Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus 1451 - 1506

Born in the city of Genoa, Italy, in 1451; died in Valladolid, Spain, in 1506) The Italian explorer credited with "discovering" the New World (a European term for the continents of North America and South America).

Columbus made four voyages to the Caribbean and South America between 1492 and 1504. From a young age, Columbus worked as a sailor on merchant and war ships in the Mediterranean Sea. In 1476 he went to Lisbon, Portugal, where he learned mathematics and astronomy (study of the stars), subjects that are vital for navigation. In the early 1480s Columbus began to seek a sponsor for an expedition to Asia. He wanted to prove his theory that it would be faster and easier to get to Asia by sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean instead of going around Africa and into the Indian Ocean. For several years Columbus proposed his idea to the king of Portugal, but he was turned down. Not to be discouraged, Columbus went to try his luck in Spain. He first met with Queen Isabella I in 1486. Finally, in April 1492, Isabella and her husband, King Ferdinand V, signed an agreement with Columbus in which they agreed to pay for his voyage. According to this deal, Columbus would be named admiral, become the governor of any lands he discovered, and receive a tax-free ten percent share of any riches found in the new lands.

Christopher Columbus finally persuaded King Ferdinand V and Queen Isabella I to finance his first expeditions to the New World

First Expedition
On Aug. 3, 1492, Columbus sailed from Palos, Spain, with three small ships, the Santa Mara, commanded by Columbus himself, the Pinta and the Nia . After halting at the Canary Islands, he sailed due west from Sept. 6 until Oct. 7, when he changed his course to the southwest. On Oct. 10 a small mutiny was quelled, and on Oct. 12 he landed on a small island San Salvador in the Bahamas. He took possession for Spain and, with impressed natives aboard, discovered other islands in the neighborhood. On Oct. 27 he sighted Cuba and on Dec. 5 reached Hispaniola.

Columbus map", drawn ca. 1490

Second Expedition
Fitted out with a large fleet of 17 ships, with 1,500 colonists aboard, Columbus sailed from Cdiz in Oct., 1493 He founded a new colony nearby, then sailed off in the summer of 1494 to explore the southern coast of Cuba. Columbus also returned to Spain in 1496. Third Expedition On his third expedition, in 1498, Columbus was forced to transport convicts as colonists because of the bad reports on conditions in Hispaniola and because the novelty of the New World was wearing off. In 1500 an independent governor arrived, sent by Isabella and Ferdinand as the result of reports on the wretched conditions in the colony, and he sent Columbus back to Spain in chains.

Toscanelli's notions of

the geography of the Atlantic Ocean, which directly influenced Columbus' plans

Fourth Expedition It was 1502 before Columbus finally gathered together four ships for a fourth expedition he hoped he might still find lands answering to the description of Asia or Japan. Attempting to return to Hispaniola, he was marooned on Jamaica. After his rescue, he was forced to abandon his hopes and return to Spain. Although his voyages were of great importance, Columbus died in relative neglect, having had to petition King Ferdinand in an attempt to secure his promised titles and wealth.

The death of Columbus

Done by:

Fathi Samer Al saber

Grade : 6 K

In 1492, Columbus sailed from Spain with three ships. Two of the ships, the Nia and the Pinta were small caravels. The third ship, the Santa Maria, was a larger type of ship, a carrack, and was captained by Columbus. The ships were from 15 to 36 meters long.

The inter-island track of Columbus's first voyage, in red. Modern placenames are in black bold. Columbus's placenames are in blue italic.