Eventually, Columbus was allowed to return to Spain bringing with him tobacco, turkey, and some new spices. Those who stood against Columbus would later use this as an argument against him. With relations between Spain and Portugal strained during this time, Ferdinand and Isabella suspected that Columbus was taking valuable information or maybe goods to Portugal, the country he had lived in for several years. Due to rough seas, he was forced to land in Portugal, an unfortunate event for Columbus. In January of 1493, Columbus sailed back to Europe to report what he found. Hispaniola today includes both Haiti and the Dominican Republic. One place we do know he stopped was in present-day Haiti. His descriptions of the native peoples, geography, and plant life do give us some clues though. It is hard to determine specifically which islands Columbus visited on this voyage. He continued sailing throughout the Caribbean and named many islands he encountered after his ship, king, and queen: La Isla de Santa María de Concepción, Fernandina, and Isabella. Since he thought he was in the Indies, he called the native people “Indians.” In several letters he wrote back to Spain, he described the landscape and his encounters with the natives. He even proposed that the island of Cuba was a part of China. 4 Columbus believed that he was in Asia, but was actually in the Caribbean. He gave the first island he landed on the name San Salvador, although the native population called it Guanahani. He headed west from Spain across the Atlantic Ocean. Columbus commanded the Santa María, while the Niña was led by Vicente Yanez Pinzon and the Pinta by Martin Pinzon. After seven years of trying, he was finally sponsored by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain.Ĭolumbus’ voyage departed in August of 1492 with 87 men sailing on three ships: the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María. He then went to the rulers of England, and France. He went to King John of Portugal who turned him down. First, he needed ships and supplies, which required money that he did not have.
Hearing this, Christopher Columbus decided to try and make this revolutionary journey himself. There were rumors from other sailors that Asia could be reached by sailing west.
2 This made it both difficult and expensive to reach Asia. At this time, Muslim nations imposed high taxes on European travels crossing through. However, Europeans often had to travel through the Middle East to reach Asia. Exotic goods such as spices, ivory, silk, and gems were popular items of trade. In the mid 15th century, Portugal was desperately trying to find a faster trade route to Asia.
Here, he married Doña Felipa Perestrello e Moniz and had two sons Diego and Fernando.Ĭhristopher Columbus owned a copy of Marco Polo’s famous book, and it gave him a love for exploration. 1 After one of his ships wrecked off the coast of Portugal, he decided to remain there with his younger brother Bartholomew where he worked as a cartographer (mapmaker) and bookseller. He eventually left his father’s business to join the Genoese fleet and sail on the Mediterranean Sea. Christopher became an apprentice in his father’s wool weaving business, but he also studied mapmaking and sailing as well. He had three brothers: Bartholomew, Giovanni, and Giacomo and a sister named Bianchinetta. His parents’ names were Dominico Colombo and Susanna Fontanarossa. Never actually accomplishing this mission, his explorations mostly included the Caribbean and parts of Central and South America, all of which were already inhabited by Native groups.Ĭhristopher Columbus was born in Genoa, part of present-day Italy, in 1451. The purpose for his voyages was to find a passage to Asia by sailing west. But what did he actually discover? Christopher Columbus (also known as (Cristoforo Colombo Cristóbal Colón ) was an Italian explorer credited with the “discovery” of the America’s. We know that In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.
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