In what year did Columbus discover America? Who discovered America first

Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus

The continents known today as North and South America were discovered in prehistory. Before European explorers arrived in the Americas, tens of millions of indigenous people lived here. The lands of the Americas have been repeatedly "discovered" by peoples coming from different parts of the world over many generations, dating back to the Stone Age when a group of hunters first visited a land that was truly the unexplored New World.

It becomes curious why it is then believed that America was discovered by Christopher Columbus. In addition, other theories are widespread regarding who first discovered America: Irish monks (6th century), Vikings (10th century), sailors from China (15th century), etc.

The first settlers in America

Tribal Migration Route from Asia to North America

The first people to settle in America came there from Asia, probably about 15 thousand years ago. During the Pleistocene era, the melting ice sheets of the Laurentian and Cordilleran glaciers formed a narrow corridor and land bridge between Russia and Alaska. Land bridge between west coast Alaska and Siberia, known as the Bering Isthmus, opened due to falling ocean levels and connected the continents of Asia and North America.

: In place of the Bering Isthmus, the current Bering Strait was formed, separating Asia and North America. The strait was named after the Russian naval officer Vitus Bering, who crossed it in 1728.

The settlement of America by indigenous peoples

The ancient settlers of America - the Paleo-Indians - passed through the Bering Isthmus from Asia to America following the movement of large animals. These migrations occurred before the Laurentian and Cordilleran glaciers closed and closed the corridor. The settlement of America continued further by sea or by ice.

After the ice plates melted and the Ice Age ended, the settlers who came to the Americas became isolated from other continents.

Thus, the American continents were first discovered by nomadic Asian tribes about 15 thousand years ago, who initially settled North America, then spread to Central and South America and subsequently became the Native American peoples.

6th century - Irish monks


According to legend, Irish monks reached North America in the 6th century

According to popular Irish legend, a group of Irish monks led by Saint Brendan sailed a shelter boat to the west in the 6th century in search of new lands. Seven years later, the monks returned home and reported that they had discovered a land covered with lush vegetation, which was modern Newfoundland.

There is no exact evidence confirming that Irish monks landed on the coast of North America. However, in 1976, British traveler Tim Severin tried to prove that such a journey was possible. Severinus built an exact replica of the monks' ship from the 6th century and set sail from Ireland to North America along the route described by the traveling monks. The explorer reached Canada.

10th century - Vikings


The Scandinavian navigator Leif Eriksson reached the shores of North America in the year 1000.

Around 984, the Scandinavian navigator Eric Krasus explored ancient sea routes and discovered Greenland. Leif Eriksson, son of Erik Kras, in 999 with a crew of 35 people on one ship set off from Greenland to Norway. Soon Leif Eriksson is traveling through Atlantic Ocean reached North America, where around 1000 he founded a Norwegian settlement on the territory of the modern Canadian island of Newfoundland. The Vikings named the settlement "Vinland" (English: Vineland - "Grape Land") due to the abundance of grapes growing on this land. However, Erickson and his team did not stay long - only a few years - before returning to Greenland. Relations with native North Americans were hostile.


Archaeological site “L'Anse aux Meadows” in Newfoundland (Canada): Viking settlement at the end of the 11th century

In the sagas, the Vikings who settled in America are referred to as the Native Americans "Skrelings". Most sagas come from Scandinavian folklore, but in 1960, the first European Viking settlement of the late 11th century, identical to settlements in the Scandinavian countries, was found in the northern tip of Newfoundland (Canada) by the Norwegian archaeologist Helge Ingstad. This historical and archaeological site is called "L'Anse aux Meadows" and is recognized by scientists as evidence of pre-Columbian transoceanic contacts.

15th century – sailors from China


Chinese explorer Zheng He's fleet included no less than 250 ships

British naval officer Gavin Menzies put forward the theory that the Chinese colonized South America. He claimed that Chinese explorer Zheng He, who commanded an armada of wooden sailing ships in the early 15th century, discovered America in 1421. Zheng He researched Southeast Asia, India and the east coast of Africa using advanced navigation techniques.
Gavin Menzies, in 1421 - The Year China Discovered the World, wrote that Zheng He sailed to the east coast of the United States and may have established settlements in South America. Menzies based the theory on evidence from ancient shipwrecks, Chinese and European maps, and reports compiled by navigators of the time. However, this theory has been questioned.

Christopher Columbus

Discovery of Christopher Columbus

On August 3, 1492, the Spanish navigator Christopher Columbus, originally from Italian city Genoa.

With the support of the Spanish rulers - King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella - with a fleet of 3 caravels (Nina, Pinta, Santa Maria) and 90 crew members sailed from the port of Palos (Spain).

Sailors set off in search of a western route to Asia in order to acquire precious metals, pearls, silk, and spices.


Christopher Columbus' flagship "Santa Maria"

October 12, 1492 Christopher Columbus's crew saw land and discovered New World(America). In his personal notes, Columbus noted that he had found the “New World,” unknown to Europeans. The crew went ashore on the island of San Salvador in the Bahamas. Columbus assumed that the sailors reached the islands located near India. This is where the name of the islands comes from Caribbean Sea- "West Indies". Columbus called the local natives “Indians,” a name for the indigenous people of America that still survives today.

Christopher Columbus established a colony in America, which became the first European settlement in the New World. The Spanish navigator also opened southern trade, with the help of which they supplied sailing ships, transporting goods to the New World. After the first successful voyage (1492-1493), the Spanish monarchs awarded Columbus the rank of admiral.


The voyages of Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus led four expeditions to America over the course of 1492-1504 Columbus died on May 20, 1506, still believing he had found new route to Asia and that the islands he explored were part of the Asian continent. By then, other explorers were following the sea route first discovered by the admiral, and Europeans were already talking about Columbus's discoveries as the "New World."

Florentine navigator Amerigo Vespucci, after whom America was named

: First geographic map, which shows open overseas lands, appeared in 1507. German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller named the New World "America" ​​in honor of the Florentine navigator and trader Amerigo Vespucci, who explored the coast of South America and discovered that it was a separate continent and not part of Asia.

Thus, America was first discovered by nomadic Asian tribes about 15 thousand years ago. Many peoples probably visited the lands of America before the famous voyage of Christopher Columbus: Irish monks, Vikings, Chinese sailors.

Christopher Columbus discovered America in the sense that he introduced it to Western Europe during four expeditions to this region between 1492 and 1504.

Thanks to Christopher Columbus, the inhabitants of the Old World became aware of the New World - America, which includes two continents. Columbus opened the route from the Old World to the New, paving the way European colonization America, which led to the formation of new countries, including the USA, Canada and Mexico. Columbus's voyages are significant events in history that are considered the beginning of the colonial period.

The first expedition of Christopher Columbus (1492-1493), consisting of 91 people on the ships "Santa Maria", "Pinta", "Nina" left Palos de la Frontera on August 3, 1492, and turned from the Canary Islands to West (September 9), crossed the Atlantic Ocean in the subtropical zone and reached the island of San Salvador in the Bahamas archipelago, where Christopher Columbus landed on October 12, 1492 (the official date of the discovery of America). On October 14-24, Christopher Columbus visited a number of other Bahamas, and on October 28-December 5, he opened and examined the north- east coast Cubes. On December 6, Columbus reached Fr. Haiti and moved along northern shore. On the night of December 25, the flagship Santa Maria landed on a reef, but the people escaped. Columbus on the ship Niña completed his exploration of the northern coast of Haiti on January 4-16, 1493 and returned to Castile on March 15.

2nd expedition

The 2nd expedition (1493-1496), which Christopher Columbus led already with the rank of admiral and as viceroy of the newly discovered lands, consisted of 17 ships with a crew of over 1.5 thousand people. November 3, 1493 Columbus discovered the islands of Dominica and Guadeloupe, turning to the North-West - about 20 more Small Antilles, including Antigua and the Virgin Islands, and on November 19 - the island of Puerto Rico and approached the northern coast of Haiti. On March 12-29, 1494, Columbus, in search of gold, made an aggressive campaign into Haiti, and crossed the Cordillera Central ridge. On April 29-May 3, Columbus with 3 ships sailed along the southeastern coast of Cuba, turned south from Cape Cruz and discovered the island on May 5. Jamaica. Returning to Cape Cruz on May 15, Columbus passed along south coast Cuba to 84° west longitude, discovered the Jardines de la Reina archipelago, the Zapata Peninsula and the island of Pinos. On June 24, Christopher Columbus turned east and explored the entire South coast Haiti. In 1495, Christopher Columbus continued his conquest of Haiti; On March 10, 1496 he left the island and returned to Castile on June 11.

3rd expedition

The 3rd expedition (1498-1500) consisted of 6 ships, 3 of which Christopher Columbus himself led across the Atlantic Ocean near 10° north latitude. On July 31, 1498, he discovered the island of Trinidad, entered the Gulf of Paria from the south, discovered the mouth of the western branch of the Orinoco River delta and the Paria Peninsula, marking the beginning of the discovery of South America. Having then entered the Caribbean Sea, Christopher Columbus approached the Araya Peninsula, discovered Margarita Island on August 15, and arrived in the city of Santo Domingo (on the island of Haiti) on August 31. In 1500, Christopher Columbus was arrested following a denunciation and sent to Castile, where he was released.

4th expedition

4th expedition (1502-1504). Having obtained permission to continue the search for the western route to India, Columbus with 4 ships reached the island of Martinique on June 15, 1502, the Gulf of Honduras on July 30, and opened from August 1, 1502 to May 1, 1503 the Caribbean coast of Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama to the Gulf of Uraba. Turning then to the North, on June 25, 1503 he was wrecked off the island of Jamaica; help from Santo Domingo came only a year later. Christopher Columbus returned to Castile on November 7, 1504.

Discoverer Candidates

  • The first people to settle in America were the indigenous Indians, who moved there about 30 thousand years ago from Asia along the Bering Isthmus.
  • In the 10th century, around 1000, the Vikings led by Leif Eriksson. L'Anse aux Meadows contains the remains of a Viking settlement on the continent.
  • In 1492 - Christopher Columbus (Genoese in the service of Spain); Columbus himself believed that he had discovered the route to Asia (hence the names West Indies, Indians).
  • In 1507, cartographer M. Waldseemüller proposed that open lands were named America in honor of the New World explorer Amerigo Vespucci - this is considered the moment from which America was recognized as an independent continent.
  • There is sufficient reason to believe that the continent was named after the surname of an English philanthropist Richard America from Bristol, who financed John Cabot's second transatlantic expedition in 1497, and Vespucci took his nickname in honor of the already named continent. In May 1497, Cabot reached the shores of Labrador, becoming the first officially registered European to set foot on American soil, two years before Vespucci (we are talking about North America). Cabot compiled a map of the coast of North America - from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland. In the Bristol calendar for that year we read: “... on the day of St. John the Baptist, the land of America was found by merchants from Bristol, who arrived on a ship from Bristol with the name “Matthew” (“metic”).

Hypothetical

In addition, hypotheses were put forward about the visit to America and contact with its civilization by sailors before Columbus, representing various civilizations of the Old World (for more details, see Contacts with America before Columbus). Here are just a few of these hypothetical contacts:

  • in 371 BC e. - Phoenicians
  • in the 5th century - Hui Shen (Taiwanese Buddhist monk, who in the 5th century traveled to the country of Fusan, identified in different versions with Japan or America)
  • in the 6th century - Saint Brendan (Irish monk)
  • in the 12th century - Madog ap Owain Gwynedd (a Welsh prince, according to legend, visited America in 1170)
  • there are versions according to which, at least from the 13th century, America was known to the Templar Order
  • in 1331 - Abubakar II (Sultan of Mali)
  • OK. 1398 - Henry Sinclair (de St. Clair), Earl of Orkney (c. 1345 - c. 1400)
  • in 1421 - Zheng He (Chinese explorer)
  • in 1472 - João Corterial (Portuguese)

Thor Heyerdahl's version about the Egyptians visiting America is also known. As part of the evidence there were expeditions on boats Ra and Ra-2, built using ancient technologies. The first boat failed to reach the Caribbean islands, but was only a few hundred kilometers short. The second expedition achieved its goal.

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Notes

Literature

  • Bakeless D. America through the eyes of discoverers / Trans. from English 3. M. Kanevsky. - M.: Mysl, 1969. - 408 p.: ill.
  • Magidovich I. P. History of the discovery and exploration of North America. - M.: Geographgiz, 1962.
  • Magidovich I. P. History of the discovery and exploration of Central and South America. - M.: Mysl, 1963.
  • John Lloyd and John Mitchinson. The Book of General Delusions. - Phantom Press, 2009.

An excerpt characterizing the Discovery of America

While Boris continued to make mazurka figures, he was constantly tormented by the thought of what news Balashev had brought and how to find out about it before others.
In the figure where he had to choose ladies, whispering to Helen that he wanted to take Countess Pototskaya, who seemed to have gone out onto the balcony, he, sliding his feet along the parquet floor, ran out the exit door into the garden and, noticing the sovereign entering the terrace with Balashev , paused. The Emperor and Balashev headed towards the door. Boris, in a hurry, as if not having time to move away, respectfully pressed himself against the lintel and bowed his head.
With the emotion of a personally insulted man, the Emperor finished the following words:
- Enter Russia without declaring war. “I will make peace only when not a single armed enemy remains on my land,” he said. It seemed to Boris that the sovereign was pleased to express these words: he was pleased with the form of expression of his thoughts, but was dissatisfied with the fact that Boris heard them.
- So that no one knows anything! – the sovereign added, frowning. Boris realized that this applied to him, and, closing his eyes, bowed his head slightly. The Emperor again entered the hall and remained at the ball for about half an hour.
Boris was the first to learn the news about the crossing of the Neman by French troops and thanks to this he had the opportunity to show some important persons that he knew many things hidden from others, and through this he had the opportunity to rise higher in the opinion of these persons.

The unexpected news about the French crossing the Neman was especially unexpected after a month of unfulfilled anticipation, and at a ball! The Emperor, at the first minute of receiving the news, under the influence of indignation and insult, found what later became famous, a saying that he himself liked and fully expressed his feelings. Returning home from the ball, the sovereign at two o'clock in the morning sent for secretary Shishkov and ordered to write an order to the troops and a rescript to Field Marshal Prince Saltykov, in which he certainly demanded that the words be placed that he would not make peace until at least one the armed Frenchman will remain on Russian soil.
The next day the following letter was written to Napoleon.
“Monsieur mon frere. J"ai appris hier que malgre la loyaute avec laquelle j"ai maintenu mes engagements envers Votre Majeste, ses troupes ont franchis les frontieres de la Russie, et je recois a l"instant de Petersbourg une note par laquelle le comte Lauriston, pour cause de cette aggression, annonce que Votre Majeste s"est consideree comme en etat de guerre avec moi des le moment ou le prince Kourakine a fait la demande de ses passeports. Les motifs sur lesquels le duc de Bassano fondait son refus de les lui delivrer, n "auraient jamais pu me faire supposer que cette demarche servirait jamais de pretexte a l" aggression. En effet cet ambassadeur n"y a jamais ete autorise comme il l"a declare lui meme, et aussitot que j"en fus informe, je lui ai fait connaitre combien je le desapprouvais en lui donnant l"ordre de rester a son poste. Si Votre Majeste n"est pas intentionnee de verser le sang de nos peuples pour un malentendu de ce genre et qu"elle consente a retirer ses troupes du territoire russe, je regarderai ce qui s"est passe comme non avenu, et un accommodement entre nous sera possible. Dans le cas contraire, Votre Majeste, je me verrai force de repousser une attaque que rien n"a provoquee de ma part. Il depend encore de Votre Majeste d"eviter a l"humanite les calamites d"une nouvelle guerre.
Je suis, etc.
(signe) Alexandre.”
[“My lord brother! Yesterday it dawned on me that, despite the straightforwardness with which I observed my obligations towards Your Imperial Majesty, your troops crossed the Russian borders, and only now have I received a note from St. Petersburg, with which Count Lauriston informs me about this invasion, that Your Majesty considers yourself to be on hostile terms with me from the time Prince Kurakin demanded his passports. The reasons on which the Duke of Bassano based his refusal to issue these passports could never have led me to suppose that the act of my ambassador served as a reason for the attack. And in fact, he did not have a command from me to do this, as he himself announced; and as soon as I learned about this, I immediately expressed my displeasure to Prince Kurakin, ordering him to carry out the duties entrusted to him as before. If Your Majesty is not inclined to shed the blood of our subjects because of such a misunderstanding and if you agree to withdraw your troops from Russian possessions, then I will ignore everything that happened, and an agreement between us will be possible. Otherwise, I will be forced to repel an attack that was not provoked by anything on my part. Your Majesty, you still have the opportunity to save humanity from the scourge of a new war.
(signed) Alexander.” ]

On June 13, at two o'clock in the morning, the sovereign, calling Balashev to him and reading him his letter to Napoleon, ordered him to take this letter and personally hand it over to the French emperor. Sending Balashev away, the sovereign again repeated to him the words that he would not make peace until at least one armed enemy remained on Russian soil, and ordered that these words be conveyed to Napoleon without fail. The Emperor did not write these words in the letter, because he felt with his tact that these words were inconvenient to convey at the moment when the last attempt at reconciliation was being made; but he certainly ordered Balashev to hand them over to Napoleon personally.
Having left on the night of June 13th to 14th, Balashev, accompanied by a trumpeter and two Cossacks, arrived at dawn in the village of Rykonty, at the French outposts on this side of the Neman. He was stopped by French cavalry sentries.
A French hussar non-commissioned officer, in a crimson uniform and a shaggy hat, shouted at Balashev as he approached, ordering him to stop. Balashev did not stop immediately, but continued to walk along the road.
The non-commissioned officer, frowning and muttering some kind of curse, advanced with the chest of his horse towards Balashev, took up his saber and rudely shouted at the Russian general, asking him: is he deaf, that he does not hear what is being said to him. Balashev identified himself. The non-commissioned officer sent the soldier to the officer.
Not paying attention to Balashev, the non-commissioned officer began to talk with his comrades about his regimental affairs and did not look at the Russian general.
It was unusually strange for Balashev, after being close to the highest power and might, after a conversation three hours ago with the sovereign and generally accustomed to honors from his service, to see here, on Russian soil, this hostile and, most importantly, disrespectful attitude toward himself of brute force.
The sun was just beginning to rise from behind the clouds; the air was fresh and dewy. On the way, the herd was driven out of the village. In the fields, one by one, like bubbles in water, the larks burst into life with a hooting sound.
Balashev looked around him, waiting for the arrival of an officer from the village. The Russian Cossacks, the trumpeter, and the French hussars silently looked at each other from time to time.
A French hussar colonel, apparently just out of bed, rode out of the village on a beautiful, well-fed gray horse, accompanied by two hussars. The officer, the soldiers and their horses wore an air of contentment and panache.

The question of who discovered America is probably the most difficult in the sense that it is difficult to dot all the i’s. You’ll say, “Christopher Columbus,” and the answer will be, “Then why isn’t America called Columbia?” And you will instantly get lost. And if such a question were to come up on the exam, it would be a disaster! Let's look at this question: who was actually the first to discover this incredible continent?

All versions

When we talk about the discovery of North and South America, we must not forget for whom the arrival of European navigators on the continent was a discovery. This was a discovery for the Europeans, who had been pottering around in their Europe for more than a thousand years: first they had Hellenic civilization there (Greece and), then it came dark Middle Ages. They were busy burning witches at the stake, and far from searching for new lands.

After all, long before the Europeans (and before Columbus), America was discovered (for themselves):

  • 15,000 (fifteen thousand) years ago, back in the Ice Age, enterprising guys from Asia were most likely looking for warm places. Along the glacier that now connects Eurasia and North America, the Bering Strait, they came to the continent. And they became a local, autochthonous population. And Columbus called the local aborigines Indians because he thought he had discovered India!
  • In the 6th century, the Irish, led by Saint Brendan, sailed to North America. It is unclear why the Irish would suddenly look for the New World, and there was no exact evidence of this fact. Until, in 1976, the desperate explorer Tim Siverin built an exact copy of the Irish boat and sailed here from Ireland under his own power!
  • In the 10th century, the Vikings, who were avid sailors and most likely looking for prey, sailed here. So the search for prey led far to the southwest of Greenland, and they ended up here. Perhaps the first Vikings founded the first European settlements here! So in 1960, archaeologist Helge Ingstad discovered traces of such a settlement in Canada!
  • In the 15th century, the Chinese discovered South America before Columbus. So said British naval officer Gavin Menzies. The Chinese also looked for India to get rich and, according to the British theory, colonized South America.

I think it now becomes clear to you for whom Columbus (if it was really him) discovered America - for the Europeans.

Discovery of America

The reasons that pushed Europeans to search for new lands were prosaic: the European market was overflowing with goods, colonies were needed to sell them. Europe was actively moving towards colonial capitalism. You can find other reasons in our article.

Spain is the strongest state in that Medieval Europe- was no exception. The crown actively sponsored all the expeditions of various scoundrels who promised to open new lands for it. Since the name of the navigator who discovered America is Christopher Columbus, let’s take a closer look at his personality.

Christopher Columbus, famous navigator (1451 - 1506)

Christopher was actually from Genoa. In his youth he studied at the University of Pavia. Around 1474, the famous geographer and astronomer Paolo Toscanelli fired a bullet at Columbus in a letter that the route to India was actually shorter than all sorts of court scoundrels believed. From that time on, Christopher became interested in this event - to find a way to the legendary India. Next, Christopher traveled throughout Europe, collecting information about the location of this very India. As a result, in the mid-80s of the 15th century, he drew up his project - the path to there.

All discussions about this project came to nothing. Even a meeting with the king and queen yielded nothing. Columbus intends to move to France in the early 90s and try his luck there. But Queen Isabella still realized what Spain could lose. As a result, the expedition was finally equipped.

America was discovered by Europeans during the first expedition of 1492-1493. It consisted of three ships: Santa Maria, Niña and Pinta. The year 1492 is considered the year of the discovery of America.

Amerigo Vespucci (1454 - 1512)

The remaining three expeditions were exploratory: Europeans explored new terrain. Until the end of his life, Columbus himself was sure that he had discovered India. So why did the New World come to be called America? Who discovered it: Columbus or Vespucci?

The fact is that in 1499, a cheerful old man, Amerigo Vespucci, set off on one of the expeditions to the New World. The old man went to assess the financial capabilities of the New World, took notes and, most importantly, compiled a serious map of the new continent.

Therefore, in 1507, cartographer Martin Waldseemüller proposed naming new continents after this cheerful old man. That's why America is called that.

Best regards, Andrey Puchkov

Columbus discovered America on October 12, 1492

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

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

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On behalf of and on behalf of the king and queen, Christopher Columbus took possession of the land he discovered. A notarial deed with all the required formalities was drawn up about this right there on the spot. Actually, it was at this moment that Columbus became the Viceroy, because he had his own territory! Having hoisted the Castilian banner on the shore, the delegation went to explore the local sights. And after a short time, “tour guides” appeared - local residents.

Columbus named the first island he discovered "San Salvador"

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I wonder what's left detailed descriptions the exact location of Columbus's landing, from which one could fairly confidently say which of the Bahamas was the first to feel the pleasant weight of Castilian boots. Therefore, several pieces of land from the Bahamas garland are fighting for the right to primacy. For himself, Columbus named the island San - Salvador (Salvation).

After spending several days exploring the island and establishing contacts with local residents Arawaks, as they called themselves, Columbus began to suspect that he had not found exactly what he was looking for. The islanders were in the Stone Age in terms of development - they did not know metals. They didn't know the wheels. They did not use pack or riding animals. Their language was not similar to any of the eastern languages ​​in which the expedition’s interpreter tried to communicate with them. Luis de Torres. However, at first this did not bother Columbus. One could assume that his ships reached some distant place big land island. What was more confusing was that no spices grew on the island. And most importantly, there was no gold.

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

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Having searched for gold in the ground on the island and not finding it, the forwarders decided to continue searching - depending on their luck. After stumbling around the Bahamas for two weeks, the Admiral's expedition landed on the northeastern coast of Cuba on October 28, 1492.

They equipped the landing party, scoured the coast for quite a long time, and sent reconnaissance deep into the territory. But even here there was not what he was looking for. No gold. No spices. No palaces. Neither the Great Khan. I think it is no coincidence that the Admiral was unlucky with all this. After all, he came to new land

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

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It is impossible to say exactly how and when exactly the members of the expedition first tried tobacco, but a record of this historical event appears in Columbus's logbook on November 15. There is a version that in a word tobacco It was not the plant itself that was called, but the tube through which the Indians inhaled the smoke. But it was precisely this that became a household name for the potion itself.

Where did Pinta go?

On November 20, 1492, the Pinta suddenly disappeared. She simply disappeared from sight, apparently leaving at night. The most current version is that its captain, Martin Alonso Pinzon, the second man in the expedition, who seemed to be burning with delusions of grandeur and thirst for profit, broke away from his comrades to be the first to find gold. Or other values. And be the first to rush back, because he also knew something about navigation. Most likely, this was the case.

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

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The remaining two ships continued their journey east and two weeks later, on December 6, 1492, the travelers discovered the present island of Haiti, which Columbus called Hispaniola /little Spain/, although the island was three times the size of Sicily!

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Columbus discovered an island off the northern coast of Hispaniola, which he named Tortuga/Turtle/. This island later became the most famous nest in the Caribbean, was repeatedly described in novels and has retained the name given by Columbus to this day.

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

The mystery of death ""

The crash of the Santa Maria still causes ambiguous assessments among Columbus scholars, because the circumstances of the disaster inspired and continue to inspire suspicion. Why did we walk along the coast at night, where there could always be pitfalls?Why was there a cabin boy at the helm?

Maybe it was beneficial for someone to run the expedition’s flagship aground? But to whom? 1. To the owner of the ship

Juan de la Cosa

? Perhaps he expected to get insurance for it? So he actually later received compensation from the kings for lost property, which indirectly confirms this guess. 2. To the Admiral himself. It is possible that he does too. Let's try to reason. Realizing that he had not discovered what he was looking for, Columbus felt the futility of further searches for Japan and China. If they were somewhere close, there would be indirect signs of their proximity - goods exchanged with local tribes, perhaps a wheel, metal products. But none of this happened. But Columbus had already become the Viceroy of all these lands. And the land turned out to be considerable! It was necessary to return here with exploration expeditions. Leaving some people here is an additional argument for equipping the next expedition. In addition, Columbus could well suspect that Martin A. Pinson disappeared on the Pinta for a reason. He could rush back to be the first to report to the kings about the new lands and receive all the preferences. Santa Maria would be a liability for Columbus in this race. And there was a reason for refusing further searches for Japan and the Great Khan - they say, with one ship somewhere... This, of course, is all speculation... The third and most likely version is that the team simply got too drunk on Christmas.

Valiant conquistadorsstarted pouring down their throats the night before

and were simply not able to get behind the wheel or take the helm . Catholic Christmas is celebrated on the night of December 24-25. It gets dark early in southern latitudes. And breaking the fast after fasting is allowed with the appearance of the first star in the sky. That's the whole truth about the crash of the Santa Maria. Fort "Navidad" - p ", BGCOLOR, "#ffffff", FONTCOLOR, "#333333", BORDERCOLOR, "Silver", WIDTH, "100%", FADEIN, 100, FADEOUT, 100)">
First Spanish settlement in America From the wreckage of the flagship, it was decided to build a fortified settlement on the shore and leave a significant part of the crew there - 39 souls in total. This in Spanish - Christmas), and the remains of “Santa Maria” were used to build this stronghold. The colonists were left with a significant supply of food, wine, firearms and a boat. The admiral said a touching farewell to those who remained to spend the winter in the new land, and told them not to remember him in a dashing manner and to live amicably among themselves and with their neighbors. Alas, this was the last time he saw them alive. 2 January 1493

The last remaining caravel of Christopher Columbus's first expedition, the Niña, set off on its return journey.

Return of the prodigal "Pint". Back home with full sails! On Sunday, 6 January 1493 year, the Pinta was spotted from the mainmast of the Niña. It’s a very strange accident... Soon the Admiral met with the captain of the missing caravel M.A. Pinson, who stated that he had separated from the flotilla against his will (?!?). No one can establish what actually happened there, but both commanders understood that in their situation a bad peace was better than a good quarrel and did not begin to sort things out until the end.The ships "rummaged around" a little more in Haiti in the last hope of finding something, replenished supplies and 16 January 1493in full sail, heading steeply to the north nor-north-east

(or in our opinion to the north-northeast). Columbus's return journey to Castile began.

Travelers of the Age of the Greats

Geographical Discoveries Russian travelers and pioneers The Portuguese navigator Bartolomeu Dias (1450-1500) was the first to indicate a direct sea route from Europe to. In 1488 he sailed to the southern tip of Africa. Two of his ships were caught in a strong storm. A strong wind drove the ships onto the rocks. But Dias managed to turn away from the shore and go out into the open sea. For several days he sailed east, but the African coast was not visible. Dias realized that he had circled Africa and reached Indian Ocean! The rock on which the ships almost crashed was the southern tip of Africa. Dias called it the Cape of Storms. But the King of Portugal ordered the rock to be renamed Cape

Good Hope

. Thanks to Bartolomeu Dias, access to the Indian Ocean was found, and a section of the previously unknown coast of Africa over 2.5 thousand km long was mapped.

The Spanish government allocated him three caravels (the largest with a displacement of 280 tons), and in August 1492 the expedition under the leadership of Columbus set sail, and in October of the same year reached the Bahamas, thereby discovering America. However, Columbus never found out this and until the end of his days he was sure that the continent he discovered was India.

Columbus called the local inhabitants (aboriginals) Indians. This name has been preserved to this day.

Columbus sailed to the shores of America four times, and each time new territories discovered by him appeared on the map. Subsequently, a stream of immigrants from Europe poured there. Thus on the islands and coast Central America Spanish settlements arose.

The country of Colombia in South America, a river in North America, administrative District in the USA, where the capital of the country is Washington.

New World - Land of Amerigo

The travels of the Florentine navigator Amerigo Vespucci (1454-1512) were important for understanding the essence of the discovery of Christopher Columbus. On trade matters, he sailed several times to the shores of America (1499-1504). Having compared the information of Spanish and Portuguese navigators with his own data, Vespucci came to the conclusion that discovered by Columbus lands - not Asia or India at all, but a new, huge continent unknown to Europeans. Amerigo Vespucci proposed calling this part of the land the New World. Later it was renamed and named after Vespucci “Land of Amerigo”, or “America” (by the way, without the knowledge of Vespucci himself), and this name came into use. In 1538 it appeared on Mercator's map.

Vasco da Gama and the discovery of the sea route to India

Having learned of Columbus's discovery of the "Western Indies", the Portuguese hurried to find an eastern route. As a result, the navigator Vasco da Gama (1469-1524) circumnavigated Africa on four ships and reached the shores of real India in 1498.

Look at the map on p. 50. Judging by the chosen route, the expedition was led by an intelligent, brave and determined person who knew navigation very well. The ships managed to avoid two main troubles for sailors: the strong Benguela Current and stormy head winds. His ships turned east at the parallel of Cape Agulhas, and then followed north along the east coast of Africa to Mozambique. IN port city In Mombasa (modern Kenya), the expedition members were greeted warily by disgruntled eastern merchants, who sensed competitors in them. But no matter how annoyed they were, they were unable to change anything.

The local ruler gave the travelers a good pilot, who in just 23 days led the Portuguese caravels to the Indian shores. Thus, Vasco da Gama's expedition safely crossed the Indian Ocean and reached the city of Calicut, a port in southern India. The Portuguese trade was not particularly successful at first. Local rich people were distrustful of foreigners and were in no hurry to take their goods. However, the Portuguese managed to buy spices, fabrics and jewelry at the local market - a little bit of everything. After that they went back to.

The return journey was difficult: the brave souls had to fend off pirates, the crew of the ships was decimated by illness and was plagued by failures. Of the 168 people, only 55 returned to their homeland. The rest died on the way. Nevertheless, the expedition completed its mission: the sea route to India was found. Its discovery by Europeans is one of the greatest events in the development of geography, as well as in the history of world trade. From that moment until the construction of the Suez Canal (1869), the main trade of European countries with states and China did not go through the Mediterranean, but through the Atlantic Ocean - past the Cape of Good Hope.

 

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