What country did Columbus want to discover? Columbus's first voyage

The project for the western sea route from Europe to India was developed by Christopher Columbus in the 1480s.

Europeans were interested in finding a sea route to Asia, since at the end of the 15th century they still could not penetrate Asian countries by land - it was blocked by the Ottoman Empire. Merchants from Europe had to buy spices, silk and other oriental goods from Arab merchants. In the 1480s, the Portuguese tried to circumnavigate Africa to penetrate Indian Ocean to India. Columbus suggested that one could get to Asia by moving west.

His theory was based on the ancient doctrine of the sphericity of the Earth and the incorrect calculations of scientists of the 15th century.

The monarch created a council of scientists that reviewed and rejected Columbus's proposal.

Having received no support, Columbus set off for Spain in 1485. There, at the beginning of 1486, he was presented to the royal court and received an audience with the king and queen of Spain - Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella of Castile.

The royal couple became interested in the project of the Western route to Asia. A special commission was created to consider it, which in the summer of 1487 issued an unfavorable conclusion. The Spanish monarchs postponed the decision to organize an expedition until the end of the war with the Emirate of Granada (the last Muslim state on the Iberian Peninsula).

In 1492, after a long siege, Granada fell and southern territories The Iberian Peninsula was annexed to the Kingdom of Spain.

After long negotiations, the Spanish monarchs agreed to subsidize Columbus's expedition.

On April 17, 1492, the royal couple entered into a treaty (“capitulation”) with Columbus in Santa Fe, granting him the title of nobility, the titles of Admiral of the Sea-Ocean, Viceroy and Governor General of all the islands and continents that he would discover. The position of admiral gave Columbus the right to rule in disputes arising in matters of trade, the position of viceroy made him the personal representative of the monarch, and the position of governor general provided the highest civil and military authority. Columbus was given the right to receive a tenth of everything found in the new lands and an eighth of the profits from trading operations with foreign goods.

On August 9, she approached the Canary Islands. After repairing the Pinta, which had leaked, on the island of La Gomera, on September 6, 1492, the ships, heading west, began crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

On September 16, 1492, bunches of green algae began to appear along the expedition’s path, which became more and more numerous. The ships traveled through this unusual body of water for three weeks. This is how the Sargasso Sea was discovered.

On October 12, 1492, land was discovered from the Pinta. The Spaniards reached the islands of the Bahamas archipelago - the first land they encountered in the Western Hemisphere. This day is considered the official date of the discovery of America.

On October 13, 1492, Columbus landed on the shore, hoisted the banner of Castile on it and, having drawn up a notarial deed, formally took possession of the island. The island was named San Salvador. It was inhabited by the Arawaks, a people who were completely destroyed 20-30 years later. The natives gave Columbus "dry leaves" (tobacco).

On October 14-24, 1492, Columbus approached several more Bahamas islands. Europeans first saw hammocks in the homes of local residents.

Having learned from the natives about the existence of a rich island in the south, Columbus left the Bahamas archipelago on October 24 and sailed further to the southwest. On October 28, the flotilla approached the shores of Cuba, which Columbus named Juana. Communicating with local residents, Columbus decided that he was on one of the peninsulas East Asia. The Spaniards found neither gold, nor spices, nor large cities. Columbus, believing that he had reached the poorest part of China, decided to turn east, where he believed the richer Japan lay. The expedition moved east on November 13, 1492.

On November 21, 1492, the captain of the Pinta, Pinson, took his ship away, deciding to search for rich islands on his own. The two remaining ships continued east until they reached Cape Maysi on the eastern tip of Cuba.

On December 6, 1492, Columbus discovered the island of Haiti, named Hispaniola because of the similarity of its valleys with the lands of Castile. Further, moving along the northern coast, the Spaniards discovered the island of Tortuga.

Moving along the northern coast of Hispaniola, on December 25, 1492, the expedition approached the Holy Cape (now Cap-Haïtien), where the Santa Maria landed on the reefs. With the help of local residents, they managed to remove guns, supplies and valuable cargo from the ship. A fort was built from the wreckage of the ship, called Navidad ("Christmas"). Columbus left 39 sailors as the personnel of the fort, and on January 4, 1493, he went to sea on the Niña.

On January 16, 1493, both ships headed northeast, taking advantage of the favorable current - the Gulf Stream.

On February 12, 1493, a storm arose, and on the night of February 14, the ships lost sight of each other.

On February 15, 1493, the Niña reached land. But only on February 18 did she manage to land on shore. It was decided to name the discovered island in honor of the lost expedition ship Santa Maria (island of the Azores archipelago).

On February 24, 1493, the Niña left the Azores. On February 26, she was again caught in a storm, which washed her ashore on the coast of Portugal on March 4. On March 9, 1493, the Niña dropped anchor in the port of Lisbon. João II gave Columbus an audience, at which the navigator informed the king about his discovery of the western route to India.

On March 13, "Nina" was able to sail to Spain. On March 15, on the 225th day of the voyage, she returned to the port of Palos. On the same day, “Pinta” arrived there. Columbus brought with him the natives (who were called Indians in Europe), some gold, as well as plants previously unknown in Europe (corn, potatoes, tobacco) and bird feathers.

Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella of Castile gave Columbus a grand reception and gave permission for a new expedition.

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources

The name of Christopher Columbus gained worldwide fame after the discovery of America. Today, researchers question the glory of the discoverer, offering alternative versions of the events that accompanied the acquaintance of Europeans with the New World.

All the greatest mysteries of history / M. A. Pankova, I. Yu. Romanenko and others.

Based on the officially recognized biography of Columbus, it becomes clear that not much is known about his life. Christopher Columbus (Spanish Colon, Cristobal; Italian Cristoforo Colombo), the famous Spanish navigator, was born in 1451 in Genoa. He became a sailor early and sailed around the Mediterranean Sea all the way to the island of Chios in the Aegean Sea. Perhaps he was a merchant and commanded a ship. In the mid-1470s, Columbus settled in Lisbon. Under the Portuguese flag he sailed north to England and Ireland, and possibly to Iceland. Visited Madeira and Canary Islands, walked along the west coast of Africa to the Portuguese trading post of São Jorge da Mina (modern Ghana). Columbus tried to interest Portugal and Britain with his plan for an expedition to Asia, but failed twice.

In 1485, Columbus left Portugal to try to find support in Spain. At the beginning of 1486 he was presented to the royal court. Queen Isabella of Castile and her husband King Ferdinand of Aragon showed interest in Columbus's project. The commission led by Talavera made an unfavorable conclusion about the advisability of traveling to the west, but the king and queen agreed to support the expedition and promised to award Columbus the title of nobility and the titles of admiral, viceroy and governor-general of all the islands and continents that he would discover. There is a legend that Isabella of Castile sold her jewelry to equip an expedition to India.

Columbus's first expedition took place in 1492-1493. The city of Paloe de la Fontera provided two ships for her: the Pinta and Niña caravels. In addition, the navigator chartered the four-masted sailing ship (NAO) Santa Maria. With the help of the famous sailor Martin Alonso Pinzon, Columbus assembled a crew of 90 people. During the expedition, he discovered the Sargasso Sea and reached the island of Samana. The caravels reached the shore on October 12, 1492, and this day is considered the official date of the discovery of America. Having left the ship, the navigator kissed the ground, and all the sailors followed his example. In their presence, Columbus announced open land belonging to the Spanish crown.

Columbus declares the discovered land the property of the Spanish king. Illustration from 1893

During subsequent expeditions (1493-1496, 1498-1500, 1502-1504), he discovered the Greater Antilles, part of the Lesser Antilles and the coasts of South and Central America, the Caribbean Sea. In 1500, Columbus was arrested following a denunciation and sent to Castile, where his release awaited him. The navigator then kept the shackles in which he was shackled all his life. But he managed to prove he was right, and the expeditions continued. During the last of them there was a crash, and Christopher waited for help for a whole year. Columbus returned to Castile on November 7, 1504, already seriously ill. Recent years Columbus passed away in illness and lack of money. He died on May 20, 1506.

Columbus's personality, it must be said, is quite contradictory. He was distinguished by faith in Divine Providence and omens. In negotiations with monarchs, he more than once demonstrated a sharp mind and the gift of persuasion. But Columbus was not an abstract dreamer or altruist. Rather, he is a practical person. His painful pride and suspicion, passion for gold are usually not mentioned in the official biography. But it was Columbus who proposed to reduce the costs of colonizing new lands by populating the islands with criminals. The sentence for them was halved, so there were enough people willing to do so. And the expeditions themselves were organized for practical reasons (in addition to the nobility and the position of vice-governor, the Spanish monarchs promised the navigator 10% of the value of goods imported to Spain). Spain's investment has paid off handsomely. The discovery of America made possible the colonization of the richest lands. It is safe to say that Columbus's visit to the New World marked the beginning of a new era in the exploration of the world.

Today it is considered proven that Columbus had predecessors. The Spaniards, Chinese, Icelanders, Swedes, Portuguese are claiming primacy... According to a number of historians, Columbus not only was not a discoverer, he also appropriated the glory of those whose knowledge he used. Many versions owe their existence to clever falsifications. In particular, the map of Muhiddin Piri Reis was considered one of the most valuable documents on the basis of which the assumption of the “pre-Columbian” discovery of America appeared. In 1520, Piri Reis, admiral of the Turkish fleet, published the navigational atlas Bahriye. (This atlas is still kept in the National Museum of Istanbul.) Some of the maps contained in it depict with amazing accuracy North and South America, Greenland and even Antarctica, which in those days could not be known to sailors. A number of details (Greenland and Antarctica are not yet covered with ice; the ridges of these islands are clearly outlined, only recently discovered with the help of modern equipment) indicate that the parchment reflects the geographical picture of the planet five thousand years ago. The examination was unable to establish whether the map is original or fake, but it is quite obvious: such an accurate designation of the coastline and detailing of the interior regions of the continents can only be achieved through satellite imagery. Along with maps whose origin cannot be established, there were others made at a much lower level. As a rule, they depict in detail the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea (the most studied at that time), and more distant lands are indicated very approximately. But it is incorrect to draw conclusions from this fact, since it is quite natural that maps of those seas along which the main routes of merchants ran were in demand.

Quite naturally, before starting the expedition, Columbus studied all the materials available at that time, among which were documents mentioning the journey of the Madeiran Antonio Lemme. He saw islands or a continent to the west around 1484. Columbus apparently also had at his disposal the records of anonymous pilots who, after 1460, were also seen in the west of the island. Thus, the navigator based his calculations on real facts. Although he is credited with a rather strange statement for an experienced sailor. In one of the petitions, Christopher Columbus allegedly wrote that the distance from the Canary Islands to Sipangu (modern Japan, considered part of India) was 2,400 miles (actually 10,600), and supported his calculations with a quotation from the Bible. It says: “And you dried six parts.” Consequently, Columbus said, six-sevenths of the globe is land, and the ocean cannot be too wide.

It is difficult to imagine that a person who spent most of his life at sea relied only on Providence. It is likely that the Bible reference was included in the report specifically for the church, but other sources served as guidance for the drafting. Otherwise, it is impossible to explain how Columbus twice chose the optimal route for his voyage. A very strong Canary Current follows from the shores of the Iberian Peninsula to the Canary Islands. Immediately south of these islands the current turns sharply and joins the North Trade Wind Current. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean in the eastern trade winds and reaches the coasts of Cuba and Florida. It was this route that Columbus's expedition followed. Columbus set off on his return journey in 1493, using the Gulf Stream, which carried the ships to the Azores. It is already difficult to talk about coincidence; Columbus must have had accurate data.

Who paved the way to the New World? There is no clear answer to this question, because existing hypotheses are not mutually exclusive. According to one of them, owned by Thor Heyerdahl, on the eve of the official discovery of America, Columbus took part in the Portuguese-Danish expedition led by John Skolp. The day before the lookout on the Pinta shouted: “Earth!”, Columbus, according to Thor Heyerdahl, said: “Tomorrow we will be there.” So American coast in 1492 he saw it for the second time. John Skolp, in turn, was guided by the experience of the Vikings.

The version that the Vikings repeatedly sailed to the shores of North America and even founded settlements there is far from groundless. Along with the cycle of Scandinavian sagas about Vinland, an overseas Viking colony, scientists have archaeological data. Runic inscriptions are found on the east coast of Canada, Labrador, and New Foundland. Remains of settlements have also been discovered that are quite comparable in time and type to those mentioned in the sagas. According to the theory of researcher Jacques de Maillot, the Inca civilization maintained connections with the Vikings.

However, the Vikings were the first, but not the only visitors to the American continent. The fact that the Antilles are indicated on the map of Zuane Pizzigano of 1424 gives the right to assert that the Portuguese knew about the existence of the Antilles and the coast of the American continent in the first quarter of the 15th century. Probably, the discovery of the New World began in 1452 with the expedition of Diogo de Teivi and continued with the journey to the shores of America by Joao Vaz Corti-Real in 1472. If this is so, then the refusal of the Portuguese king to Columbus is quite understandable: he knew too well what kind of lands lay in the west, so there was no need for a new expedition. The hypothesis is confirmed large number royal charters, which (starting from 1460-1462) give grants to captains and pilots for some unspecified islands with a view to their discovery and settlement. The most interesting and important of them are the letters to the Madeiran Rui Gonçalves da Camara (1473) and Fernão Telis (1474).

Another contender for the championship is China. While studying ancient manuscripts of Venice, submarine commander Gavin Menzies came across a map dated 1459, which showed the Cape of Good Hope, discovered by Bartolomeu Dias only in 1488. Soon other documents were discovered. It turned out that many European travelers used maps of lands that Europeans had not yet visited. After devoting fourteen years to studying the mystery, Menzies came to the conclusion that the real discoverer of America was the Chinese naval commander Zheng He. Chinese chronicles suggest that Zheng He was known to the world under the name of Sinbad the Sailor. At least certain details of his biography served as the basis for the emergence of the famous legend. Zheng He, according to Menzies, visited Australia with his fleet and almost reached South Pole. China had the technical ability to make a discovery: the Celestial Empire had a fantastic fleet of more than 300 ships. However, Chinese scientists do not agree with Menzies' opinion. The fact is that the life of Zheng He is described in detail in the “History of the Ming Dynasty”, and there is not a word about the discovery of America...

We may never know who really discovered America. Columbus's primacy is confirmed only by his own words, or more precisely, by the journal that he allegedly kept during his voyage. And this document is deliberately written very vaguely and full of contradictions. According to J. Cortezan, “if it cannot be proven with indisputable documents in hand that the American soil was reached by unknown or known navigators before Columbus sailed for the first time to the Antilles in 1492, it is even more difficult to refute this thesis with logical arguments.”

HistoryLost.Ru - Mysteries of history

There are many accidental discoveries in history, when the discoverers sought a completely different goal. The most striking example is the discovery of America by Columbus, made during his search for a sea route to India.

It all started with the idea of sailing to India along a new route - the Atlantic Ocean. Christopher Columbus first proposed it to Portugal: however, King Juan II did not approve of the navigator’s plan.

Italian by birth, Columbus went to Spain. Here, not far from Palos, in one of the monasteries, a monk he knew was found. He helped Columbus gain an audience with Queen Isabella. After listening to the navigator, she instructed the scientific council to discuss the project. The council consisted mainly of people who held clergy.

Columbus prepared a powerful report. He said that ancient scientists proved that the Earth is a ball. He showed a copy of the map compiled by the famous astronomer from Italy Toscanelli. On it, the Atlantic Ocean was covered with a mass of islands, behind which the eastern coast of Asia could be seen. He remembered the legends that there was a land beyond the ocean, from which tree trunks, clearly processed by people, sometimes floated across the sea. Columbus, who was well educated and spoke four languages, managed to win over the council members to his side.

In addition, the interest of the Spanish crown had other reasons.

In a country that had just experienced the capture of Granada and the Reconquista, the economy was in a deplorable state. There was no money in the treasury, many nobles went bankrupt. If Columbus's voyage had been successful, it might have helped change the situation. Columbus received the status of viceroy of all lands that would be discovered - and set off on his way.

First expedition

The first expedition began on August 3, 1492 in the port of Palos. The flotilla included 3 caravels (“Santa Maria”, “Pinta”, “Nina”), carrying 90 people. First, the ships went to the Canary Islands, from where they turned to the west. On the way, the Sargasso Sea was discovered, where green algae grew in amazing abundance.

2 months passed before the team saw land. On the night of October 12, 1492, at two o'clock, the watchman noticed the shore, which was illuminated by flashes of lightning. These were the Bahamas, but Columbus believed that he managed to reach India, China or Japan. Therefore, the people who met here were called Indians. And the archipelago was called the West Indies.

The island on which the travelers descended was named San Salvador, which belongs to the American continent. Officially, October 12, 1492 is considered the day of the discovery of America.

Continuing their voyage, the ships reached new islands - Cuba and Haiti. This happened on December 6, and on the 25th the ship “Santa Maria” was stranded.

The expedition returned to Spain on March 15, 1493. Natives also arrived on the ships, as well as potatoes, tobacco and corn - products then unknown in Europe. Columbus was surrounded with honor and given the title of admiral of the sea-ocean, as well as viceroy of the open lands and those that he had yet to find.

Second expedition

During his second voyage, Columbus explored most of the islands Caribbean Sea. 17 ships, carrying 1,500 people, set sail.

On this journey, Guadeloupe, the islands of Dominica and Jamaica, Antigua and Puerto Rico were discovered. It was on this expedition, without knowing it, that the sailors reached the shores of a new continent, which is now called Colombia - named after Columba. On June 11, 1496, Spanish ships returned to their homeland.

Third expedition

Columbus's third voyage took place in 1498. The flotilla under his command reached the Orinoco River delta. This was the shore of a new unknown continent. 2 islands were also discovered - Trinidad and Margarita, as well as the Paria Peninsula.
In 1500, the Spanish settlers of the New World rebelled against Columbus. He was relieved of his duties as leader of the new lands. However, he received permission to go on a new journey.

Fourth expedition

Columbus's fourth voyage lasted 2 years. From 1502 to 1504, he sailed along much of the coast of the new continent, which later became known as Central America.

Four ships traveled a long distance and discovered new islands - Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama. But at the end of June 1503, the ships were caught in a storm off Jamaica and were wrecked.

The Great and the Unfortunate

Columbus himself did not suspect that he had discovered a new continent. He died confident that all expeditions led to India, and his discovery was the route to India from the west. There was no gold in the lands that he discovered, and no spices were found there. This brought neither Spain nor Columbus himself wealth.

The sailor was poor. He spent all the money he had on equipping a rescue expedition to save people on one of the caravels. He died sick and forgotten in 1506.

Who else discovered America

When the navigator and astronomer from Florence Amerigo Vespucci decided to go to the lands discovered by Columbus, he concluded that this was not India, but a completely new continent. This happened during an expedition in 1501-1502. He published his thoughts, which became the basis for the creation new card peace in 1507. To Europe, Asia and Africa, another continent was added, which at first bore the name of the land of Amerigo. Later it transformed into America.

This continent, as it became clear later, was discovered more than once. In 1497, a flotilla of Portuguese ships headed by Vasco da Gama (1469-1524) set off for India. 4 ships, carrying 170 people, left the Lisbon port in the direction of the Cape of Good Hope. They rounded the cape, reached the mouth of the Zambezi, went north near Africa, and then reached the harbor of Malindi. From here the ships reached the port of Calicut, where they were led by an Arab pilot. This marked the opening of the route to India, which took approximately 10 months.

The meeting in Calicut was cold. After staying there for 3 months, the Portuguese set off on their way back. The captain decided to sail across the Indian Ocean, bypassing East Africa. The voyage lasted about a year, but by September 1499 the two ships returned to Lisbon, having lost most of the crew.

autumn 1451, Corsica island, Genoese Republic (according to one version) - May 20, 1506, Valladolid, Spain

Christopher Columbus - Spanish navigator and discoverer of new lands. He is best known for his discovery of America (1492).

Columbus was the first reliably known traveler to cross the Atlantic Ocean in the subtropical and tropical zones of the northern hemisphere and the first European to sail in the Caribbean Sea. He marked the beginning of the discovery of the continent South America and isthmuses of Central America. He discovered all of the Greater Antilles - the central part of the Bahamas archipelago, the Lesser Antilles (from Dominica to the Virgin Islands inclusive), as well as a number of small islands in the Caribbean Sea and the island of Trinidad off the coast of South America.

Since Europeans in the person of the Icelandic Vikings (Leif Eriksson and others) visited North America back in the 11th century, Columbus, strictly speaking, cannot be called the discoverer of America. However, since Columbus's expeditions were essential to the subsequent colonization of America, such terminology is widely used.

Italian by origin. Born in Genoa between August 25 and October 31, 1451 in the family of wool weaver Domenico Colombo.
In 1470 he began to actively participate in commercial transactions (until 1473 under the leadership of his father). In 1474–1479 he made several voyages as part of trade expeditions of the Genoese company Centurione Negro: he visited the island of Chios, England, Ireland, the islands of Porto Santo and Madeira. In 1476 he settled in Portugal. In 1482–1484 he visited the Azores and the Guinean coast (Fort of São Jorge da Mina).

Columbus was born into a poor Genoese family: father - Domenico Colombo, mother - Susanna Fontanarossa. In addition to Christopher, there were other children in the family: Giovanni (died in childhood, in 1484), Bartolomeo, Giacomo, Bianchella (married Giacomo Bavarello). Studied at the University of Pavia. Around 1470 he married Doña Felipe Moniz de Palestrello. Her father was famous navigator from the time of Prince Enrique. Until 1472, Columbus lived in Genoa, and from 1472 - in Savona. In the 1470s he participated in sea trade expeditions. It is believed that back in 1474, the astronomer and geographer Paolo Toscanelli told him in a letter that, in his opinion, India could be reached by a much shorter sea route by sailing to the west. Apparently, even then Columbus was thinking about his project of a sea voyage to India. Having made his own calculations based on Toscanelli’s advice, he decided that it was most convenient to sail through the Canary Islands, from which, in his opinion, there were about five thousand kilometers to Japan.

Christopher Columbus

In 1476, Columbus moved to Portugal, where he lived for nine years. It is known that in 1477 Columbus visited England, Ireland and Iceland, where he could get acquainted with the Icelanders’ data about the lands in the west. During this time, he also managed to visit Guinea as part of the expedition of Diogo de Azambuja, who went there in 1481 to build the Elmina fortress (São Jorge da Mina)

Columbus's first proposal to sail to India to the west was in 1475-1480. He addressed it to the government and merchants of his native Genoa. There was no response.

1480s - During this period, the Portuguese were preoccupied with finding a sea route to Asia. The interest in this part of the world can be explained quite simply: Asian spices alone at that time often replaced money, but there were also incense, silk, carpets, luxury goods... There was no land route to Asia then - it was blocked by the powerful Ottoman Empire. They had to repurchase spices, silk and other exotic oriental goods from Arab merchants, losing large profits. The Portuguese saw only one route: rounding Africa and rising into the Indian Ocean, and at the beginning of the decade, King João II of Portugal equipped and sent a corresponding expedition. Columbus proposed an alternative: to reach Asia by moving west. Columbus's theory was based on the navigator's own calculations. But in fairness, it must be said that Columbus was not an innovator - the idea of a western route to India was put forward in the ancient world by Aristotle and Protagoras.

CristobalColon

Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio .: This Portrait was made by the Florentine painter Ridolfo Ghirlandaio (1483-1561). This illustration may be considered to be in the public domain. This portrait was executed in the first half of the sixteenth century, after the death of Columbus. It is displayed in a showcase of the Museum of the sea and navigation of Genoa, "It Padiglione del Mare e della Navigazione."

In 1483, he proposed his project to the Portuguese King João II, but after a long study the project was rejected.

In 1485, Columbus and his son Diego moved to Spain (apparently, he was fleeing persecution. In the winter of 1485-1486, he found shelter in the monastery of Santa Maria da Rabida as a beggar. Abbot Juan Perez de Marchena accepted him and actually saved him from starvation, he also organized the first letter to Fernando de Talavera, his friend - the queen's confessor, with summary ideas of Columbus. The King of Spain was at that time in the city of Cordoba, where preparations were taking place for the war with Granada with the personal participation of the sovereigns. During 1486, Columbus established connections with royal financial advisors, merchants, and bankers. It was not until the winter of 1486 that Columbus was presented to Pedro Gonzalez de Mendoza, Archbishop of Toledo and Grand Cardinal of Spain, who in turn facilitated an audience with the King of Spain. Columbus's proposal is studied several times by theologians, cosmographers, lawyers, monks, and courtiers. He is rejected, considering his demands excessive.

Christopher Columbus, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing slightly right.

On April 20, 1488, Columbus unexpectedly received a letter from the Portuguese king inviting him to return to Portugal. The most interesting words here were the following words of Their Majesties:

“And if you fear Our justice regarding some of your obligations, then know that neither after your arrival, nor during your stay in Portugal, nor after your departure, you will be neither arrested, nor detained, nor accused, nor convicted, nor persecuted for any reason arising under civil, criminal or any other law. »

Columbus sends his proposals to other addresses: from King Henry VII of England in February 1488, he received a favorable response, but without any specific proposals.

Columbus and the Indian Maiden

1488 - a certain Beatriz Enriquez de Arana gives birth to Columbus's son Fernando. Columbus not only recognized the child, but also did not forget him later, thirteen years later he took him on one of his expeditions. It was Fernando who would later write the biography of his father, which would become the main source of information about the great navigator.

1492 - Spain is liberated from the Moors and King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella finally accept final decision about financing the search for a western route to Asia. In case of failure, they only lost the funds invested in the enterprise. If successful, dizzying prospects opened up for Spain. Columbus was promised: a title of nobility, the titles of admiral, viceroy and governor-general of all islands and continents discovered during the expedition.

Christopher Columbus kneeling in front of Queen Isabella I.

On April 30, 1492, the royal couple granted Columbus and his heirs the title of “don” (that is, they made him a nobleman) and confirmed that, if the overseas project was successful, he would be Admiral of the Sea-Ocean and Viceroy of all lands that he would discover or will acquire and be able to pass on these titles by inheritance. True, Columbus had to find money to equip the expedition on his own at the expense of lost state tax payments from Her Majesty the Queen of Castile. In addition, according to the agreement, an eighth of the costs had to be borne by Columbus himself, who did not have a penny at all.

Christopher Columbus being greeted by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella on his return to Spain.

However, Columbus was helped by Martin Alonso Pinzon. One of the ships, the Pinta, was his own, and he equipped it at his own expense; He lent money for the second ship to Christopher so that Columbus could make his formal contribution to the treaty. For the third ship, money was given by local Marranos (baptized Jews) under his own guarantee to offset their payments to the budget. Among them was the rabbi and royal treasurer, the Castilian tutor Abraham Senior (Coronel) and his son-in-law Mayera Melomed.

Between 1492 and 1504, Christopher Columbus undertook four exploration expeditions at the behest of the Spanish king. He described the events of these expeditions in his logbook. Unfortunately, the original journal has not survived, but Bartolome de Las Casas made a partial copy of this journal, which has survived to this day, thanks to which many details of the described expeditions have become known.

Map four expeditions Columba

First voyage (August 3, 1492 - March 15, 1493).
Second voyage (September 25, 1493 - June 11, 1496).
Third voyage (May 30, 1498 - November 25, 1500).
Fourth voyage (9 May 1502 - November 1504).

Dagli Orti "PINTA", "NINA" AND "SANTA MARIA" - the ships on which Christopher Columbus made his first voyage to the shores of America

First voyage (1492–1493).
Early in the morning of August 3, 1492, Columbus's flotilla of three ships (the caravels "Pinta" and "Nina" and the four-masted sailing ship (nao) "Santa Maria") with a crew of 90 people. left the port of Palos de la Frontera (near the confluence of the Rio Tinto into the Gulf of Cadiz).
On August 9, she approached the Canary Islands. After repairing the “Pinta” on the island of Homer, the ships on September 6, 1492, heading west, began crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Having passed the Sargasso Sea, Columbus turned southwest on October 7. On October 12, the Spaniards reached the island of Guanahani (modern Watling) in the Bahamas archipelago - the first land they encountered in the Western Hemisphere. Columbus named the island San Salvador (St. Savior), and its inhabitants - Indians, believing that he was off the coast of India. This day is considered the official date of the discovery of America.

Columbus declares the discovered land the property of the Spanish king

The Landing of Columbus. Christopher Columbus and others showing objects to Native American men and women on shore.

On November 21, the captain of the Pinta, M.A. Pinson, took his ship away, deciding to search for this island on his own. Having lost hope of finding Baneke, Columbus with the two remaining ships turned east and on December 5 reached the northwestern tip of the island of Bohio (modern Haiti), to which he gave the name Hispaniola (“Spanish”). Moving along the northern coast of Hispaniola, on December 25 the expedition approached the Holy Cape (modern Cap-Haïtien), where the Santa Maria crashed and sank. This forced Columbus to leave part of the crew (39 people) in Fort Navidad (“Christmas”), which he founded, and set off on the Niña on the return journey (January 2, 1493). On January 6 he met "Pinta".
On January 16, both ships headed northeast, taking advantage of a passing current - the Gulf Stream. On February 11–14 they fell into strong storm, during which “Pinta” was lost.
On February 15, the Niña reached Santa Maria Island in the Azores archipelago, but only on February 18 did it manage to land on shore. The Portuguese governor of the island tried to detain the ship by force, but encountered decisive resistance from Columbus and released the travelers.
On February 24, Niña left the Azores. On February 26, she again encountered a storm, which on March 4 washed her ashore on the Portuguese coast near the mouth of the Tagus (Tajo). João II gave Columbus an audience, at which he informed the king about his discovery of the western route to India and reproached him for refusing to support his project in 1484. Despite the advice of the courtiers to kill the admiral, João II did not dare to enter into conflict with Spain, and on March 13, the Niña was able to sail to her homeland. On March 15, the 225th day of the voyage, she returned to Palos. Later, “Pinta” came there too. Isabella and Ferdinand gave Columbus a solemn welcome and gave permission for a new expedition.

First Voyage, Departure for the New World, August 3, 1492

Second Voyage (1493–1496).
On September 25, 1493, Columbus's flotilla of 17 caravels (in addition to the ship's crews, there were soldiers, officials, monks and colonists on board) left Cadiz and reached Canary Islands ov.
On October 11, Columbus began crossing the Atlantic, taking a more southerly course than during his first voyage, since he planned to reach Hispaniola from the southeast. On November 3, the ships approached one of the Lesser Antilles, to which Columbus gave the name Dominica (it was Sunday - “Lord’s Day”); He called the aborigines who practiced ritual cannibalism “cannibals.” Then the navigators discovered a number of other islands in the northern part of the Lesser Antilles archipelago - Montserrat, Antigua, Nevis, San Cristobal (modern Saint Christopher), San Eustasio (modern Saint Eustatius), Santa Cruz and the “Islands of the Eleven Thousand Virgins” "(Virginskie), and the large island of Boriken, renamed by the admiral to San Juan Bautista (modern Puerto Rico).
Approaching the eastern tip of Hispaniola, the flotilla moved along its northern coast and on November 27 reached Fort Navidad, which was devastated; Not a single colonist remained alive. East of the fort (in a very unfortunate location), Columbus founded a new settlement, calling it La Isabela in honor of the Queen of Spain. In January 1494, he sent an expedition deep into the island under the command of A. de Ojeda, which obtained a huge amount of gold objects from the Indians. On February 2, the admiral sent twelve ships with loot to their homeland. In the spring of 1494, the Spaniards switched to a policy of systematic robbery and extermination of the local population.

Cristobal Colon apaciguando una rebelion a bordo.

Cristoforo Colombo in mezzo agli indigenous

Leaving his brother Diego in charge of Hispaniola, Columbus sailed west with three ships on April 24, 1494, continuing his search for a route to Asia (China). On April 29, he approached the eastern tip of Cuba. Moving along its southern coast, the flotilla reached Guantanamo Bay, and then turned south and dropped anchor off the northern coast of Jamaica on May 5. Encountering the open hostility of the natives, Columbus returned to the Cuban coast, headed west and reached Cortez Bay near the western tip of the island. Deciding that the Malacca Peninsula was in front of him, he turned back (June 13). Having bypassed Jamaica from the south, the flotilla returned to La Isabela on September 29.

Christopher Columbus and his crew leaving the port of Palos, Spain, for the New World; crowd of well wishers looks on.

Throughout 1495, Columbus suppressed the Indian uprising that broke out in Hispaniola. In the same year, under the influence of complaints against the admiral from colonists who fled to Spain, Ferdinand and Isabella deprived him of the monopoly right to discover overseas lands and sent their authorized representative J. Aguado to the island. After the conflict with J. Aguado, Columbus left Hispaniola on March 10, 1496, transferring power to his brother Bartolome. On June 11 he arrived in Cadiz.

Columbus and son at the convent of La Rábída, approaching prior Juan Pérez, who is surrounded by poor people.

The First Sight of the New World

Third Voyage (1498–1500).
Although Ferdinand and Isabella had serious doubts about the profitability of Columbus's discoveries, the Portuguese preparation of a flotilla under the command of Vasco da Gama for a decisive push into the Indian Ocean around the Cape of Good Hope forced them to agree to organize a third expedition to the west.

The Landing of Columbus at San Salvador, October 12, 1492.