Christopher Columbus - biography, travels, discoveries. Christopher Columbus: "The Greatest of Losers"

Christopher Columbus is a great navigator.
There is probably not a single person on earth who does not know the name of this great Italian traveler. Many people know that it was Columbus who discovered America, but other than this fact, most do not know any data about Christopher’s biography. By the way, he is the first traveler to cross Atlantic Ocean and found the Caribbean Sea. It was this man who seriously took up the exploration of America and found Antilles.
The exact date of birth of Christopher Columbus is still unknown, but many scientists believe that he was most likely born in 1451 in the fall of Italian city Genoa. The love for the sea began to manifest itself from childhood; even then little Christopher began to be interested in deep sea, often sat by the water and read books about the seas and oceans. At the age of 20, the young man fulfilled his dream and began helping experienced sailors with work on the deck of a ship sailing into the Mediterranean Sea. Some time later, in 1476, young Columbus moved to Portugal and got a job with Italian merchants who traveled the North Atlantic and sold their goods.
Around 1484, Columbus decided to ask the Portuguese King João II for permission to travel to Asia through the west, but he was not interested in such an offer and the traveler was refused, after which he left again, this time to Spain.
At that time, Queen Isabella of Castile and her husband King Ferdinand of Aragon ruled in Spain, they treated Christopher’s plans completely differently, they offered to sponsor all events, made him a nobleman and promised to give him the titles of Viceroy, Governor General and Admiral of all the islands and continents that will be open to them. From that moment, Christopher Columbus began his activities as a navigator; in total, he made 4 voyages towards America.
The first expedition set off on August 4, 1492; by a lucky coincidence, 3 research ships sailed not to Asia, but to America, and then San Salvador was discovered - one of Bahamas. Columbus was sure that he was in Asia, so he called the local tribes Indians. During the same voyage, Cuba and Haiti were discovered.
The next expedition set off in September 1493, this time Columbus prepared thoroughly, collecting 17 ships. During this voyage, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, the Antilles and the Virgin Islands were discovered.
After a long lull, Columbus set off on another journey; it took place in 1498 at the end of May. The navigator did not make any major discoveries this time; the largest discovery this time was Trinidad.
On May 9, 1502, the fourth, decisive journey began, during which Central America was discovered. This discovery instantly spread throughout the world, Columbus proved that between the Atlantic Ocean and South Sea there is a mainland.
This man, who persistently sought new discoveries and went towards his goal, died at the age of 55, namely on May 20, 1506 and was buried in Seville.

The biography of the life of Christopher Columbus is so eventful that one could write an interesting book. We will present a short version containing the basic facts of life as a traveler.

He was born into a poor Spanish family. Since childhood, I dreamed of being famous for my last name. Christopher discovered the western route along which America exports goods today. He is the discoverer of the Southern and North America. Columbia is named in his honor - it is a significant part of America.

The young navigator dreamed of finding Indian treasures and getting rich, which he later failed to achieve - all the valuables, gold and pearls Caribbean Sea came under the control of the King of Portugal.

Parts of the world and continents discovered by Columbus

During his life, Columbus managed to discover: North and South America, the Bahamas, Cuba and Haiti, the large and small Antilles, and a number of small islands in the Caribbean.

Biography of Columbus - summary

Christopher Columbus was born on September 26, 1951 in the Republic of Genoa. His mother was a housewife, his father worked in a weaving shop and as a grape seller.

In addition to Christopher, there were three younger brothers and a sister in the family. Everyone studied at the same school. One of Columbus's brothers, Giovanni, died of a serious illness at an early age, and his sister got married. And the two younger brothers were to go with the eldest on the fourth expedition in the future.

Already at the age of 14, Christopher differed from his peers with an excellent memory, great imagination, strong intellect, and rich imagination.

At the age of 14, in the city of Padua, he entered university with the help of kind, rich people, completed a paid course of study, and received a bachelor's degree. Interestingly, based on this data, historians claim that the Spanish navigator was the son of a Jewish woman.

At the university, Columbus became friends with the astronomer Paolo Toscanelli, they shared new knowledge and ideas with each other. A faithful friend suggested to Christopher that it was easier to get to the riches of India by going around the continent of Africa along the western route rather than along the eastern one. Columbus, having made calculations, brought to life the spoken words of Toscanneli.

Columbus's voyage to the shores of America Christopher Columbus married Moniz Phillipa. Her father was an avid traveler, and after his death he left his son-in-law with tons of educational material as an inheritance. It included: books, manuscripts, maps, diaries, famous continents, wind directions, geometric weather

. For Christopher, this is a whole treasure.

Columbus figured out how to get to India by the western route. Then he asked for financial support from the noble, richest people of the country. Anticipating great risks, entrepreneurs refused charity.

In 1483, Columbus made an appointment with King Joao II of Portugal, explained his plans to him in detail, but did not receive a positive response, since all the country’s financial resources were spent on weapons and clothing for soldiers.

After many years of searching for sponsors, Queen Isabella of Castile became interested in the project. Columbus was given the title "Don" and promised that he would be "Admiral of the Sea-Ocean and Viceroy of all the lands" that he would discover. But the royal couple did not give money.

The traveler was helped by the Spanish shipowner Martin Alonso Pinson, who went with Columbus on the expedition and supplied him with everything he needed, including ships.

Columbus's route on the map

The map clearly shows the route of the ships on which the traveler and his expedition sailed.

First expedition August 3, 1492. The number of sailors was about 80 people. Columbus discovered San Juan Bautista. Persecution began in 1508 local residents

islands, their enslavement and murder. The entire population of the Caribbean island died out. The city of Caparra was founded on this site.

Second expedition

The ships, numbering over 1,600 people, carried with them seeds, cattle and poultry for development Agriculture and garden trees. This is how the island of Jamaica and Puerto Rico were discovered.

This voyage paved the way to the West Indies. Later, prisoners from Spanish prisons were taken into exile on this island. The thugs caused great harm to the local population, gradually gaining territory for themselves to live in. Thus, Portugal got rid of unnecessary hassle with prisoners.

Third expedition

May 30, 1498. Nobody wanted to go swimming; many criminals joined the team. 300 thugs under the command of Columbus arrived in Trinidad. So famous traveler named an island on the Indian coast.

Two weeks later, the scientist and geographer Vasco Da Gama discovered the true route to India, which brought a whole ship of spices to the royal court. He stated that the real India is where he just visited, and Columbus is a real deceiver - the lands that he discovered are not India at all.

Christopher's big mistake turned out to be disastrous; in 1500 he was sent to prison. Columbus's influential acquaintances contributed to the liberation. Christopher made the mistake of mistaking America for indian islands, which is what he paid with his freedom.

Fourth expedition

May 9, 1502. Having gone through many difficulties, the scientist did not want to stop and decided to calculate the coordinates to the new lands of South Asia. He managed to obtain permission to sail with great difficulty.

In 1502, together with two brothers, he managed to discover: the mainland Central America, the islands of Panama, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The sailors included 150 people, they sailed on three ships.

The discoverers came face to face with Indian tribes. After this trip, the Indians and Africans suffered a lot of grief and great loss. The Portuguese committed massacres and colonized the slave system.

The significance of Columbus's discovery of America

The value of the discoveries of the great traveler is known to everyone, but let’s still clarify:

first to cross the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics and subtropics of the Northern Hemisphere;
the first European to sail the “Mediterranean” American Sea;
explored the shores of America (total length 2700 km);
open lands: opened South America, isthmus of Central America, Greater and Lesser Antilles, Dominica and Virginia, islands of the Caribbean, o. Trinidad, Bahamas archipelago;
A necklace, diamonds and pearls were brought to the coast of Portugal.

Christopher Columbus last years of life

The last years of Christopher Columbus's life were spent with an incurable illness. His acquaintances and friends learned about his death very late. Columbus is buried in the city of Valladolid.

How Columbus died and where he is buried

On the verge of life and death, he held the hands of his sons and, unconscious, talked about his travels. The location of his grave is still unknown, and his date of birth is not certain.

There is a large monument dedicated to Columbus in Santo Domingo. It's called Faro a Colon, Spanish for "Columbus Lighthouse." It is a strong electrical system that forms a giant cross in the air at dusk. The light is so bright that it can be seen even in Puerto Rico.

Columbus died in the city of Valladolid. Before his death, Christopher asked his sons to transfer his remains to the Carthusian monastery in Seville. At the request of his wife, in 1542, Columbus's body was again moved to the city of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.

Recently, in Santo Domingo, construction workers dug up a lead box with the inscription: “The illustrious and respected Don Cristobal Colon,” with bone fragments remaining inside. Translated from Spanish "Christopher Columbus". So the burial place of Columbus remains unknown to this day.

Not everyone probably knows that:

The traveler's real name is Cristobal Colon;
Columbus is Jewish by nationality, scientists think so, because his mother was Israeli. The traveler's intelligence and memory were superior to his classmates, and scientists attribute unusual abilities only to Jews;
the navigator’s homeland is Spain, Valladolid;
when Columbus set out on his journey, he did not have a penny, he was helped by Martin Alonso Pinzon, a shipowner from Spain, who later became the same discoverer;
ships on which the traveler and his expedition sailed to America: Santa Maria, Pinta, Niña;
Having sailed to America, Columbus decided that it was India, calling the continent the West Indies. Here he made a serious mistake, which cost him his freedom. He was jailed. But a month after his imprisonment, influential acquaintances pulled Columbus to freedom;
the navigator's predecessors massively enslaved and exterminated the people who lived before their arrival, at the cost of blood.
the sad shade in the character of Columbus is that he did not care further fate local inhabitants of another land, and he continued to ruthlessly discover other continents.

The famous traveler was distinguished from his friends by his pride, great will, patience, and was driven forward by a great motivation for power and wealth. The scientist tried to develop new lands for his people.

After his discoveries, many island residents died; brutal murders were committed by Spanish criminals and soldiers. More than 100 kg of pearls were exported from the Caribbean Sea to the shores of Portugal. The discoveries that Columbus made were truly appreciated only in the 16th century.

Today, about 6 Italian cities are trying to prove that the discoverer of America was born in one of them. Before Columbus lived in 1472, the Republic of Genoa had one of the largest merchant fleets of that time. After 4 years he moved to live in Portugal. The Reconquista was still in full swing on the Iberian Peninsula.

Columbus proposed the project of sailing to India to the west to his homeland, then to the Portuguese king. Both times he was rejected. It didn’t work out in Spain either, since military operations were going on against Arab Granada and there were no available funds.

In 1492, after the capture of the Moorish stronghold in the south of the peninsula, Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand gave a positive assessment of the idea of Christopher Columbus. He is given the title of nobleman.

From 1492 to 1503, Christopher Columbus made four expeditions to the west. Three ships will set off on their maiden voyage: Santa Maria, Pinta and Niña. The sailors grumbled that they would fall on the edge of the earth and even tried to persuade them to turn back.

Having discovered the islands of the Caribbean Sea, Columbus named them West Indies, which meant Western India. The local population was called Indians, but in the Russian version they are referred to as Indians.

On the first island, the inhabitants introduced the Spaniards to tobacco and cotton, but no gold deposits could be found. However, the Indians had small decorations. They brought with them precious metals, captured Indians, plants and exotic animals as evidence of open lands.

Only Niña and Pinta were able to return from the first trip, arriving several days apart due to the storm.

A dispute arises between the Spaniards and the Portuguese over the discovery of "India", the Pope had to intervene and divide the world into spheres of influence along the meridian in the Atlantic Ocean.

In 1499, Christopher Columbus was deprived of all privileges and arrested. The reason was the discovery by the Portuguese of the route around Africa to India.

05/20/1506 Columbus died in spanish city Seville, forgotten and rejected by the Spanish couple. Only in 1540, after the conquests of Cortes and Pissaro, the remains greatest traveler buried in the New World and recognized his services to Spain. The resting place of Christopher Columbus is Santo Domingo.

Biography 2

Christopher Columbus (adapted from Cristobal Colon) was born in 1451 into a poor family and was not the only child. The boy had brothers and a sister. Unfortunately, the exact city where Christopher was born is not known. 6 cities have long been arguing about their right to be called the homeland of the famous sailor!

By the age of 20, the guy was studying at the university and was already married (the young man’s chosen one was the daughter of a navigator). At the same age he took part in the first trade expeditions by sea. Since 1476, the young sailor travels to countries such as Iceland, England, Ireland, Guinea, and lives in Portugal. Until 1483, Christopher collected knowledge, information and everything that could be learned about the western lands from the inhabitants of these countries. In 1483 he approached the Portuguese King João II with a proposal and project for traveling to India through western waters. Having almost agreed at first, the king subsequently refuses Columbus.

After 3 years, Christopher finds a person interested in his project. But even the finances of such a title as the Duke of Medina-Seli are not enough to support Columbus’s plans, and he is forced to turn to royal financial advisers, bankers and merchants.

Christopher's travel plan was carefully studied and criticized over the next 4 years by a commission consisting of monks, astronomers, theologians, financiers and lawyers. The navigator never received a positive response or favor. In subsequent years, Columbus again tirelessly searched for people who could assist him in his travel project. In 1491, King Ferdinand refused him on the pretext of the high costs of conducting military operations in the Granada War. Even after the fall of Granada, the king rejects Columbus's requests due to the "unacceptability and excessiveness" of the demands. But Queen Isabella, inspired by the idea of attacking Ottoman Empire(which was part of Columbus's plans), the liberation of the Holy Sepulcher, shows his favor.

Soon, in April 1492, Christopher and all his heirs were given the title “don”, and also made a promise that if his overseas journey was successful, he would still be recognized as the Admiral of the Sea-Ocean, the viceroy of those lands that he lucky enough to open. But Columbus had to find the funds to complete his journey himself.

One of the main roles in this story was played by Martin Alonso Pinzon. He not only equipped his personal ship “Pinta” for the trip at his own expense, but also lent Christopher the amount formally required to be paid under the agreement.

The first expedition led by Columbus discovered the Caribbean (Bahamas, Cuba, Haiti) to Europeans. The navigator himself believed that he was in East Asia, calling the lands the West Indies. The second expedition was marked by the discovery of the Antilles (small and large) islands, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico. Christopher remains confident that he is discovering the lands of India step by step. During Columbus's third expedition, the navigator Vasco da Gama discovered the route by sea to real India. Columbus was declared a deceiver and arrested, depriving him of the right to discover lands. After a while, the king still allows the navigator to go on the fourth expedition. This is how the shores of Central America were discovered.

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Hi Hi! Today is the time of the greats 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), as well as a younger sister (Bianchinetta).

On Columbus's expeditions to new world after 1492, Bartolomeo and Giacomo took part and 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 Chios.

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

Columbus sailed to Ireland and England, and possibly Iceland, under the Portuguese flag. He also visited the Canary Islands and Madeira and traveled along west coast Africa to the Portuguese trading post of São 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 John II with his plan for 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 Alcala de Enaresi, Columbus received an audience with the king and queen.

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

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

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

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

During the taxation of Granada in January 1492, he was invited to the court. In May, the monarchs agreed to support Columbus's project and promised to award 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 Columbus's expedition.

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

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

In September 1492, Columbus's expedition repaired its ships and replenished provisions, after which it left the island of La Gomera in the Canary Archipelago and headed west.

Columbus and other pilots used a navigation system that relied on calculating the direction, time and speed of movement while plotting the ship's course and determining its position.

They determined the direction using a compass(more about types of compass), time (about the concept of time) - using an hourglass, and speed - by eye. In his logbook, Columbus kept two systems for calculating distances: one for himself and the other for his crew.

He wasn't trying to fool the team, contrary to legend. On the contrary, he obviously calculated the course first in the units that he learned in Portugal and Italy, and then converted these figures into measurements that were accepted 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, saw fire ahead at two o'clock on October 12. At dawn, near an island in the Bahamas archipelago, the ships anchored.

The Taino Tubilians 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 Bahamian archipelago and reached Cuba on October 28.

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

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

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

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

To prove that he had reached a part of the world previously unknown to Europeans, he took 7 Indians with him. After some time, a fair wind 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 John II and sailed for Spain on March 13. "Nina" arrived in Palos 2 days later.

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

Christopher Columbus assured them that near the islands he discovered there was a rich Asian continent, 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 the conversion of the Tuban people to the Christian faith.

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

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

To the surprise of the arrivals, it turned out that all 39 people left in Navidad in January died (this was mainly due to clashes with the Tubilis).

Columbus, despite this, founded a new settlement, and named it La Isabela in honor of the Queen of Spain (January 1494). Unfortunately, the place for settlement was poorly chosen: there was no fresh water nearby, and it was soon abandoned.

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

He and his men, armed with arquebuses, along with horses and fighting dogs, marched through the territory of Hispaniola, exchanging gold, and if they met resistance, they recaptured the gold by force and captured prisoners.

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

During Columbus's absence, 3 ships arrived in Hispaniola 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 and they fled to their homeland. In March 1495, Columbus began the conquest of Hispaniola using barbaric methods. During this conquest, thousands of Indians were captured or killed.

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

The number of Europeans, in addition, decreased significantly due to disease and desertion. On March 10, 1496, Columbus set off for Spain, leaving his brother Bartolome in his place in Hispaniola, and on June 11, 1496, he arrived in Cadiz.

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

Columbus, even despite all the accusations of lack of ability to govern, 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 another 3 caravels to bring new colonists and food to Hispaniola.

Near the island of La Gomera, the flotilla split up and left the mouth of the Guadalquivir on May 30, 1498. 3 ships set a course for Hispaniola.

On the other three ships, Columbus sailed 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.

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

After examining the coast in the Orinoco delta area and discovering the island. Margarita, Columbus went to Hispaniola, where Bartolome and Diego could not restore order.

Isabella and Ferdinand, concerned by Columbus's reports, sent F. de Bobadillo to investigate affairs in the colony.

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

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

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

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

New expedition Columbus was allowed to lead only in March 1502. The flotilla of Columbus's fourth expedition 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, which 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 coast of Central America.

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

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

Columbus left another ship, and then went to Jamaica, near the shores 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.

On May 21, 1506, Columbus died in the Spanish city of Valladolidi. He died without knowing that he was the discoverer of the New World.

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

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

That was a long time ago. In 1451, a son named Christopher was born in Genoa to the weaver Columbus. In his youth, he studied well, knew a lot, and strived for a lot.

Christopher Columbus acquired knowledge of geography from an early age and made several sea voyages.

One day the idea came to his mind to travel to India; but he needed a small fleet. Columbus addressed this question to the governments of England and Portugal. But he was refused.

After much ordeal, he made a request to the Spanish King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, and they gave their consent. Three ships and one hundred and twenty crew - and Columbus’s small fleet set off to seek his fortune. This happened in 1492, on August 3.

Ten days later the fleet found itself near the Canary Islands. Although Columbus's crew consisted of brave people, all movements on the open sea for the first time and, moreover, in a direction unknown to them, were dangerous. This whole event seemed almost like a crazy step.

After some calm, a fair wind blew, and now, passing the heights of the island of Ferrat, the fleet found itself in the night ocean. For four days the travelers saw nothing but water and sky, but on the fifth day birds appeared: a white and crested heron and a wagtail. The sailors were glad that the land was close, although they did not know how far from the land these birds could fly.

But this was a false hope.

The weather was very favorable for the journey, but there was no land in the distance, and the crew was already ready to disobey Columbus.

The superstitious travelers decided that they were being led nowhere by a hostile force that constantly deceived them with false phenomena, and they began to talk loudly. Finally, several more days passed, sea grasses appeared in such abundance that they were afraid that they might fall on an underwater rock.

Columbus consoled those who grumbled by promising the one who would be the first to see the land a generous reward.

But again several days passed, and the sea grass disappeared. There was an uproar on the ships and the entire crew began to demand that Klumb turn back. Columbus might have decided to abandon his enterprise; but fortunately, the next day after the request, they began to notice signs of the earth and its proximity, for example, they found either a floating light branch or a stick and began observing again.

But Columbus, without taking his eyes off the West, began to notice in the evening, about ten o’clock, two bright lights in the distance, and not believing the sign himself, he called one of his companions. The latter saw this himself, then Columbus did not take his eyes off these lights until two o’clock in the morning, until a cannon shot announced the actual appearance of this land that Columbus was looking for in his dreams; it was October 12, 1492.

In front of him lay a beautiful island, covered with the most pleasant greenery and luxurious trees, so that in the eyes of the Spaniards it was like a continuous garden. As they approached, they clearly saw people running there.

Columbus dropped anchor, ordered the boats to be lowered, and dressed in a purple dress with a Spanish banner in his hand, surrounded by warriors, went ashore.

In joy that he had discovered a new world, justified his hopes and was saved from ridicule and persecution, he kissed the ground upon reaching the shore, and, hoisting a banner, named this island San Salvador, which means “Savior.”

Columbus, drawing his sword, demanded from his crew an oath as Viceroy and Admiral.

Everyone sincerely expressed their gratitude and love to Columbus; everyone rushed to congratulate him on the opening; and the perpetrators asked him for forgiveness.

As for the inhabitants of the island, they mistook the ships with sails for a monster with wings or for huge seabirds.

When the Spaniards approached the inhabitants of the island on boats in shiny clothes and white skins, after the first fright, they became emboldened, and slowly approaching the Spaniards, expressed their reverence, falling to their knees... As one can judge, they mistook the newcomers for some kind of higher beings. The people the Spaniards met were copper-red in color, their bodies were almost naked, and they were tattooed (speckled with paints). The hair on his head was smooth, but there was no beard, and his facial features were not disgusting.

Columbus believed that this island belonged to India, and therefore called these savages Indians. The inhabitants of this island (Columbus called this island San Salvador) were armed with spears, the tips of which consisted of stones and the teeth of various animals. They had no idea about iron at all, so they looked strangely at the shiny swords of the Spaniards.

It is clear that, valuing what they did not have, the simple-minded savages enthusiastically accepted glass beads or colored stones from the Spaniards, giving in return parrots, bales of cotton paper or tasty fruits.

But what most struck the Spaniards was the gold jewelry that some had threaded through their noses and the savages exchanged these items for beads and bells, apparently marveling at the simplicity of the Indians, since they explained to Columbus that they had whole mountains of this metal to the West and therefore, in the eyes of local residents, gold was too cheap.

Christopher Columbus, having examined the island, went further, stocking up on fresh water. On the way he met many more islands, but he was not content with this, and seeing one on November 28 big Island, landed on it - it was the island of Cuba. Here he dropped anchor at the mouth of a large river.

Residents fled here too. This island seemed like an earthly paradise to Columbus. And indeed, the Spaniards here met a beautiful hummingbird (bee) that flew in the air in a swarm. We also saw many other birds, such as flamingos (bright red); Everywhere the greenery and freshness of the flowers amazed them. The beautiful palm trees were bent with a multitude of fruits. Fish with golden scales flooded the rivers. The Antilles Sea itself surprised with the wealth of pearls. When Columbus visited two or three huts, he found them very poor - all the wealth consisted of nets made from palm fibers, hooks made from bones and two or three dogs, remarkable for the fact that they never bark.

Then Columbus discovered several more islands, and he named one of them Hispaniola or little Spain, where he built a fortress and founded the first Spanish colony.

Thus, wanting to get to eastern India, Columbus discovered New World, later called America.

And the first person to write a description of the New World was Amerigo Vespucci. From this name the New World got its name - America.

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