Columbus's four expeditions or how Europeans began to colonize America? Great navigators and their discoveries Christopher Columbus's first expedition across which ocean.

Christopher Columbus or Cristobal Colon(Italian: Cristoforo Colombo, Spanish: Cristоbal Colоn; between August 25 and October 31, 1451 - May 10, 1506) - a famous navigator and cartographer of Italian origin, who wrote his name in history as the man who discovered America for Europeans.

Columbus was the first of the reliably known navigators to cross the Atlantic Ocean in the subtropical zone of the northern hemisphere, the first of the Europeans to sail to, discovered Central and South America, initiating the exploration of the continents and their nearby archipelagos:

Greater Antilles (Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico);
Lesser Antilles (from Dominica to the Virgin Islands and Trinidad);
Bahamas.

Although calling him the “Discoverer of America” is not entirely historically correct, since back in the Middle Ages the coast of continental America and nearby islands were visited by Icelandic Vikings. Since the data on those voyages did not go beyond the borders of Scandinavia, it was Columbus’s expeditions that first made information about the western lands available to the world. The expedition finally proved that a new part of the world had been discovered. Columbus's discoveries marked the beginning of the colonization of American territories by Europeans, the founding of Spanish settlements, the enslavement and mass extermination of the indigenous population, erroneously called “Indians.”

Biography pages

The legendary Christopher Columbus, the greatest of the medieval navigators, can quite reasonably be called one of the biggest losers of the Age of Discovery. To understand this, it is enough to familiarize yourself with his biography, which, unfortunately, is replete with “white” spots.

It is believed that Christopher Columbus was born in the maritime Italian republic of Genoa (Italian: Genova), on the island of Corsica in August-October 1451, although the exact date of his birth remains in question to this day. In general, not much is known about childhood and adolescence.

So, Cristoforo was the first-born in a poor Genoese family. The father of the future navigator, Domenico Colombo, was engaged in pastures, vineyards, worked as a wool weaver, and traded wine and cheese. Christopher's mother, Susanna Fontanarossa, was the daughter of a weaver. Christopher had 3 younger brothers - Bartolome (about 1460), Giacomo (about 1468), Giovanni Pellegrino, who died very early - and a sister, Bianchinetta.

Documentary evidence from the time shows that the family's financial situation was deplorable. Particularly large financial problems arose because of the house into which the family moved when Christopher was 4 years old. Much later, on the foundations of that house in Santo Domingo, where Cristoforo spent his childhood, a building was erected called “Casa di Colombo” (Spanish: Casa di Colombo - “House of Columbus”), on the facade of which in 1887 an inscription appeared : " No parental home can be more revered than this».

Since Colombo the elder was a respected artisan in the city, in 1470 he was sent on an important mission to Savona (Italian: Savona) to discuss with weavers the issue of introducing uniform prices for textile products. Apparently, this is why Dominico moved with his family to Savona, where after the death of his wife and youngest son, as well as after his eldest sons left home and Bianca’s marriage, he increasingly began to seek solace in a glass of wine.

Since the future discoverer of America grew up near the sea, from childhood he was attracted by the sea. From his youth, Christopher was distinguished by faith in omens and divine providence, morbid pride and a passion for gold. He had a remarkable mind, versatile knowledge, a talent for eloquence and the gift of persuasion. It is known that after studying a little at the University of Pavia, around 1465 the young man entered service in the Genoese fleet and at a fairly early age began to sail as a sailor in the Mediterranean Sea on merchant ships. After some time, he was seriously wounded and temporarily left the service.

He may have become a merchant and settled in Portugal in the mid-1470s, joining the community of Italian merchants in Lisbon and sailing north to England, Ireland and Iceland under the Portuguese flag. He visited Madeira, the Canary Islands, and walked along the western coast of Africa to modern Ghana.

In Portugal, around 1478, Christopher Columbus married the daughter of a prominent navigator of the time, Doña Felipe Moniz de Palestrello, becoming a member of a wealthy Italo-Portuguese family in Lisbon. Soon the young couple had a son, Diego. Until 1485, Columbus sailed on Portuguese ships, was engaged in trade and self-education, and became interested in drawing maps. In 1483, he already had a new project for a sea trade route to India and Japan ready, which the navigator presented to the king of Portugal. But, apparently, his time had not yet come, or he failed to convincingly convince the monarch of the need to equip the expedition, but after 2 years of deliberation, the king rejected this enterprise, and the daring sailor fell into disgrace. Then Columbus switched to Spanish service, where a few years later he managed to persuade the king to finance a naval expedition.

Already in 1486 H.K. managed to intrigue the influential Duke of Medina-Seli with his project, who introduced the poor but obsessed navigator into the circle of the royal entourage, bankers and merchants.

In 1488, he received an invitation from the Portuguese king to return to Portugal; the Spaniards also wanted to organize an expedition, but the country was in a state of protracted war and was unable to allocate funds for the voyage.

Columbus's First Expedition

In January 1492, the war ended, and soon Christopher Columbus obtained permission to organize an expedition, but once again his bad character let him down! The navigator's demands were excessive: appointment as viceroy of all new lands, the title of "chief admiral of the ocean" and a large amount of money. The king refused him, however, Queen Isabella promised her help and assistance. As a result, on April 30, 1492, the king officially made Columbus a nobleman, granting him the title “Don” and approving all the demands put forward.

Expeditions of Christopher Columbus

In total, Columbus made 4 voyages to the American coast:

August 2, 1492 – March 15, 1493

Purpose first Spanish expedition, led by Christopher Columbus, was the search for the shortest sea route to India. This small expedition consisted of 90 people “Santa Maria” (Spanish: Santa María), “Pinta” (Spanish: Pinta) and “Ninya” (Spanish: La Niña). “Santa Maria” - on August 3, 1492, set off from Palos (Spanish: Cabo de Palos) on 3 caravels. Having reached the Canary Islands and turning west, she crossed the Atlantic and discovered the Sargasso Sea. The first land seen among the waves was one of the islands of the Bahamas archipelago, called San Salvador Island, on which Columbus landed on October 12, 1492 - this day is considered the official date of the discovery of America. Then a number of Bahamas, Cuba, and Haiti were discovered.

In March 1493, the ships returned to Castile, carrying in their holds a certain amount of gold, strange plants, bright feathers of birds and several natives. Christopher Columbus announced that he had discovered western India.

September 25, 1493 – June 11, 1496

In 1493 she set off and second expedition, who was already in rank
admiral. 17 ships and more than 2 thousand people took part in this grand enterprise. In November 1493
The following islands were discovered: Dominica, Guadeloupe and the Antilles. In 1494, the expedition explored the islands of Haiti, Cuba, Jamaica and Juventud.

This expedition, which ended on June 11, 1496, opened the way to colonization. Priests, settlers and criminals began to be sent to the open lands to settle new colonies.

May 30, 1498 – November 25, 1500

Third Exploration Expedition, consisting of only 6 ships, started in 1498. On July 31, the island of Trinidad (Spanish: Trinidad) was discovered, then the Gulf of Paria (Spanish: Golfo de Paria), the Paria Peninsula and the mouth (Spanish: Río Orinoco). On August 15, the crew discovered (Spanish: Isla Margarita). In 1500, Columbus, arrested following a denunciation, was sent to Castile. He did not stay in prison for long, but, having received freedom, he lost many privileges and most of his wealth - this became the biggest disappointment in the life of a navigator.

9 May 1502 – November 1504

Fourth expedition started in 1502. Having obtained permission to continue the search for the western route to India, on June 15, on just 4 ships, Columbus reached the island of Martinique (French Martinique), and on July 30 entered the Gulf of Honduras (Spanish Golfo de Honduras), where he first had contact with representatives of the Mayan civilization.

In 1502-1503 Columbus, who dreamed of reaching the fabulous treasures of India, thoroughly explored the coast of Central America and discovered more than 2 thousand km of the Caribbean coast. On June 25, 1503, off the coast of Jamaica, Columbus was wrecked and was rescued only a year later. On November 7, 1504, he returned to Castile, seriously ill and broken by the failures that had befallen him.

Tragic decline of life

This is where the epic of the famous navigator ended. Not finding the coveted passage to India, finding himself ill, without money and privileges, after painful negotiations with the king about the restoration of his rights that undermined the last strength of his negotiations, Christopher Columbus died in the Spanish city of Valladolid (Spanish: Valladolid) on May 21, 1506. His remains in 1513 g. were transported to a monastery near Seville. Then, by the will of his son Diego, who was then the governor of Hispaniola (Spanish: La Española, Haiti), the remains of Columbus were reburied in Santo Domingo (Spanish: Santo Domingo de Guzman) in 1542; in 1795 they were transported to Cuba, and in 1898 returned to Spanish Seville (to the Cathedral of Santa Maria). DNA studies of the remains showed that with a high degree of probability they belong to Columbus.

If you think about it, Columbus died an unhappy man: he was unable to reach the shores of the fabulously rich India, but this was precisely the navigator’s secret dream. He didn’t even understand what he had discovered, and the continents that he saw for the first time received the name of another person - (Italian: Amerigo Vespucci), who simply extended the paths trodden by the great Genoese. In fact, Columbus achieved a lot, and, at the same time, achieved nothing - this is the tragedy of his life.

Curious facts

Christopher Columbus spent almost ³⁄4 of his life on voyages;
The last words spoken by the navigator before his death were the following: Into your hands, Lord, I entrust my spirit...;
After all these discoveries, the world entered the Age of Great Discoveries. Poor, hungry, constantly fighting for resources in Europe, the discoveries of the famous discoverer gave an influx of huge amounts of gold and silver - the center of civilization moved there from the East and Europe began to develop rapidly;
How difficult it was for Columbus to organize the first expedition, how easy it was later for all countries to rush to send their ships on long voyages - this is the main historical merit of the great navigator, who gave a powerful impetus to the study and change of the world!
The name of Christopher Columbus remains forever inscribed in the history and geography of all continents and most countries of the world. In addition to cities, streets, squares, numerous monuments and even an asteroid, the highest mountain in, a federal district and river in the USA, provinces in Canada and Panama, one of the departments in Honduras, countless mountains, rivers, waterfalls are named after the famous navigator , parks and many other geographical objects.

Christopher Columbus (1451 - 1506) was the famous navigator who made the official discovery of America. Made the first voyage from Europe across the Atlantic Ocean to the Southern Hemisphere to the shores of Central America. He discovered the Sargasso and Caribbean Seas, the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles and the Lesser Antilles, and part of the coast of South and Central America. Founded the first colony in the New World in Haiti and Saint-Domingue.

The key figure of the era of great geographical discoveries is, of course, Christopher Columbus, and it is quite natural that it was he who primarily attracted the attention of historical geographers literally from the first days that followed his discoveries. It would seem that everything connected with the life and activities of this person should have long been known and appreciated. However, almost all the facts relating to his youth and stay in Portugal are controversial. His contribution to the cause of geographical discoveries is also assessed differently. There are polar opposite opinions, and some researchers even argue that most of the traditional stories about him are simply fiction and cannot be taken into account.

Christopher Columbus (the Spaniards called him Cristobal Colon) was born around 1451 in Genoa into the family of a wool weaver. Although the prosaic occupation of his father and relatives had nothing to do with long voyages, Columbus was powerfully attracted by the sea from childhood. Genoa was a great maritime republic, its port quarters crowded with sailors and traders from all over the world. The threads of governance of the wealthy city converged in the hands of large merchant and banking houses, which owned hundreds of merchant ships sailing from Genoa to all corners of the world.

Even in his youth, Columbus refused to follow in his father's footsteps. He became a cartographer. At approximately the age of 25, the Genoese came to Portugal. Fascinated by the bold undertakings of the Portuguese, who sought to find a new route to India bypassing Africa, he thought a lot about this, studying Italian and Portuguese maps. Columbus was familiar with the ancient theories of the sphericity of the Earth and thought about the possibility of getting to India, moving not to the east, but to the west. Several happy accidents strengthened him in this idea.

He got married in Portugal, and he received maps, sailing directions and notes from his father-in-law, an experienced sailor from the time of Enrique the Navigator, governor of the island of Porto Santo. During his stay on Porto Santo, Columbus heard stories from local residents that fragments of boats unknown to Europeans and utensils with unknown ornaments were sometimes washed up on the western shore of their island. This information confirmed the idea that in the west beyond the ocean there was a land inhabited by people. Columbus believed that this was India and neighboring China.

A number of historians believe that Columbus's idea received the support of the famous Italian geographer Paolo Toscanelli. Adhering to the opinion that the Earth was spherical, Toscanelli compiled a map of the world, providing it with reasoning about the possibility of reaching India by sailing to the west. When he received a letter from the humble Italian cartographer Columbus, Toscanelli kindly sent him a copy of his map. It depicted China and India approximately where America actually is located. Toscanelli miscalculated the circumference of the Earth, underestimating it, and his inaccuracy made India appear tantalizingly close to the western coast of Europe. If there are great mistakes in history, then Toscanelli’s mistake was exactly that in its consequences. She strengthened Columbus's intention to be the first to reach India, sailing the western route.

Columbus proposed his bold plan to the King of Portugal, but he rejected it. Then Columbus tried to interest the English king, but Henry VII did not want to spend money on a dubious enterprise. Finally, Columbus turned his attention to Spain.

In 1485, Columbus and his young son Diego went to Spain. And here, too, his project did not immediately find understanding. He spent a long time and unsuccessfully seeking a meeting with King Ferdinand of Aragon, who at that time was besieging the last stronghold of the Moors - Granada. Desperate, Columbus had already decided to leave Spain and go to France, but at the last moment luck smiled on the Italian: Queen Isabella of Castile agreed to accept him.

Isabella, a powerful and decisive woman, listened to the foreigner favorably. His plan promised new glory for Spain and untold riches for its kings if they managed to get to India and China before other Christian sovereigns. In 1492, the royal couple, Ferdinand and Isabella, signed a treaty with Columbus, according to which he received the titles of admiral, viceroy and governor, salaries for all positions, a tenth share of the income from new lands and the right to examine criminal and civil cases.

First expedition

For the first expedition, two ships were allocated, and another ship was equipped by the seafarers and shipowners, the Pinson brothers. The flotilla crew consisted of 90 people. The names of the ships - "Santa Maria", "Nina" ("Baby") and "Pinta" - are now known throughout the world, and they were commanded by: "Pinta" - Martin Alonso Pinzon, and "Nina" - Vincente Yañez Pinzon. Santa Maria became the flagship. Columbus himself sailed on it.

The purpose of the expedition is now disputed by many experts, citing various arguments in favor of the fact that Columbus was not going to look for India at all. Instead, they name various legendary islands like Brazil, Antilia, etc. However, most of these considerations seem insufficiently substantiated.

On August 3, 1492, three small caravels set sail from the port of Paloe on the Atlantic coast of Spain. At the head of this expedition was an extraordinary man, obsessed with a bold dream - to cross the Atlantic Ocean from east to west and reach the fabulously rich kingdoms of India and China. His sailors set out reluctantly - they were afraid of unknown seas, where no one had been before. The crew was hostile to the foreign admiral from the very beginning.

Leaving the last stop of the ships before entering the open ocean - the Canary Islands, many feared that they would never return back. Despite the favorable weather, all subsequent days of sailing in the vast expanses of the ocean became a real test for the sailors. Several times the team tried to mutiny and turn back. To reassure the sailors, Columbus hid from them how many miles had been traveled. He kept two ship logs: in the official one he entered false data, from which it followed that the ships had not gone that far from the European coast, while in the other, secret one, he noted how much had actually been traveled.

When passing the magnetic meridian on the caravels, all the compasses suddenly broke down - their arrows danced, pointing in different directions. Panic began on the ships, but the compass needles calmed down just as suddenly. Columbus's expedition was beset by other surprises: one day at dawn, the sailors discovered that the ships were surrounded by a lot of algae and seemed to be floating not on the sea, but on a green meadow. At first the caravels walked briskly forward among the greenery, but then calm came and they stopped. Rumors spread that it was algae that entwined the keel and did not allow the ships to go further. This is how Europeans became acquainted with the Sargasso Sea.

The team was worried about the unusual situation, and in early October demands began to be made for a change of course. Columbus, who was heading west, was forced to give in. The ships turned west-southwest. But the situation continued to heat up, and the commander, with great difficulty, persuasion and promises, managed to keep the flotilla from returning.

Two months of difficult sailing across the ocean expanses... It seemed that there would be no end to the sea desert. Supplies of food and fresh water were running out. People are tired. The admiral, who did not leave the deck for hours, increasingly heard cries of discontent and threats from the sailors.

However, everyone on board the ships noticed signs of nearby land: birds flying in from the west and landing on the masts. One day the watchman saw the land, and everyone indulged in fun, but the next morning it disappeared. It was a mirage, and the team again plunged into despondency. Meanwhile, all the signs spoke of the proximity of the desired land: birds, floating green tree branches and sticks, clearly planed by a human hand.

“It was midnight on October 11, 1492. Just two more hours - and an event will take place that is destined to change the entire course of world history. No one on the ships was fully aware of this, but literally everyone, from the admiral to the youngest cabin boy, was in tense anticipation. The one who was the first to see the land was promised a reward of ten thousand maravedis, and now it was clear to everyone that the long voyage was nearing an end... The day was drawing to a close, and in the bright starry night three ships, driven by a fair wind, were rapidly gliding forward ..."

This is how the American historian J. Bakeless describes the exciting moment that preceded the discovery of America by Columbus...

That night, Captain Martin Pinzón, on the Pinta, walked ahead of the small flotilla, and the watchman at the bow of the ship was the sailor Rodrigo de Triana. It was he who was the first to see the earth, or rather, the reflections of ghostly moonlight on the white sandy hills. "Earth! Earth!" - Rodrigo shouted. And a minute later the thunder of a gun shot announced that America was open.

All the ships removed the sails and began to impatiently wait for dawn. Finally it came, the clear and cool dawn of Friday, October 12, 1492. The first rays of the sun illuminated the mysteriously darkening earth ahead. “This island,” Columbus would later write in his diary, “is very sick and very flat, there are a lot of green trees and water, and in the middle there is a large lake. There are no mountains."

The discovery of the "Western Indies" has begun. And although on that momentous morning of October 12, 1492, the life of the vast American continent was outwardly undisturbed, the appearance of three caravels in the warm waters off the coast of Guanahani meant that the history of America had entered a new era full of dramatic events.

Boats were lowered from the ships. Stepping ashore, the admiral planted the royal banner there and declared the open land the possession of Spain. It was a small island that Columbus christened San Salvador - “Savior” (now Guanahani, one of the islands of the Bahamas archipelago). The island turned out to be inhabited: it was inhabited by cheerful and good-natured people with dark, reddish skin. “All of them,” writes Columbus, “walk naked, in what their mother gave birth, and women too... And the people I saw were still young, all of them were no more than 30 years old, and they were well built, and their bodies and their faces were very beautiful, and their hair was coarse, just like horse hair, and short... Their facial features were regular, their expression was friendly... These people were not black in color, but like the inhabitants of the Canary Islands.”

The first meeting of Europeans with American aborigines. The first, most vivid impressions of the New World. Everything here seemed unusual and new: nature, plants, birds, animals and even people...

None of the members of Columbus's expedition had any doubt that if the island he discovered was not yet fabulous India, at least it was somewhere close. The ships headed south. Soon the large island of Cuba was discovered, which was considered part of the mainland. Here Columbus hoped to meet large cities belonging to the great Chinese Khan, which Marco Polo spoke about.

The locals were friendly and greeted the white newcomers with amazement. An exchange ensued between them and the sailors, and the natives paid for European trinkets with gold records. Columbus rejoiced: this was yet another proof that the fabulous gold mines of India were somewhere nearby. However, neither the residence of the Great Khan nor gold mines were found in Cuba - only villages and cotton fields. Columbus moved east and, having discovered another large island - Haiti, named it Hispaniola (Spanish Island).

While the admiral was exploring the open archipelago, Captain Pinzón left him, deciding to return to Spain. Soon after, the Santa Maria perished after running aground. Columbus only had the Niña, which could not accommodate the entire crew. The admiral decided to return home to immediately equip a new expedition. Forty sailors remained to wait for Columbus at the fort “La Navedad” (Christmas) built for them.

Neither Columbus nor his companions yet realized the full importance of what had happened. And many years later, his contemporaries still did not realize the significance of this discovery, which for a long time did not produce the coveted spices and gold. Only subsequent generations could appreciate it. It was still a long way from America itself. On the horizon, the sailors saw only one of the islands of the continent - Guanahani, and on this journey none of the Spaniards set foot on the mainland. Nevertheless, today it is October 12, 1492 that is considered the official date of the discovery of America, although it has been proven that even before Columbus, Europeans visited the lands of the Western Hemisphere.

On open lands, Columbus did not find anything that resembled India or other Asian countries. There were no cities here. The people, plants, and animals were very different from what one could read or hear from travelers about Asia. But Columbus believed so sacredly in his theory that he was absolutely confident in the discovery, if not of India, but of some poor country, but precisely in Asia. However, one could not expect anything else from him: after all, even on the best maps of that time there was no mention of the continent on the opposite side of the globe, and the size of the Earth, although calculated in the ancient period, was not known to medieval Europe.

Columbus's return to Spain on March 15, 1493 on two surviving but badly battered ships turned into a true triumph for the great navigator. The admiral was immediately demanded to court. The finest hour had come for Christopher Columbus, who had no doubt that he had opened the way to India for Spain. The Genoese told his astonished listeners about the heavenly lands he had visited, showed the imported stuffed wild animals and birds, collections of plants and, most importantly, six natives taken from Hispaniola, who, naturally, were considered Indians. Columbus was showered with numerous honors and awards from the royal couple and received a firm promise of assistance in future expeditions to the “Indies.”

Of course, the real gains from the first voyage were small: a handful of pathetic trinkets made of low-grade gold, several half-naked natives, bright feathers of strange birds. But the main thing was done: this Genoese found new lands in the west, far beyond the ocean.

Columbus's report made an impression. The gold found opened up tempting prospects. Therefore, the next expedition was not long in coming. Already on September 25, with the rank of “chief admiral of the ocean,” Columbus, at the head of a flotilla of 17 ships, sailed to the west.

Second expedition

Columbus's second expedition, which set off across the Atlantic in September 1493, already involved 17 ships and more than 1,500 people. The ships were full of provisions: the Spaniards brought with them small livestock and poultry to breed them in new places. This time they took a course further south than on the first voyage, and discovered the islands of Dominica, Maria Talante, Guadeloupe, Antigua, which are part of the Lesser Antilles group, and Puerto Rico, and on September 22, landing again in Cuba, it turned out that all the colonists, those responsible for robbery and violence were destroyed by the islanders. To the east of the burned fort, Columbus built a city, named it Isabella, explored the island and reported to Spain about the discovery of a gold deposit, greatly exaggerating its reserves.

In April 1494, Columbus left Hispaniola to finally discover the “mainland of India,” but found only Fr. Jamaica. He soon returned to Cuba. A lot of trouble awaited him in the colony. The most significant thing for him was the violation of the royal treaty. Ferdinand and Isabella, considering that the income from Hispaniola was small, allowed all Castilian subjects to move to new lands if they contributed two-thirds of the gold mined to the treasury. In addition, now everyone had the right to equip ships for new discoveries. To top it all off, yielding to the dissatisfaction of the colonists with the governor, which was largely justified, the kings removed him from office and sent a new governor to Hispaniola.

On June 11, 1496, Columbus went to Spain to defend his rights. At a meeting with Their Majesties, he achieved his goal and received a promise of a monopoly for himself and his sons on discoveries, and in order to “cheap” the maintenance of the colony, he proposed to populate Hispaniola with criminals, reducing their sentences, which was done.

Third expedition

Despite the favorable outcome of the audience, Columbus managed to equip the third expedition with great difficulty in 1498. “Indian riches” were not yet in sight, therefore there were no hunters to finance the enterprise, as well as those willing to set off. And yet, on May 30, 1498, six small ships with a crew of 300 people sailed to the west, and at about. The Hierro flotilla split up. Three ships headed to Hispaniola, and Columbus led the rest to the Cape Verde Islands with the intention of reaching the equator and then heading west.

On this voyage, the sailors encountered unprecedented heat. The supplies on the ships had deteriorated, and the fresh water had gone rotten. The torment experienced by the sailors resurrected terrible stories about the Sea of Darkness and latitudes where it was impossible to live. Columbus himself, no longer a young man, suffered from gout and eye disease, and sometimes had attacks of nervous breakdown. And yet they reached distant lands overseas.

On this voyage, Columbus discovered the island of Trinidad (Trinity), located near the mouth of the Orinoco River, and came closest to the coast of the continent. The flow of fresh water that the sailors noticed in the ocean made Columbus think about a powerful river flowing from somewhere in the south. Apparently there was a mainland there. Columbus decided that the lands lying south of India were nothing more than Eden itself - paradise, the top of the world. From there, from this hill, all the great rivers originate. Illuminated by this insight, Columbus considered himself the first European destined to find his way to the earthly paradise, from where, according to the Bible, the ancestors of mankind, Adam and Eve, were expelled. Columbus believed that he had been chosen to once again show people the path to their lost bliss.

However, when the admiral returned to Hispaniola, he was met with reproaches and complaints from the settlers. They were dissatisfied with the conditions in which they found themselves, with the fact that their hopes for fantastic enrichment did not come true, and sent denunciations to Spain against Columbus, claiming that he had turned the colony into a “cemetery for Castilian nobles.” Ferdinand and Isabella had their own reasons for dissatisfaction with Columbus. Gold, spices, precious stones - everything that the participants of the expeditions and those who financed them so greedily sought - could not be obtained. Meanwhile, the Portuguese made the final push on their way to India: in 1498, Vasco da Gama circumnavigated Africa and reached his desired goal, returning with a rich cargo of spices. This was a painful blow for Spain.

On Hispaniola, Columbus was again in trouble. In 1499, the king and queen again abolished his monopoly and sent Francisco Boazillo to the colony to deal with the flow of complaints against the governor on the spot. Boazilla came to the conclusion that Columbus could not rule the country because he was a “hard-hearted” man, ordered him and his brothers to be shackled and sent to Spain. The deeply wounded admiral did not want to remove the shackles until he was heard by his sovereigns. In the metropolis, Columbus's supporters began a campaign in defense of the "admiral of all seas." Ferdinand and Isabella ordered his release and expressed sympathy, but did not restore his rights. The title of viceroy was not returned to Columbus, and by that time his financial affairs were in disarray.

Fourth expedition

Yet the humiliated admiral managed to make one last voyage to find a route to South Asia south of Cuba. This time, for the first time, he came close to the coast of Central America in the area of the Isthmus of Panama (Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama), where (mainly among the Panamanian Indians) he exchanged a significant amount of gold.

The journey began on April 3, 1502. Having at his disposal 4 ships with a crew of 150 people, Columbus discovered Fr. Martinique, then the island of Benaca off northern Honduras and explored part of the mainland coast from Mosquitos Bay to Cape Tiburon, a length of about 2 thousand km. When it became clear that there was no strait ahead, as the Indians reported, two caravels (the rest were abandoned) turned towards Jamaica. The ships were in such a state that on June 23, 1503, on the northern coast of the island, they had to be grounded to prevent them from sinking, and a pirogue with three sailors had to be sent to Hispaniola asking for help. Help arrived in June 1504.

Luck completely turned away from the admiral. It took him a full month and a half to travel from Jamaica to Hispaniola. Storms battered his ship on the way to Spain. Only on November 7, the seriously ill Columbus saw the mouth of the Guadalquivir. Having recovered slightly, in May 1505 he arrived at court to renew his claims to the crown. Meanwhile, it turned out that his patron, Queen Isabella, had died. The consideration of the case regarding the admiral's property claims was delayed due to the fact that the royal court and the Spanish nobility did not receive the main thing - the coveted treasures of the Chinese and Indian rulers. On May 20, 1506, the “admiral of the ocean” died in Valladolid, having not obtained from the king a determination of the amount of income, rights and privileges due to him.

The great navigator died in complete oblivion and poverty. The traveler's ashes did not soon find peace. He was first moved to Seville and then transported across the ocean to Hispaniola and buried in the Cathedral of Santo Domingo. Many years later he was reburied in Cuba, in Havana, but then returned to Seville. Now it is not known exactly where the true grave of the great navigator is located - Havana and Seville equally lay claim to this honor.

A lot can be said about the role of Columbus in history in general and in the history of the development of geographical concepts in particular. Many scientific treatises and popular publications are devoted to this, but the main essence, apparently, is clearly stated by the historian-geographer J. Baker: “... he died, probably not fully imagining what he had discovered. His name is immortalized in a number of geographical names in the New World, and his achievements have become commonplace in history textbooks. And even if we take seriously the criticism that Columbus himself and his biographers were subjected to, he will still forever remain the central figure of the great era of European “overseas expansion” (“History of Geographical Discoveries and Explorations”).

Columbus's diaries are lost. All that remains is the so-called “Diary of the First Voyage” as retold by Bartolomé Las Casas. He and other documents of that time related to the discoveries of the great traveler were published in Russian translation in the collection “The Travels of Christopher Columbus (Diaries, Letters, Documents),” which was published in several editions.

Contemporaries, as often happens in history, failed to appreciate the true significance of the discoveries made by Columbus. And he himself did not understand that he had discovered a new continent, until the end of his life he considered the lands he discovered to be India, and their inhabitants to be Indians. Only after the expeditions of Balboa, Magellan and Vespucci it became obvious that beyond the blue expanses of the ocean lay a completely new, unknown land. But they will call it America (after Amerigo Vespucci), and not Colombia, as justice demanded. Subsequent generations of compatriots turned out to be more grateful to the memory of Columbus.

The significance of his discoveries was confirmed already in the 20-30s. XVI century, when, after the conquest of the rich kingdoms of the Aztecs and Incas, a wide stream of American gold and silver poured into Europe. What the great navigator strove for all his life, and what he so persistently sought in the “Western Indies” turned out to be not a utopia, not the delirium of a madman, but a real reality. Columbus is still revered in Spain today. His name is no less famous in Latin America, where one of the northernmost countries of the South American continent is named Colombia in his honor.

However, only in the United States is October 12 celebrated as a national holiday - Columbus Day. Many cities, a district, a mountain, a river, a university and countless streets are named after the great Genoese. Although with some delay, justice triumphed. Columbus received his share of glory and gratitude from a grateful humanity.

The time of discoverers of new lands for Europeans was the end of the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The most inquisitive and restless people were grouped in three countries: Portugal, Spain and Russia.

The most important discoveries of two centuries

At the end of the eighties of the fifteenth century, great sailors from Portugal had already scoured both the western and southern coasts of distant Africa, in 1492 Christopher Columbus sailed to the Bahamas and Lesser Antilles and discovered America, and 1497 also became important for geographical discoveries: Vasco da Gama discovered a sea route to India, rounding the African continent. And in 1498, Columbus, Vespucci and Omeja became the discoverers of South America, which they studied for five years, as well as Central America.

Russian great navigators explored mainly the Arctic Ocean. They walked around the entire vast northern Asia, discovered Taimyr, and proved that America is not a continuation of Asia, leaving the Arctic Ocean into the Pacific Ocean through the Bering Strait. This expedition was led by the great Russian navigator S. Dezhnev, as well as F. Popov. Since 1735, Khariton and Dmitry Laptev traveled across the Siberian seas, one of which was later named after them. The names of great navigators are usually present on the map they compiled.

The Dutchman W. Barents walked around Novaya Zemlya and Spitsbergen. The Englishman G. Hudson and his associates discovered Greenland, Baffin Island, the Labrador Peninsula, the Frenchman S. Champilen discovered the northern Appalachians, and all five North American The Spaniard visited New Guinea. The Dutch W. Janszoon and A. Tasman mapped Australia, Tasmania and the islands of New Zealand.

Something about Columbus

He remained a mysterious man for posterity. Photos, of course, had not yet been invented. But the portraits remained. In them we see a man with a wise look and, it would seem, far from any adventurism. The whole personality and the troubled fate of Christopher Columbus are ambiguous, vague, you could write an epic novel about this, and even there it would not be possible to contain all the vicissitudes of his life’s path.

According to one of the many versions, he was born on the island of Corsica in 1451. Fierce scientific disputes are still ongoing on this topic: six cities in Italy and Spain swear that this is where Columbus was born.

His whole life is a legend. One thing is clear - he lived in Lisbon, and before that he sailed a lot on ships in the Mediterranean Sea. From there, from Portugal, Columbus’s most important voyages began, which the world’s greatest navigators had not yet completed.

Cuba Island and others

In 1492 he set foot on the island of Cuba. There, Columbus found one of the most cultural peoples of Latin America, who built huge buildings, sculpted beautiful statues, grew cotton, already familiar to Europe, and completely unknown potatoes and tobacco, which later conquered the whole world. To this day, the birthday of Christopher Columbus is a national holiday on this island.

The pioneer of the tropical strip of the Atlantic, the first to penetrate the Caribbean Sea, discover South America and the isthmuses of Central, map the Bahamas archipelago, the Lesser and Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea, the island of Trinidad - this is all Christopher Columbus. The photo reveals a handsome man calmly looking out from the portrait, without the slightest trace of anxiety on his face.

Let Europeans claim that the path to North America before Columbus was paved by the Vikings from Iceland in the eleventh century. In the Middle Ages, going by sea across the ocean for the tenth time was incredibly difficult and dangerous. And in any case, there are too many lands on the two American continents that no one discovered before Columbus.

From ship messengers to great navigators

Ferdinand Magellan was born in 1480 in northern Portugal and was orphaned at the age of ten. In search of a piece of bread, he got a job at the royal court - as a messenger. And he went to sea for the first time at twenty-five, although he adored the sea since childhood. It was not in vain that Magellan dreamed of great navigators and their discoveries. He managed to get into the team of F. de Almeido, who for the first time moved ships under the flag of Spain to the East.

Magellan turned out to be a very capable student; he quickly mastered maritime affairs in all professions. Staying in India, living in Mozambique, he finally became a captain. It was possible to return to their homeland.

For five years he convinced the Portuguese ruler of all the benefits of eastern expeditions, but things did not go well, and in 1517 Magellan entered the service of King Charles, for now the first and Spanish, but in the future - the emperor of the Roman Empire.

World trip

In 1493, the Pope issued a bull stating that the new lands being discovered to the east were Portuguese, and to the west - Spanish. Magellan led an expedition to the west to bring back evidence that the spice islands belonged to Spain.

And this journey, which had such a small and mercantile goal, turned into the world's first trip around the world. The great navigators and their discoveries, which called Magellan in childhood dreams, are far behind. No one had ever undertaken such a voyage, especially since not all travelers assumed at that time that the earth was round.

Magellan did not have time to provide the world with evidence of his assumptions; he died on this expedition - in the Philippines. Nevertheless, he died confident that he was right. The remnants of the team returned to Spain only in 1522.

Cossack chieftain

Semyon Ivanovich Dezhnev - Arctic sailor, Cossack ataman, explorer and discoverer of many geographical objects, was born into a Pomeranian family, on Pinega, in 1605. He began his Cossack service as a private in Tobolsk, then he was transferred to Yeniseisk, and even later to Yakutia. Everywhere he explored new lands, rivers, and even crossed the East Siberian Sea on a homemade koch from the mouth of the Indigirka to Alazeya. From there, with his comrades, he moved to the East on two homemade ships.

In the Kolyma delta they went up the river and founded the city of Srednekolymsk. A few years later, the expedition to the east continued - to the Bering Strait, which would not be the Bering Strait for about eighty years: Dezhnev passed the strait first. The easternmost point of the mainland is a cape named after the discoverer Dezhnev. In addition, the island, bay, peninsula and village bear his name. There is a monument to him in the center of the Vologda region. He was a reliable man. Honest and hardworking. Hardy. Strong. Fought. Of the thirteen wounds, three were serious. But he always strived for peace in everything.

Southern mainland

By the seventeenth century, Europeans saw the main outlines of planet Earth. the unexplored areas were vast. The most cunning colonialists sought to explore these territories. Historians have never found out how an ordinary Dutch villager became a sailor, but his travels brought invaluable discoveries to the world.

Aristotle, even before our era, was confident in the existence of an unknown southern land. “Terra Australis incognita” (“Unknown Southern Land”), he wrote in his notes. It was this land that the navigator Tasman set out to look for on the sailing ship Zehaan. In the southern latitudes, nature is inhospitable. Icy wind and almost never sun. The south and southwest send monstrous storms. Such waves do not happen near the mainland, which means that the Southern Land is somewhere not here. And Tasman, on reflection, changed the previously laid course. There was complete uncertainty ahead.

The right choice

After changing course, nature had mercy on the sailors - the clouds remained aside, and the sun quickly warmed the ship. Soon the ground appeared. It so happened that Tasman landed on an island that would be named after him, much south of the mainland. He simply missed Australia itself. Tasmania was surveyed and mapped. Then there will be a city here. And at that time there was nothing else to do there - the climate was unpleasant, the rocks were gloomy, the nature was wild, the local population had nothing to offer.

Tasman moved on. He was incredibly lucky to discover the islands. New Zealand was next. True, the local Maori greeted Tasman, like all subsequent travelers, unfriendly. Rather, even hostile. While attempting to explore the new land, several crew members were killed. Therefore, Tasman left this work to his descendants, and “Zehaan” immediately went home. He did not find a shortcut to Chile. But he proved that Australia exists.

Initially, the American continent was inhabited by tribes that arrived from Asia. However, in the 13-15th century, with the active development of culture and industry, civilized Europe set out to search for and develop new lands. What happened to America at the end of the 15th century?

Christopher Columbus is a famous Spanish navigator. It was his first expedition that marked the beginning of active travel to the “New World” and the development of this territory. The “New World” was then considered to be the lands that are now called South and North America.

In 1488, Portugal had a monopoly on the waters of the Atlantic coast of Africa. Spain was forced to find another sea route to trade with India and gain access to gold, silver and spices. This is what prompted the rulers of Spain to agree to Columbus's expedition.

Columbus is looking for a new route to India

Columbus made only four expeditions to the shores of the so-called “India”. However, by the fourth expedition he knew that he had not found India. So, let's go back to Columbus's first voyage.

Columbus's first voyage to America

The first expedition consisted of only three ships. Columbus had to get two ships himself. The first ship was given by his fellow navigator Pinson. He also lent Columbus money so that Christopher could equip a second ship. About a hundred crew members also went on the trip.

The voyage lasted from August 1492 to March 1493. In October, they sailed to a land that was mistakenly considered to be the surrounding islands of Asia, that is, it could be the western territories of China, India or Japan. In reality, it was the European discovery of the Bahamas, Haiti and Cuba. Here, on these islands, local residents presented Columbus with dry leaves, i.e. tobacco, as a gift. The locals also walked naked around the island and wore various gold jewelry. Columbus tried to find out from them where they got the gold and only after he took several natives prisoner did he find out the route where they got it. So Columbus attempted to find gold, but found only more and more new lands. He was happy that he had opened a new route to “Western India,” but there were no developed cities and untold riches there. When returning home, Christopher took with him local residents (whom he called Indians) as proof of success.

When did the colonization of America begin?

Soon after returning to Spain with gifts and "Indians", the Spaniards soon decide to send the sailor on his way again. Thus began Columbus's second expedition.

Columbus's second voyage

September 1493 - June 1496 The purpose of this journey was to organize new colonies, so the flotilla included as many as 17 ships. Among the sailors there were priests, nobles, officials and courtiers. They brought domestic animals, raw materials, and food with them. As a result of the expedition, Columbus paved a more convenient route to “Western India”, the island of Hispaniola (Haiti) was completely conquered, and the extermination of the local population began.

Columbus still believed that he was in Western India. On the second trip, they also discovered islands, including Jamaica and Puerto Rico. On Hispaniola, the Spaniards found gold deposits in the depths of the island and began mining it, with the help of enslaving the local residents. Worker uprisings arose, but unarmed local residents were doomed. They died as a result of the suppression of riots, diseases brought from Europe, and hunger. The rest of the local population was subject to tribute and enslaved.
The Spanish rulers were not satisfied with the income that the new lands brought, and therefore they allowed everyone to move to the new lands, and they broke the agreement with Columbus, that is, they deprived him of the right to rule the new lands. As a result, Columbus decides to travel to Spain, where he negotiates with the kings to return his privileges, and that prisoners will live in the new lands, who will work and develop the territories; moreover, Spain will be freed from undesirable elements of society.

Third journey

Columbus set out on the third expedition with six ships, 600 people also included prisoners from Spanish prisons. Columbus this time decided to pave the way closer to the equator in order to find new lands rich in gold, since the current colonies provided modest incomes, which did not suit the Spanish kings. But due to illness, Columbus was forced to go to Hispaniola (Haiti). There, a rebellion awaited him again. To suppress the rebellion, Columbus had to allocate land to the local residents and give slaves to help each rebel.

Then, unexpectedly, news came - the famous navigator Vasco da Gama discovered the real route to India. He arrived from there with treats, spices, and declared Columbus a deceiver. As a result, the Spanish kings ordered the arrest of the deceiver and returned him to Spain. But soon, the charges against him are dropped and he is sent on the last expedition.

Fourth expedition

Columbus believed that there was a path from new lands to a source of spices. And he wanted to find him. As a result of the last expedition, he discovered islands off South America, Costa Rica and others, but never reached the Pacific Ocean, as he learned from local residents that Europeans were already here. Columbus returned to Spain.

Since Columbus no longer had a monopoly on the discovery of new lands, other Spanish travelers set out to explore and colonize new territories. An era began when impoverished Spanish or Portuguese knights (conquistadors) traveled away from their native lands in search of adventure and wealth.

Who was the first to colonize America?

The Spanish conquistadors initially tried to develop new lands in North Africa, but the local population showed strong resistance, so the discovery of the New World came in handy. It was thanks to the discovery of new colonies in North and South America that Spain was considered the main superpower of Europe and the mistress of the seas.

In history and literature, the period of the conquest of American lands is perceived differently. On the one hand, the Spaniards are viewed as educators who brought culture, religion, and art with them. On the other hand, it was brutal enslavement and destruction of the local population. In fact, it was both. Modern countries have different assessments of the contribution of the Spaniards to the history of their country. For example, in Venezuela in 2004, a monument to Columbus was demolished because he was considered the founder of the extermination of the local indigenous population.

Surely every schoolchild can easily answer the question of what Christopher Columbus discovered. Well, of course, America! However, let’s think about whether this knowledge is not too scanty, because most of us don’t even know where this famous discoverer came from, what his life path was like and in what era he lived.

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

What did the great navigator discover?

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

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

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

Although here I would like to make an amendment. The Spanish navigator was far from the only traveler who set off to conquer unknown worlds. In fact, inquisitive Icelandic Vikings already visited America back in the Middle Ages. But at that time, this information was not so widely disseminated, so the whole world believes that it was the expedition of Christopher Columbus that was able to popularize information about American lands and mark the beginning of European colonization of the entire continent.

The story of Christopher Columbus. Secrets and mysteries of his biography

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

By the way, this is precisely why, lost in conjecture and trying to surprise the readership, historians have written hundreds of books about him. Almost all such manuscripts are filled with assumptions and unverified statements. But in fact, not even the original ship's log of Columbus's first expedition has survived.

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

Today, a number of Spanish and Italian cities attribute to themselves the honor of being called the small homeland of the discoverer. As for his social status, all that is known is that Columbus’s family was not of noble origin at all; none of his ancestors were navigators.

Modern researchers believe that Columbus the Elder earned his living by hard work and was either a weaver or a wool carder. Although there is also a version that the navigator’s father served as the senior guard of the city gates.

Of course, the journey of Christopher Columbus did not begin immediately. Probably, from early childhood the boy began to earn extra money, helping his elders support their family. Perhaps he was a cabin boy on ships and that’s why he loved the sea so much. Unfortunately, more detailed records of how this famous person spent his childhood and youth have not been preserved.

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

It is also known that as an adult, Christopher Columbus worked as a cartographer, and then went to work in a local printing house. He spoke not only his native Portuguese, but also Italian and Spanish. A good command of Latin helped him in deciphering maps and chronicles. There is evidence that the navigator knew how to write a little in Hebrew.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The beginning of the journey

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

The first time Christopher Columbus's ship set off on a year-long voyage was in 1492. 90 people took part in the expedition.

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

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

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

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

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

Columbus's second voyage

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

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

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

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

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

Third expedition

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

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

Having entered the Caribbean Sea, Columbus landed in Haiti on August 31. Already in 1499, Christopher Columbus's monopoly on new lands was abolished; the royal couple sent their representative F. Bobadilla to the destination, who in 1500 arrested Columbus and his brothers following a denunciation.

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

Fourth voyage to American shores

What continued to worry such a restless man as Columbus? Christopher, for whom America was already an almost completed stage, wanted to find a new route from there to South Asia. The traveler believed that such a route existed, for he observed it off the coast of Fr. Cuba was a strong current that flowed west across the Caribbean Sea. As a result, he was able to convince the king to give permission for a new expedition.

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

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

Unclear facts, the study of which continues

The distance from Palos to the Canaries is 1600 km, the ships participating in Columbus's expedition covered this distance in 6 days, i.e. they covered 250-270 km per day. The route to the Canary Islands was well known and did not present any difficulties. But it was precisely in this area that on August 6 (possibly 7) a strange breakdown occurred on the Pinta ship. According to some reports, the steering wheel broke, according to others, there was a leak. This circumstance aroused suspicion, because then the Pinta crossed the Atlantic twice. Before that, she quite successfully covered about 13 thousand km, experienced terrible storms and arrived in Palos without damage. Therefore, there is a version that the accident was rigged by crew members at the request of the ship’s co-owner K. Quintero. Perhaps the sailors received part of their salary and spent it. They saw no more sense in risking their lives, and the owner himself had already received a lot of money for renting the Pinta. So it was logical to fake a breakdown and stay safe in the Canary Islands. It seems that the captain of the Pinta, Martin Pinson, finally saw through the conspirators and stopped them.

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

Interesting data from the life of the discoverer

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

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

Historical significance of the expeditions

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

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

Alas, stray gold did not benefit Spain; it did not stimulate the development of industry or the economy. And as a result, the country still fell hopelessly behind many European countries.

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