Expedition of Christopher Columbus through which ocean. Four expeditions of Columbus or how Europeans began to colonize America? Italian in the service of the Spanish crown

12.08.2020

The first colonial seizures of new territories are usually associated with the expansion of new lands by the Portuguese. However, the colonial policy of all European states was of the same type and was aimed at extracting profit from the newly developed lands. The Europeans ensured their dominance in the colonial lands with a network of fortified naval bases at the most important strategic points.

Portuguese sailors

It is difficult to overestimate the contribution to the discovery of new lands that was made by representatives of the small European kingdom of Portugal:

Infante (crown prince of the Portuguese crown) Enrique (Henry), later nicknamed the Navigator for having devoted his life to organizing research marine expeditions, although he himself did not participate in these expeditions. It was thanks to his efforts that Madeira (1419) and the Azores (1427) were discovered in the Atlantic Ocean. In 1456, Diogo Gomes reached the shores of the Cape Verde archipelago. In the following decade, several captains in the service of Prince Enrique, including the Genoese Antonio da Noli and the Venetian Aloysius Cada-Mosto, discovered the remaining islands, which had been explored as early as the 15th century. In the 1460s, the Portuguese Pedro de Sintra discovered and in 1461-1462 Pedro de Sintra reached the shores of Sierra Leone and gave their names to many geographical objects. In 1469, the Lisbon merchant Fernand Gomes financed the navigators João de Santarém, Eshcobar of Peru, Lupo Gonzalves, Fernand de Po and Pedro de Sintra. They reached the southern hemisphere and the islands of the Gulf of Guinea, including Sao Tome and Principe in 1471. In 1482, Diogo Kahn discovered the mouth of the Congo River, and in 1486 reached Cape Cross (modern Namibia). In 1488, the expedition of Bartolomeu Dias rounded the southernmost cape of Africa, which they called the "Cape of Storms" (Cape of Good Hope), anchored in Mossel Bay and then headed east to the mouth of the Great Fish River, entering the Indian Ocean from the Atlantic.

At the same time, Peru da Covilhã reached India and Ethiopia. April 25, 1500 Pedro Alvares Cabral landed on the coast of Brazil. And in 1510 the Portuguese captured Goa in India, which became the center of the Portuguese colonial empire in the East, the seat of the Viceroy. Then Diu, Daman and Bombay (India), Hormuz (Persian Gulf), Malacca (Malay Peninsula), Macao (China), the Chinese island of Taiwan, the Moluccas and a number of other points were captured. Relying on this network of fortresses, the Portuguese forced the petty feudal lords to give them, in the form of tribute or at minimal prices, all the production of precious spices. Management in cities was built on the model of feudal Portuguese cities, which had the rights of self-government and privileges on the basis of granted charters. Settling on a small coastal territory - in fortresses, port cities, trading posts, the Portuguese created military strongholds for commercial domination in the country, which remained in the power of their former feudal lords.

Spanish sailors

On October 12, 1492, land was discovered and Columbus named the discovered island (in the archipelago of the Bahamas) San Salvador, as he believed he had reached the "West Indies". Columbus also discovered the northeast coast of Cuba (where he landed on October 28) and the north coast of Hispaniola (December 5). Beginning in 1497, a boom in maritime exploration of the western shores of the Atlantic began. This year the Genoese John Cabot landed on the coast North America possibly in Newfoundland. In 1499, João Fernandes Lavrador discovered the Labrador Peninsula, which was named after him. Around the same time, in 1499-1502, the brothers Gaspard and Miguel Cortireal explored the coast of Greenland and Newfoundland. The Florentine Amerigo Vespucci (discovered 1502-1504) soon realized that Columbus did not reach the shores of Asia, but discovered a New World for Europeans: America. The name America was first given to the continent in 1507 by cartographers Martin Waldseemüller and Matthias Ringmann.

Voyage of Magellan

The difference between America and Asia was finally confirmed by Ferdinand Magellan, who carried out the first round-the-world voyage (1519-1521), which became practical evidence of the sphericity of the Earth. In 1513-1525, the Spanish conquistadors J. Ponce de Leon, F. Cordova, J. Grijalva discovered the entire eastern coast of South and Central America, the coast Gulf of Mexico, Florida Peninsula. In 1540-1542 the Spaniards E. Sotoi and F. Coronado traveled to the Southern Appalachians and Southern Rocky Mountains, to the basins of the Colorado and Mississippi rivers.

French colonial conquests

In the second quarter of the 16th century, French navigators also achieved significant success. J. Verrazano (1524) and J. Cartier (1534--1535) discovered the eastern coast of North America and the St. Lawrence River. A French colony was formed, which later acquired the name of the country of Canada.

Christopher Columbus or Cristobal Colon(Italian Cristoforo Colombo, Spanish Cristobal Colon; between August 25 and October 31, 1451 - May 10, 1506) - the 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 known navigator to cross Atlantic Ocean in the subtropical zone of the northern hemisphere, the first European to sail to, discovered Central and South America, initiating the study of the continents and their nearby archipelagos:

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

Although calling him the "Discoverer of America" is not entirely historically correct, since even in the Middle Ages the coast of continental America and the nearby islands were visited by the Icelandic Vikings. Since the data on those voyages did not go beyond Scandinavia, it was the expeditions of Columbus that first made information about the western lands known to the world. The fact that a new part of the world was discovered was finally proved by the expedition. Discoveries of Columbus marked the beginning of the colonization of the territories of America by Europeans, the foundation of Spanish settlements, the enslavement and mass extermination of the indigenous population, erroneously called "Indians".

Bio pages

The legendary Christopher Columbus - the greatest of 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 exact date his birth is still in question to this day. In general, not much is known about childhood and adolescence.

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

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

Since Colombo Sr. was a respected artisan in the city, in 1470 he was sent on an important mission to Savona (Italian: Savona) to discuss with the weavers the issue of introducing uniform prices for textile products. Apparently, therefore, Dominico moved with his family to Savona, where, after the death of his wife and youngest son, as well as after the departure of his eldest sons and the marriage of Bianchi, 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 possessed 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 the service of the Genoese fleet and at a fairly early age began to sail as a sailor on mediterranean sea on merchant ships. After some time, he was seriously wounded and temporarily left the service.

He may have become a merchant and in the mid-1470s settled in Portugal, joined the community of Italian merchants in Lisbon and sailed north under the Portuguese flag to England, Ireland and Iceland. He visited Madeira, the Canary Islands, 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 "walked" on Portuguese ships, was engaged in trade and self-education, and became interested in mapping. In 1483, he already had a new project for a sea trade route to India and Japan, which the navigator presented to the king of Portugal. But, apparently, his time has not yet come, or he failed to reasonably convince the monarch of the need to equip the expedition, but after 2 years of reflection, the king rejected this enterprise, and the impudent sailor fell into disgrace. Then Columbus moved to the Spanish service, where a few years later he still managed to persuade the king to finance a sea expedition.

Already in 1486 H.K. managed to intrigue with his project the influential Duke of Medina Seli, 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 sailing.

First Expedition of Columbus

In January 1492, the war ended, and soon Christopher Columbus obtained permission to organize an expedition, but once again his bad temper let him down! The requirements of the navigator were excessive: the appointment of all new lands as viceroy, 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, conferring on him the title of “don” and approving all the demands put forward.

Expeditions of Christopher Columbus

In total, Columbus made 4 voyages to the coast of America:

August 2, 1492 – March 15, 1493

aim first Spanish expedition, led by Christopher Columbus, was the search for the shortest sea route to India. This small expedition, consisting of 90 people "Santa Maria" (Spanish Santa María), "Pinta" (Spanish Pinta) and "Nina" (Spanish La Niña). "Santa Maria" - 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 (eng. Sargasso Sea). The first land seen among the waves was one of the islands of the Bahamas, called San Salvador Island, on which Columbus landed on October 12, 1492 - this day is considered the official date of the discovery of America. Further, a number of Bahamas, Cuba, Haiti were discovered.

In March 1493, the ships returned to Castile, carrying in their holds some gold, strange plants, bright bird feathers, 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 the rank
admiral. 17 ships and more than 2 thousand people participated in this grandiose enterprise. In November 1493
islands were discovered: Dominica (English Dominica), Guadeloupe (English Guadeloupe) and the Antilles (Spanish Antilias). In 1494, the expedition explored the islands of Haiti, Cuba, Jamaica and Huventud.

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

May 30, 1498 – November 25, 1500

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

9 May 1502 – November 1504

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

In 1502-1503. Columbus, who dreamed of getting to the fabulous treasures of India, thoroughly explored the coast of Central America and discovered more than 2 thousand km of Caribbean coasts. 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.

The tragic end of life

This is where the epic of the famous navigator ended. Not finding the coveted passage to India, finding himself sick, without money and privileges, after painful negotiations with the king to restore his rights, Christopher Columbus died in the Spanish city of Valladolid (Spanish: Valladolid) on May 21, 1506. His remains in 1513 were transported to a monastery near Seville. Then, at the behest of his son Diego, who was then the governor of Hispaniola (Spanish La Espaсola, 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 was again returned to Spanish Seville (to the Cathedral of Santa Maria). DNA studies of the remains have shown that with a high degree of probability they belong to Columbus.

If you think about it, Columbus was dying an unfortunate man: he failed to reach the shores of fabulously rich India, and this was precisely the navigator's secret dream. He did not 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 blazed by the great Genoese. In fact, Columbus achieved a lot, and at the same time achieved nothing - this is his life tragedy.

Curious facts

Almost ³⁄4 of Christopher Columbus' life was spent on voyages;
The last words spoken by the navigator before his death were the following: In your hands, Lord, I entrust my spirit ...;
After all these discoveries, the world entered the Age of Discovery. Poor, hungry, constantly fighting for resources in Europe, the discoveries of the famous discoverer gave an influx of a huge amount 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, so easily subsequently all countries rushed 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 has forever remained 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, it is named after the famous navigator, highest mountain in , federal district and a river in the USA, provinces in Canada and Panama, one of the departments in Honduras, countless mountains, rivers, waterfalls, parks and many other geographical objects.

Once Christopher Columbus uttered a sacramental phrase: "The world is small", which became, in fact, the leitmotif of his whole life. In a little more than 50 years of his life, this greatest navigator managed to make as many discoveries and bring untold wealth to the whole of Europe, as it is impossible to do even in a few centuries. Whatever he did, and as soon as the navigator did not beg the Catholic kings, in order to achieve his main life goal - to make an expedition to the shores of the New World. In total, during his life, Columbus managed to make four voyages to the shores of America.

Columbus made his first sea voyage in 1492-1493. So, three ships under the names "Santa Maria", "Nina" and "Pinta", the total crew of which was 90 people, set sail in 1492, on August 3, from the port in Palos. The route was laid as follows: after the Canary Islands, the expedition went west across the Atlantic Ocean, as a result of which the Sargasso Sea was discovered, and then landed on one of the islands belonging to the Bahamas. Columbus christened it San Salvador, and it happened on October 12 in 1492, which is considered the official date of the discovery of America. Remarkably, for a long time there was an opinion that San Salvador is the current Watling. However, in 1986, the geographer J. Judge, an American, made a computer model of the expedition, which showed that Columbus was the first to see Samana Island, located at a distance of 120 km southeast of Watling Island.

From October 14 to October 24 of the same year, Columbus explored other Bahamas, but from October 28 to December 5, he discovered the territories of the northeast of the Cuban coast. December 6 was marked by a landing on the island of Haiti, after which the expedition proceeded along north coast. However, on the night of December 24-25, the Santa Maria collided with a reef, but the flagship crew managed to escape, and the expedition was forced to turn to the coast of Spain.

March 15, 1493 "Nina", the crew of which was led by Columbus, and "Pinta" return to Castile. The navigator brings with him trophies, among which are the natives, whom the Europeans called the Indians, gold, unfamiliar vegetation, vegetables and fruits, and the plumage of some birds. Remarkably, Columbus was the first to use Indian hammocks instead of sailor bunks. The first expedition caused such a powerful response that the so-called "papal meridian" was laid, which determined in which direction Spain would open new lands, and in which direction - Portugal.

The second expedition took longer than the first - from September 25, 1493 to June 11, 1496, and it started from Cadiz. This time, 17 ships entered the flotilla, and their crew, according to various sources, numbered from 1.5 to 2.5 thousand people, including colonists who decided to try their luck on open lands. In addition to, in fact, people, the ships were loaded with livestock, seeds and seedlings, tools - everything that was necessary to create a public settlement. During this expedition, the colonists conquered Hispaniola, laid the city of Santo Domingo. The journey was marked by the discovery of the Virgin and Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico and Jamaica, in addition, the expedition continued to explore Cuba. Remarkably, Columbus continued to be sure that he was exploring western India, but not the territories of the new continent.

The third expedition started on May 30, 1498. This time it consisted of 6 ships with 300 crew members. It was marked by the discovery of the island of Trinidad, the exploration of the Orinoco Delta and several other lands. On August 20, 1499, Christopher Columbus returned to Hispaniola, where things were going badly. Remarkably, in 1498, Vasco de Gama discovered the real India, from where he returned with irrefutable evidence - spices, and Columbus was declared a deceiver. So, in 1499, Columbus was deprived of the monopoly right to discover new territories, he himself was arrested and taken to Castile. He was saved from imprisonment only by the patronage of major financiers who had influence on the royal couple.

The fourth and last voyage of Columbus

The last expedition was undertaken on May 9, 1502. This time the traveler was exploring the mainland of Central America, namely: Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua. By the way, this expedition was marked by the first acquaintance with the Mayan tribe. The purpose of this voyage was to find South Sea, that is, the Pacific Ocean, but the attempts were unsuccessful, and Columbus had to return to Castile in October 1504.

In general, the importance of Columbus' expeditions cannot be overestimated, but his contemporaries treated them very negligently, realizing their value only after half a century after the death of navigators, when ships began to bring huge amounts of gold and silver from Peru and Mexico. For reference, the royal treasury, when recalculated, spent only 10 kg of gold on the equipment of the first voyage, but she received many times more - 3 million kilograms of the treasured yellow metal.

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The Middle Ages is rich in biographies of people with amazing destinies. In that harsh time, everything was possible: beggars became dukes and kings, apprentices created masterpieces of art, and dreamers discovered new worlds. For some, everything was easy and effortless, and for some, on the way to the top, they had to overcome all imaginable and unimaginable obstacles...

Few people today know that the greatest of medieval navigators, the legendary Christopher Columbus may well deservedly and reasonably be called one of the biggest losers of the Age of Discovery and the Middle Ages in general.

Why is that? It is enough to read at least a little bit into his biography to understand everything.

The most interesting for you!

Italian in the service of the Spanish crown

Let's start with the fact that Columbus is not a Spaniard or even a Portuguese, as many people think. He is an ardent son of Italy, from Genoa. It was there that he was born somewhere between August 26 and October 31, 1451 (and 29 years later, another famous navigator Ferdinand Magellan was born in Portugal). It is generally accepted that Christopher Columbus grew up in a poor family. But in general, not much is known about his childhood and youth. In general, it is amazing that in the biography of a person so famous even in his era, there are a lot of “blank spots”.

Since the future discoverer grew up near the sea, from childhood he raved about the profession of a sailor. By the way, from childhood he dreamed of the sea and Admiral Nelson is one of famous personalities England. This did not stop Columbus from studying a little at the University of Pavia, after which he entered the service of the Genoese fleet around 1465. It is known that some time after that he was seriously wounded and temporarily left the sea. By the way, further Columbus sailed exclusively under the Spanish and Portuguese flags, and turned out to be unclaimed at home.

In 1470, Christopher married Doña Felipe Monis de Palestrello, who was the daughter of a prominent navigator of those times. He managed to live quietly almost without the sea until 1472 in Genoa. From 1472 he showed up in Savona, lived there for a while and moved to Portugal in 1476, and again began to actively participate in sea trading expeditions.

Until 1485, Columbus sailed on Portuguese ships, living either in Lisbon, or in Madeira, or in Porto Santo. At this time, he was mainly engaged in trade, raising his educational level and compiling maps. In 1483, he already had a ready-made project for a new sea trade route to India and Japan, with which the navigator went to the Portuguese king.

But the time of Columbus had not yet come, or he could not properly argue the need to equip the expedition, or for some other reason, but the monarch, after two years of deliberation, rejected this enterprise, and even put the impudent sailor in disgrace.

Columbus left him, going to the Spanish service, where a few years later, through a series of complex and subtle intrigues, he still managed to persuade the king to finance the expedition.

The birth of a great project

No one can say exactly when the project for the western sea route to India was drawn up. Scientists have proven that in their calculations, Columbus was based on ancient knowledge about the sphericity of the Earth, and also studied the calculations and maps of scientists of the 15th century. Presumably, the very idea of sphericity and the possibility of such a voyage in 1474 was suggested by the geographer Paolo Toscanelli, which is confirmed by his letter to Columbus. The navigator began to make his own calculations and decided that if you sail through the Canary Islands, then from them to Japan should not be more than five thousand kilometers.

The improvement of the Columbus project was also facilitated by a visit to England, Ireland and Iceland in 1477, where he collected rumors and data from the Icelanders that there were vast lands in the west. He perfected his seafaring skills on long trips in 1481, when he sailed to Guinea, being the captain of one of the ships in the Diogo de Azambuja expedition sent to build the fortress of São Jorge da Mina. Apparently, it was after this voyage that Columbus had not only a firm conviction about the possibility of success of his project, but also a good evidence base was collected in his favor. It only remained to learn how to persuade those in power to finance ...

It should be noted that he made the first proposal to organize an expedition to the authorities and merchants of his native Genoa after about 1476, but then he was still too young and could provide very little evidence for his thoughts to be taken seriously. But modest at all times, Genoa, eclipsed by Venice and Rome, could for several centuries become the center of the world instead of Spain, by the time of Columbus's expedition, the former weak and rather poor country.

In 1485, the project of sailing to India was rejected by the Portuguese king João II, so categorically that Columbus and his family were forced to urgently flee to Spain. Oddly enough, it was this flight that became fateful for Columbus, because he found his first refuge in the monastery of Santa Maria da Rabida, whose rector, Juan Perez de Marchena, was a close acquaintance of Hernando de Talavera, the queen's confessor. It was through him that it was possible to convey to the reigning lady a letter with the ideas of Columbus. The royal couple at that time lived in Cordoba, preparing the country and the army for war with Granada, but the grain was sown.

Already in 1486, Columbus managed to ignite with his project the fantasy of the rich and influential Duke of Medina Seli, who, moreover, introduced the essentially poor navigator into the circle of royal financial advisers, bankers and merchants. But the most useful was the acquaintance with his uncle, the Spanish Cardinal Mendoza. This one has already taken up the project in all seriousness, having gathered by his authority a commission of theologians, lawyers and courtiers. The commission worked for four whole years and did not give anything, since here Columbus let down his character - secretive and distrustful.

In any case, from 1487 to 1492, Columbus did not so much swim as travel around Spain after the Royal couple. In 1488, he received an invitation from the Portuguese king to return to Portugal, but it was too late - Columbus felt that here, in Spain, he would definitely achieve something. However, he sent letters with his proposals to all the influential courts of Europe, but received a response only from the English King Henry VII, who in 1488 expressed his support to the navigator, but did not offer anything specific. Who knows, perhaps if Henry VIII, the son of Henry VII, was on the throne at that time, Christopher Columbus would have gone on an expedition under the flag of England. Henry VIII was very fond of the fleet, which only cost him the creation of huge ships by those standards Great Harry and Mary Rose!

The Spaniards wanted to organize an expedition, but the country was in a protracted war and it was not possible to allocate funds for swimming. In 1491, Columbus in Seville again personally met with Ferdinand and Isabella, but to no avail - they did not give money and help. In January 1492, Granada fell, Spain ended the war, and Columbus had the opportunity to organize an expedition almost immediately, but his character let him down again! The requirements of the sailor were exorbitant: the appointment of viceroy of all new lands, the title of "chief admiral of the sea-ocean" and a lot of money. The king refused.

The situation was saved by Queen Isabella, who dissuaded Columbus from emigrating to France and threatened to pawn her family jewels to organize the expedition. As a result, an enterprise was drawn up, according to which one ship was given by the state, one by Columbus himself, and one by Martin Alonso Pinson, who equipped the Pint. In addition, this magnate lent money to Columbus, who, according to the agreement, was supposed to take on an eighth of the expenses of the expedition.

On April 30, 1492, the king officially granted Christopher Columbus the title of “don”, making him a nobleman, and also confirmed all the requirements of a daring sailor, up to the title of viceroy of all newly discovered lands and his inheritance.

Expeditions of Christopher Columbus

The first expedition of Columbus took place on August 3, 1492 and was small - about 90 people on three ships - Santa Maria, Pinte and Nina, set off from Palos. Having reached the Canary Islands, she turned west, crossed the Atlantic along a small diagonal, opening the Sargasso Sea along the way. The first land he saw was one of the islands of the Bahamas, called San Salvador. Columbus landed on it October 12, 1492 and this day became the official date of the discovery of America.

It is noteworthy that until 1986, geographers and historians did not know exactly which of the islands Columbus discovered first, until the geographer J. Judge proved that it was Samana Island. In the following days, Columbus discovered a number of the Bahamas, and on October 28, washed up on the coast of Cuba. Already on December 6, he saw Haiti and moved along the northern coast. There, on December 25, the Santa Maria landed on a reef, although the crew was saved.

It was after the crash of the Santa Maria, when the sailors had to make room on the remaining ships, that Columbus ordered hammocks to be installed for the sailors instead of beds, having peeped this idea from the natives. So it was possible to compactly accommodate more people, and the method itself took root so much that it went into oblivion only a century ago.

In March 1493, the remaining ships returned to Castile. They brought some gold, some natives, strange plants and bird feathers. Columbus claimed to have discovered the western Indies. After reading about Cook's first expedition, the inquisitive can compare the successes of Columbus and James Cook in the stages of their early careers. The difference between these expeditions is 275 years!

The second expedition set off in the same 1493. Columbus headed it already in the rank of admiral and viceroy of all open lands. It was a grand undertaking, which involved 17 large courts and more than 2,000 people, including priests and officials, as well as lawyers, artisans and soldiers. In November 1493, Dominica, Guadeloupe and the Antilles were discovered. In 1494, the expedition explored the islands of Haiti, Cuba, Youthud and Jamaica, but very little gold was found there.

In the spring of 1496, Columbus set off for home, completing his journey on June 11. This expedition opened the way for colonization, after which settlers, priests and criminals began to be sent to new lands, who turned out to be the cheapest way to settle new colonies.

The third expedition of Columbus began in 1498. It consisted of only six courts and was exclusively research. On July 31, he discovered Trinidad, found the Gulf of Paria, discovered the mouth of the Orinoco and the Peninsula of Paria, finally reaching the continent. Climbing a little further than Columbus, the conquerors Hernan Cortes and Claudio Pizarro invaded the rich lands of South America. On August 15, Margarita Island was discovered, after which the navigator arrived in Haiti, where the Spanish colony was already operating.

In 1500, Columbus was arrested on a denunciation and sent to Castile. However, he did not sit there for very long, but he kept his shackles for life. Having received freedom, Columbus was nevertheless deprived of most of the privileges and most of the wealth. So, he no longer became vice-emperor, and this was the main disappointment of the final part of the navigator's life. From the third expedition, Columbus was disappointed, but survived, but the third expedition of Cook was the last for the traveler.

The fourth expedition began in 1502 and was carried out on only four ships. On June 15, he went traverse Martinique, and on July 30 he entered the Gulf of Honduras, where he first came into contact with representatives of the Mayan state. In 1502-1503, Columbus carefully explored the shores of Central America in search of the coveted passage to the west, because the fabulous wealth of America had not yet been discovered and everyone was eager to get to India. On June 25, 1503, Columbus crashed near Jamaica and was rescued only a year later. The navigator came to Castile on November 7, 1504, seriously ill and upset by failures. This was the end of his epic. Not finding the coveted passage to India, left without rights and money, Christopher Columbus died in Valladolid on May 20, 1506. His merits were appreciated much later, centuries later, and for his era he remained just one of the sailors going to distant lands.

Character of Christopher Columbus

Great people do not have a simple character. The same can be said about Columbus, and this is what largely caused his collapse in the end. life path. Christopher Columbus was a passionate dreamer, a fan of his idea and purpose, which he served all his life. At the same time, historians and contemporaries characterize him as a greedy, immoderately domineering person who all his life dreamed of being superior to others. Immoderate desires did not allow him to remain at the top of wealth and nobility, but nevertheless he lived an outstanding life, having committed outstanding deeds!

Tragedy of Christopher Columbus

If you look deeper, you can understand that Columbus was dying an unfortunate man. He did not get to fabulously rich India, and it was precisely this, and not the discovery of a new continent, that was his goal and dream. He did not even understand what he had discovered, and for the first time the continents he saw received the name of a completely different person - Amerigo Vespucci, who simply slightly extended the paths beaten by Columbus. In fact, the Normans discovered America several centuries before him, so that here the navigator did not become the first. He achieved a lot, and at the same time achieved nothing. And this is his tragedy.

Named after Columbus...

Columbus forever remained in the history and geography of all continents and most countries. In addition to streets, numerous monuments, squares and even an asteroid, an entire state was named after him in South America, the highest mountain in Colombia, a federal district in the United States and a province in Canada, a city and province in Panama in the Panama Canal zone Colon, a department in Honduras and many other less significant geographical objects.

What did the discoveries of Columbus give to the world?

First of all, it should be noted that it was Columbus who showed the way to those people who, within a century after him, destroyed the original cultures of South and Central America, turning the history of the continents in a different direction.

Discoveries gave Europe an influx of a huge mass of gold and silver, thanks to which the center of civilization moved there from the East. Europe began to develop, its industry and science grew, its population and its quality of life grew, not only due to the flow of gold, which fell significantly in price, but also due to the import of new fertile plant crops from America.

Initially, the American continent was inhabited by tribes that arrived from Asia. However, in the 13th-15th century, with the active development of culture and industry, civilized Europe set off in search and development of 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" then considered 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 look for 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 the expedition of Columbus.

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, back to Columbus' first voyage.

Columbus' 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 gave Columbus a loan so that Christopher could equip a second ship. About a hundred crew members also went on a trip.

The voyage lasted from August 1492 to March 1493. In October, they sailed to the land, which they mistakenly considered the surrounding islands of Asia, that is, it could be the western territories of China, India or Japan. In fact, it was the discovery by Europeans of the Bahamas, Haiti and Cuba. Here, on these islands, local residents presented Columbus with dry leaves, i.e. tobacco, as a gift. Also, the locals 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 way where they take them. So Columbus made attempts to find gold, but found only more and more new lands. He was happy that he opened a new path in " Western India"However, there were no developed cities, and untold riches. When returning home, Christopher took with him local residents (whom he called Indians), as proof of success.

When did the colonization of America begin?

Shortly after returning to Spain with gifts and "Indians", the Spaniards soon decide to send the sailor on the road again. Thus began the second expedition of Columbus.

Second Voyage of Columbus

September 1493 - June 1496 The purpose of this trip was to organize new colonies, so as many as 17 ships entered the flotilla. Among the sailors there were priests, and nobles, officials and courtiers. They brought pets, raw materials, 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, islands were also discovered, including Jamaica and Puerto Rico. On Hispaniola, the Spaniards found gold deposits in the depths of the island and began to mine it, with the help of the enslavement of local residents. There were uprisings of workers, but the unarmed locals were doomed. They died as a result of the suppression of riots, diseases brought from Europe, hunger. The rest of the local population was imposed a tribute, turned into slavery.
The Spanish rulers were not satisfied with the income that new lands brought, and therefore they allowed everyone to move to new lands, and they broke the contract with Columbus, that is, they deprived him of the right to manage new lands. As a result, Columbus decides to travel to Spain, where he negotiates with the kings about the return of his privileges, and that prisoners will stay in the new lands, who will work and develop territories, and Spain will be freed from unwanted elements of society.

third journey

On the third expedition, Columbus went 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 was waiting for him again, Columbus had to allocate land to the local residents in order to suppress the rebellion and give slaves to help each rebel.

Then, unexpectedly, news came - the famous navigator Vasco da Gama discovered real way to India. He arrived from there with treats, spices, and declared Columbus a deceiver. As a result, the Spanish kings ordered the deceiver to be arrested and returned to Spain. But soon, the charges are dropped from him and 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 the islands off South America, Costa Rica and others, but never got to Pacific Ocean, because I learned from local residents that there were already Europeans here. Columbus returned to Spain.

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

Who first colonized America?

The Spanish conquistadors at the beginning tried to develop new lands in North Africa, but the local population put up 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 super-hard 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 considered as enlighteners who brought culture, religion, and art with them. On the other hand, it was a gross enslavement and destruction of the local population. Actually, it was both. Modern countries differently assess the contribution of the Spaniards to the history of their country. For example, in Venezuela, in 2004, a monument to Columbus was demolished, as they considered him the ancestor of the extermination of the local indigenous population.