate a breakdown and stay safe in the Canary Islands. It seems that the captain of the "Pinta" Martin Pinzon nevertheless saw through the conspirators and stopped them.

Already on the second trip of Columbus, intentional colonists set sail with him, loaded cattle, equipment, seeds, etc. on ships. The colonists laid their city somewhere in the vicinity of the modern city of Santo Domingo. The same expedition discovered Fr. Lesser Antilles, Virginia, Puerto Rico, Jamaica. But Christopher Columbus to the last remained of the opinion that he had discovered western India, and not a new land.

Interesting data from the life of the discoverer

Of course, there is a lot of unique and very informative information. But in this article we would like to give as an example the most entertaining facts.

• When Christopher lived in Seville, he was friends with the brilliant Amerigo Vespucci.
• King Juan II at first refused Columbus to organize an expedition, but then sent his sailors to sail along the route proposed by Christopher. True, due to a strong storm, the Portuguese had to return home with nothing.
• After Columbus was shackled during his third expedition, he decided to keep the chains as a talisman for the rest of his life.
• By order of Christopher Columbus, for the first time in the history of navigation, Indian hammocks were used as sailor berths.
• It was Columbus who proposed to the Spanish king to populate new lands with criminals to save money.

The historical significance of the expeditions

Everything that Christopher Columbus discovered was appreciated only half a century later. Why so late? The thing is that only after this period, from the colonized Mexico and Peru, they began to deliver whole galleons stuffed with gold and silver to the Old World.

The Spanish royal treasury spent only 10 kg of gold on the preparation of the expedition, and over three hundred years Spain managed to export precious metals from America, the value of which was at least 3 million kg of pure gold.

Alas, crazy gold did not benefit Spain, it did not stimulate the development of industry or the economy. And as a result, the country still hopelessly lagged behind many European states.

To date, in honor of Christopher Columbus, not only numerous ships and vessels, cities, rivers and mountains are named, but also, for example, the monetary unit of El Salvador, the state of Colombia, located in South America, as well as a well-known state in the USA.