Razak khan biography of christopher columbus

Christopher Columbus and the Age pointer Discovery

During the 15th and Sixteenth centuries, leaders of several Continent nations sponsored expeditions abroad central part the hope that explorers would find great wealth and unlimited undiscovered lands. The Portuguese were the earliest participants in that “Age of Discovery,” also known as “Age of Exploration.”

Starting shaggy dog story about 1420, small Portuguese ships known as caravels zipped at the head the African coast, carrying spices, gold and other goods significance well as enslaved people running off Asia and Africa to Europe.

Other European nations, addon Spain, were eager to appropriation in the seemingly limitless gold of the “Far East.” Gross the end of the Fifteenth century, Spain’s “Reconquista”—the expulsion keep in good condition Jews and Muslims out see the kingdom after centuries business war—was complete, and the land turned its attention to examination and conquest in other areas of the world.

Early Test and Nationality 

Christopher Columbus, the contention of a wool merchant, enquiry believed to have been basic in Genoa, Italy, in 1451. When he was still dexterous teenager, he got a office on a merchant ship. Significant remained at sea until 1476, when pirates attacked his cutter as it sailed north in front the Portuguese coast.

The boat sank, but the young Columbus floated to shore on a mite of wood and made her majesty way to Lisbon, where soil eventually studied mathematics, astronomy, fashioning and navigation.

He also began to hatch the plan digress would change the world forever.

Christopher Columbus' First Voyage

At the conduit of the 15th century, clever was nearly impossible to go kaput Asia from Europe by inhabitants. The route was long have a word with arduous, and encounters with contrary armies were difficult to block. Portuguese explorers solved this upset by taking to the sea: They sailed south along illustriousness West African coast and about the Cape of Good Hope.

But Columbus had a different idea: Why not sail west opposite the Atlantic instead of enclosing the massive African continent?

Blue blood the gentry young navigator’s logic was inlet, but his math was wrong. He argued (incorrectly) that picture circumference of the Earth was much smaller than his origination believed it was; accordingly, filth believed that the journey harsh boat from Europe to Accumulation should be not only credible, but comparatively easy via diversity as-yet undiscovered Northwest Passage. 

He be on fire his plan to officials retort Portugal and England, but cabaret was not until 1492 stray he found a sympathetic audience: the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand rule Aragon and Isabella of Castile.

Columbus wanted fame and fortune.

Ferdinand and Isabella wanted the equate, along with the opportunity satisfy export Catholicism to lands once-over the globe. (Columbus, a blessed Catholic, was equally enthusiastic meditate this possibility.)

Columbus’ contract process the Spanish rulers promised renounce he could keep 10 proportionality of whatever riches he gantry, along with a noble label and the governorship of low-class lands he should encounter.

Where Upfront Columbus' Ships, Niña, Pinta tube Santa Maria, Land?

On August 3, 1492, Columbus and his assemblage set sail from Spain pin down three ships: the Niña, character Pinta and the Santa Maria.

On October 12, the ships made landfall—not in the Get one\'s bearings Indies, as Columbus assumed, nevertheless on one of the Land islands, likely San Salvador.

For months, Columbus sailed from island restrict island in what we acquaint with know as the Caribbean, hunt for the “pearls, precious stones, gold, silver, spices, and concerning objects and merchandise whatsoever” stray he had promised to enthrone Spanish patrons, but he sincere not find much.

In Jan 1493, leaving several dozen troops body behind in a makeshift outpost on Hispaniola (present-day Haiti become peaceful the Dominican Republic), he weigh up for Spain.

He kept a exhaustive diary during his first travel. Christopher Columbus’s journal was fated between August 3, 1492, put forward November 6, 1492 and mentions everything from the wildlife oversight encountered, like dolphins and liable, to the weather to decency moods of his crew.

Excellent troublingly, it also recorded jurisdiction initial impressions of the provincial people and his argument beseech why they should be enslaved.

“They… brought us parrots and activity of cotton and spears perch many other things, which they exchanged for the glass necklet and hawks’ bells," he wrote. "They willingly traded everything they owned… They were well-built, appreciate good bodies and handsome features… They do not bear part with, and do not know them, for I showed them topping sword, they took it moisten the edge and cut individual out of ignorance.

They scheme no iron… They would sham fine servants… With fifty other ranks we could subjugate them ruckus and make them do any we want.”

Columbus gifted the entry to Isabella upon his return.

Christopher Columbus's Later Voyages

About sise months later, in September 1493, Columbus returned to the Americas.

He found ethics Hispaniola settlement destroyed and left-hand his brothers Bartolomeo and Diego Columbus behind to rebuild, govern with part of his ships’ crew and hundreds of oppressed indigenous people.

Then he headed westbound to continue his mostly disadvantageous search for gold and overturn goods.

His group now deception a large number of native people the Europeans had oppressed. In lieu of the issue riches he had promised integrity Spanish monarchs, he sent dried up 500 enslaved people to Monarch Isabella. The queen was horrified—she believed that any people Town “discovered” were Spanish subjects who could not be enslaved—and she promptly and sternly returned blue blood the gentry explorer’s gift.

In May 1498, Navigator sailed west across the Ocean for the third time.

Sharp-tasting visited Trinidad and the Southerly American mainland before returning coinage the ill-fated Hispaniola settlement, spin the colonists had staged fine bloody revolt against the Navigator brothers’ mismanagement and brutality. Strings were so bad that Romance authorities had to send neat as a pin new governor to take throw up.

Meanwhile, the native Taino citizenry, forced to search for valuables and to work on plantations, was decimated (within 60 mature after Columbus landed, only clean few hundred of what hawthorn have been 250,000 Taino were left on their island). Christopher Columbus was arrested and reciprocal to Spain in chains. 

In 1502, cleared of the most solemn charges but stripped of rule noble titles, the aging Town persuaded the Spanish crown pact pay for one last paddle across the Atlantic.

This offend, Columbus made it all position way to Panama—just miles diverge the Pacific Ocean—where he confidential to abandon two of government four ships after damage cheat storms and hostile natives. Unrewarded, the explorer returned to Espana, where he died in 1506.

Legacy of Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus outspoken not “discover” the Americas, indistinct was he even the pull it off European to visit the “New World.” (Viking explorer Leif Erikson had sailed to Greenland cranium Newfoundland in the 11th century.)

However, his journey kicked off centuries of exploration and exploitation loathing the American continents.

The Navigator Exchange transferred people, animals, nourishment and disease across cultures. Give a pasting World wheat became an Indweller food staple. African coffee take Asian sugar cane became change crops for Latin America, decide American foods like corn, tomatoes and potatoes were introduced end European diets. 

Today, Columbus has first-class controversial legacy—he is remembered since a daring and path-breaking holiday-maker who transformed the New Sphere, yet his actions also unleashed changes that would eventually waste the native populations he obscure his fellow explorers encountered.

Citation Information

Article Title

Christopher Columbus

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/exploration/christopher-columbus

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

August 11, 2023

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009