The second expedition of Columbus. Discovery of America

Where Christopher Columbus sailed and why, you will learn from this article.

Purpose of Christopher Columbus' journey

The navigator is the most mysterious person of the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries and travels. His life is full of mysteries, dark spots, inexplicable coincidences and deeds. And all because mankind became interested in the navigator 150 years after his death - important documents have already been lost, and Columbus's life remained fanned with speculation and gossip. Plus, Columbus himself hid his origin (for unknown reasons), the motives of his actions and thoughts. The only thing that is known is 1451 - the year of his birth and the place of birth - the Republic of Genoa.

He made 4 expeditions, which were supplied by the Spanish king:

The first expedition - 1492-1493.

The second expedition - 1493-1496.

The third expedition - 1498 - 1500.

The fourth expedition - 1502 - 1504.

During four expeditions, the navigator discovered many new territories and two seas - Sargasso and Caribbean.

Having married in 1482 the daughter of a noble sailor from Italy, he and his wife went to the island of Porto Santo, to the estate of his father-in-law. In his house, Columbus found many nautical charts and received the first information about the lands and islands that lie on the western side of Europe. Walking along the shore of the island, he noticed that the water was coming to the shore, trunks of unknown wood and corpses of the then unfamiliar human race. Then he did not suspect the existence of the mainland, which the Europeans did not yet know about. Later, from the treatises of Pliny, Seneca and Aristotle, he learned about India, the new land. And the navigator caught fire with a new idea and goal - Christopher Columbus was looking for a way to India without going around Africa.

He drew up a project to find a new, direct route to the land of spices, and in 1483 he turned to King John of Portugal with it. Having not received the desired result, Columbus left for Spain, where 7 years later he signed an agreement with the crown to prepare the expedition. It happened on April 17, 1492.

It was midnight October 11, 1492. Just another two hours - and an event will take place that is destined to change the entire course of world history. On the ships, no one was fully aware of this, but literally everyone, from the admiral to the youngest cabin boy, was in suspense. The one who first sees the land was promised a reward of ten thousand maravedis, and now it was clear to everyone that the long voyage was nearing its end ...

1.India

Columbus was quite sure all his life that he had sailed to the east coast of Asia, although in fact he was about 15 thousand kilometers from it. At that time it was already known that the Earth was round, but the ideas about the size of the globe were still very vague.

It was believed that our planet is much smaller, and that if you sail from Europe strictly to the west, you can find a short sea route to China and India - countries that have long attracted travelers with their silks and spices. It was this path that Christopher Columbus dreamed of finding.

In 1483, Christopher Columbus proposes a project to King Juan II, but after a long study, Columbus's "excessive" project is rejected. In 1485, Columbus moved to Castile, where, with the help of merchants and bankers, he sought to organize a government sea expedition under his command.

2. Convince the Queen

It took Columbus 7 years to convince the king and queen of Spain and their scientific advisers to help him organize an expedition across the ocean.
In 1485 Columbus enters Spain. The only way for him to fulfill his dream and set sail is to get the support of the Spanish King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. At first, no one believed him. The court scholars simply did not understand how it was possible, by sailing to the west, to get to the lands that are far to the east. It seemed like something completely impossible.

Here is what they said: “Even if you could somehow descend into another hemisphere, how would you get back up from there? Even with the most favorable wind, the ship would never climb the huge water mountain that the bulge of the ball forms, even if we assume that the Earth is really spherical.
It wasn't until 1491 that Columbus was able to again visit Ferdinand and Isabella and convince them that he could indeed find a sea route to India.

Columbus at a reception with the Spanish King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella

3. A team of prisoners

The crew of the ships had to be assembled from prisoners serving sentences - no one else agreed to voluntarily participate in the dangerous voyage. Still would! After all, it was impossible to predict in advance how long this journey would last and what dangers might be encountered along the way. Even if scientists did not immediately believe in Columbus's plan, what can we say about ordinary sailors.

Former criminals and dregs of society will have an entire continent under their rule.

4. Three caravels

Columbus was given three caravels: "Santa Maria" (about 40 meters long), "Nina" and "Pinta" (about 20 meters each). Even for that time, these ships were very small.

Riding them across the ocean with 90 crew members seemed like an incredibly bold decision. For example, only Columbus himself, ship captains and a few other crew members had their own beds. The sailors, on the other hand, had to sleep in turns on the floor in a cramped hold, on damp barrels and boxes. And so for many weeks of travel.

Three small wooden ships - "Santa Maria", "Pinta" and "Nina" set off from the port of Paloe (Atlantic coast of Spain) on August 3, 1492. About 100 crew members, the bare minimum of food and equipment.

5. Riot on the ship

They have never had to swim so far into the ocean and so far from their native shores. Columbus even deliberately decided not to tell everyone how much distance had already been covered, and called much smaller numbers. With joy, the sailors were ready to believe in any sign of the approaching land: for example, they encountered whales, albatrosses, or algae floating on the surface of the water. Although in fact, all these “signs” have nothing to do with the proximity of land.

6.Magnetic needle

One of the first in the world, Christopher Columbus was able to observe how the magnetic needle deflected.

At that time, it was not yet known that the compass needle did not point exactly to the north, but to the magnetic north pole. Once Columbus discovered that the magnetic needle does not point exactly in the direction of the North Star, but deviates more and more from this direction. Of course he was very scared. Is the compass on the ship inaccurate or maybe broken? Just in case, Columbus also decided not to tell almost anyone about this observation.

Late 15th century compass (like Columbus had)

7.First islands

Before the land appeared on the horizon on October 12, 1492, 70 days of sailing had passed. However, the outlines of the coast seen were not the mainland at all, but a small island, which was later called San Salvador.

In total, Columbus made four trips across the Atlantic Ocean (and all four times he thought that he was approaching the shores of India). During this time, he visited many islands of the Caribbean and only during the third voyage saw the shores of the continent. During the fourth voyage, Columbus sailed along the coast for several months, hoping to find a strait leading to the long-awaited India. Of course, no strait could be found. Completely exhausted sailors were forced to return to the already familiar islands with nothing.

All of them, writes Columbus, go 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 faces they were very beautiful, and their hair was coarse, just like horse hair, and short ... Their features were regular, their expression friendly ...

8. Indians

Columbus called the natives met on the islands Indians - because he sincerely considered the lands found to be part of India. It is surprising that this “erroneous” name of the native inhabitants of America has survived to this day.

Moreover, we were still lucky with the Russian language - we call the inhabitants of India Indians, distinguishing them from the Indians by at least one letter. And, for example, in English language both words are spelled exactly the same: "indians". Therefore, when it comes to American Indians, they are called immediately with a clarification: “American Indians” or simply “Native Americans” (“Native Americans”).

Here everything seemed unusual and new: nature, plants, birds, animals and even people.

9. Columbus exchange

Columbus brought from his voyages many products not yet known to Europeans: for example, corn, tomatoes and potatoes. And in America, thanks to Columbus, grapes appeared, as well as horses and cows.

This movement of products, plants and animals between the Old World (Europe) and the New World (America) lasted several hundred years and was called the “Columbus Exchange”.

10. Astronomy

At the most dangerous moment, Columbus miraculously saved ... knowledge of astronomy!

During the last voyage, the team got into a very difficult situation. Ships were wrecked, provisions were running out, people were exhausted and sick. It only remained to wait for help and hope for the hospitality of the Indians, who were not too peacefully disposed towards strangers.

And then Columbus came up with a trick. From astronomical tables, he knew that on February 29, 1504, a lunar eclipse would occur. Columbus called the local leaders to him and announced that in punishment for their hostility, the god of the white people decided to take the moon from the inhabitants of the island.

And indeed, the prediction came true - exactly at the indicated time, the moon began to be covered with a black shadow. Then the Indians began to beg Columbus to return the moon to them, and in return they agreed to feed the strangers with the best food and fulfill all their wishes.

The Spanish navigator of Italian origin Christopher Columbus is a cult figure in world history and navigation. The discoveries made by him changed the ideas of scientists about geography, the planet, and contributed to the beginning of the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries. Columbus' voyages resulted in the establishment of trade between Europe and Asia, the discovery of new cultures and peoples, the beginning of the colonial policy of European states, and the spread of Spanish power beyond the Iberian Peninsula.

Origin of Columbus

The navigator was born on October 1, 1451 in Genoa to Dominico Colombo and Susanna Fontanarossa. Christopher's father was the guardian of the city gates, and was also engaged in weaving and cloth business. In Genoa, the house where Columbus was born and where the elder Columbus worked for a long time has been preserved.

Historians believe that the navigator's genealogy is much more extensive than it seems at first glance. Some scientists classify Columbus as Spaniards or Italians, others as Portuguese, others as Greeks. There is even a version that the Columbus family has Jewish roots. Historians draw similar conclusions on the basis of various sources and memoirs of contemporaries; there is no exact confirmation of one or another version. It is not yet possible to establish exactly who Columbus was by nationality. He wrote and spoke excellent Spanish, while the dialect that is in the inhabitants of Portugal was clearly heard. Christopher knew Latin, Italian, Greek.

Family

Columbus had four brothers, with whom he worked because he was the oldest child in the family. The navigator had no special education. After completing his basic education, he began to travel a lot on merchant ships. In the middle of the 1470s. ended up in Portugal, where he decided to start his own business. Columbus and his brother Bartholomew took up cartography, which at that time was actively developing.

In Portugal, he married Felipe Moniz de Palestrello, who was the daughter of the governor of that country. The marriage took place in 1479, a year later their son was born, who was called Diego. Columbus moved his wife to Genoa, and he continued to travel further. Finally, he "takes root" in Spain, finds work in a monastery, starts an affair with another woman. And at the same time, the idea comes to him that it is necessary to find America. It is not known exactly when Doña Felipa died. Most likely, death came to her after Columbus sailed to America. According to another version, the navigator's wife died before his first voyage.

The second wife of Columbus was Beatriz Henriquez de Arana. In this marriage, a son was also born, who received the name Fernando. The admiral died in 1506 in the Spanish city of Villadolid. His health was undermined by numerous voyages, viruses and unknown diseases that he picked up on the open islands. In addition, for a long time he unsuccessfully tried to obtain inheritance rights for himself and his children in some open territories.

Personal qualities

Columbus was quite religious, all his life he believed in holding and various omens. At the same time, the navigator was practical, suspicious, loved gold and wealth, and reacted painfully to criticism. A sharp mind, wide knowledge in various fields and the gift of persuasion helped him achieve what he wanted. In particular, H. Columbus was able to eloquently prove to the rulers of Spain that the financing of his expedition would bring them fame and make Spain a great maritime power.

Expeditions

By the end of the 15th century people have already accumulated enough knowledge not to believe in the version about the plane of the Earth. Columbus read a lot of ancient writings, which said that the planet is spherical. Most likely, the project of the marine company to open a route to India matured gradually. H. Columbus made calculations based on incorrect calculations made in the 15th century.

For the first time, the navigator spoke about an expedition to India in 1485, and with this idea he went to the Portuguese king. But at court he was refused, and he decided to move to Castile. Here, merchants and bankers from Andalusia helped organize a trip to distant lands.

At the same time, the Spanish rulers Isabella and Ferdinand agreed to finance the voyage to India. The first expedition lasted from 1492 to 1493. In 1492, three caravels left the city of Palos - Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria, on which there were 90 crew members and Columbus's assistants. During the first voyage were opened:

• Samana island.
• Sargasso Sea.
• Bahamas.
• Cuba and its northeast coast.
• Haiti - Columbus passed along the north coast.

The head of the Vatican, after the discoveries made by Columbus, drew the so-called demarcation line across the Atlantic Ocean - the papal meridian. This was how different vectors of the foreign policy of Portugal and Spain were designated, which concerned the discovery of new lands. The Spanish rulers appointed the navigator the positions of admiral and viceroy of the open territories, and agreed to allocate funds for the second voyage. It lasted from 1493 to 1496, and differed from the first in quantitative characteristics. Firstly, 17 ships were subordinate to the admiral. Secondly, the number of crew reached 2.5 thousand people.

The expedition explored Haiti, where a military campaign was carried out to search for gold, and also discovered:

• Islands - Guadeloupe, Dominican Republic, Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Huventud.
• Southern coasts of Cuba and Haiti.

After the second voyage, Columbus reported to the sovereigns of Spain and claimed that he had found new way to Asia. New lands were proclaimed the property of the Spanish crown. Their colonization began, criminals were transported to the territories and islands, since the free settlers did not want to work in the colonies. The consequences were sad - destroyed, plundered, and then destroyed the ancient empires of the Aztecs, Incas, Mayans.

The third voyage lasted from 1498 to 1500, in which 6 ships went. Half of the ships led by Columbus passed through the Atlantic. As a result of this journey, the navigator reached the shores of South America, exploring Trinidad, the Gulf and the Paria Peninsula, the Orinoco River. By 1500, the expedition sailed to Haiti, where the admiral was arrested and sent to Castile. Here he was acquitted and released, after which Columbus began to prepare again for distant wanderings. He was haunted by the fact that for so many years, the western route to India had not been found.

Having begged money from the kings, the admiral hired four ships and set off. During 1502-1504. new lands passed under the Spanish crown. Among them are the island of Martinique, the Gulf of Honduras, the long coast of South America, washed by the Caribbean Sea. In 1503 the ships were wrecked off Jamaica. Columbus requested help from the island of Santo Domingo, which ripened only a year later. Repair of ships allowed the admiral to get to Castile, where he reached in November 1504. At this time, Christopher Columba was sick.

Significance of expeditions

The lands, which during the voyages from 1492 to 1504 were mapped by Columbus and the scientists who sailed with him, contributed to the active development of geographical science, navigation, and navigation. This gave impetus to the revision of views on the continents and the water space of the Earth. Scientific discoveries kept pace with the development of technology and shipbuilding. Columbus was not the first to find the North American continent for Europeans. Earlier in the 8th-9th centuries. the Vikings did it. Only Magellan proved that H. Columbus found America, which was in a new part of the world, unfamiliar until the 15th century. residents of Europe. The expeditions of Columbus contributed to the change in European trade, in which new directions appeared. Spain became a monopoly of many goods and services, controlling the Atlantic trade routes. Thanks to constant discoveries, new settlements were built in the established colonies.

But the discoveries of the admiral brought not only positive results. There were many negative consequences, among which it is worth noting:

• Spanish colonization of lands and the creation of new settlements there.
• Cruel treatment of the Indians of South, Central and North America, as well as with native tribes open islands. Many states were completely destroyed, and the population was exterminated.
• Destruction of material and spiritual culture.
• The looting of the Mayan, Inca and Aztec empires.
• The foundations of the slave trade and the conversion of natives into slaves were laid.
• The traditional ties of the peoples on the islands, in North and Central America have been destroyed.

Who remembers Columbus?

In various countries of the world, the memory of the admiral and the navigator is honored. In particular, in South America, a country is named after him - Colombia. There is a province of the same name in the Channel, a river and a county in the United States. The capital of the island nation of Sri Lanka is called Colombo.

Natural objects are also named after Columbus, as well as administrative units. In particular, streets, cities, parks, squares and bridges in many countries of the world.

A monument to the discoverer of India stands in Barcelona, ​​which appeared in the city in the late 1880s.

Films, TV series have been made about Columbus' voyages, documentaries are told about him. In addition, scientists are constantly studying his life and work, finding new documents in the archives about sea expeditions, actions in the colonies, and family.

Interesting facts of the biography of the navigator

• Until the end of his life, he believed that he had sailed to the eastern coast of Asia. In fact, Columbus landed 15,000 km away, reaching India.
• For seven long years, the navigator persuaded Ferdinand and Isabella, proving to them that the ocean expedition would bring laurels to Spain. The rulers did not trust a stranger, a cartographer and merchant who was unfamiliar to Spanish society. The pundits of the time said that finding a western route to India was a gamble. They simply did not understand how they could sail west to discover new lands. Being in Spain since 1485, Columbus got an appointment with Ferdinand and Isabella only after 6 years.
• The first crew for the ships, which were supposed to set off in 1492, were formed from criminals. No one else wanted to embark on an unfamiliar voyage with a man whose idea scientists did not believe in and who was scarcely trusted by monarchs.
• The sailors during the first expedition did not know exactly where they were sailing, what distance they would have to go. The crew took whales, albatrosses, or algae as signs of approaching land. Columbus did not tell the sailors how many ships passed in a day. People did not see the earth for a long time, so every day they were seized by panic.
• Columbus was the first in the world to see that the magnetic needle on the compass began to deviate from its value. At that time, sailors and scientists believed that the magnetic needle should point strictly to the North Star, and it deviated more and more from the desired direction. Nobody knew about this observation, because Columbus was afraid that it would cause panic among the crew members.
• The navigator called the inhabitants of open lands and islands Indians, the name stuck and is used today.
• Columbus brought new types of food, spices, horses and cows to Europe. Neither animals nor foods were known on the continent. So potatoes, tomatoes, corn and grapes were delivered to Spain. Europeans quickly appreciated the benefits of animals and new crops, which contributed to the formation of a new trade exchange between Europe and America. This process became known as the Columbus exchange.
• The right to be called the homeland of the navigator is contested by 6 cities in Italy and Spain.
• In the Bahamas, sailors and the admiral got acquainted with a new culture that was popular with the natives. The new herb that Columbus took with him to Spain was called tobacco.
• Columbus had problems with the monarchs due to the fact that he did not bring wealth, spices, spices and precious metals from the voyage. Instead, exotic fruits, plants, bird feathers and natives were brought from the shores of Cuba, Tortuga and Haiti.
• The way to India was found during the life of Columbus, when in 1498 Vasco da Gama reached the shores of this country.

Interesting is the fate of the remains of Columbus, which were transported from Spain to Haiti. When the Spaniards left the island, the ashes of the great navigator were transported to Havana, and from there to Santa Domingo, and then to Seville. For a long time it was believed that the remains rest in the cathedral, but genetic research has proven otherwise. It was found that the bones belong to a friend of a man aged 45 years. Columbus was about 60 years old at the time of his death. Where the remains of the navigator are now, none of the historians knows.

In October 1492, Christopher Columbus discovered America. With this, he once and for all inscribed his name in history. However, few people know, but his adventures did not end there. Many have forgotten that Columbus crossed the Atlantic more than once, risking his life, reputation and well-being. And his last journey is a bold step into the unknown - beyond the boundaries of geographical maps. If another navigator who did not participate in the discovery of America had made this journey, he would have become famous. It was the story of the struggle with the elements, the natives and their own team. Amazing seafaring was completely forgotten. Few know how sad the fate of the man who discovered the New World. But it's time to find out the truth about the forgotten last journey of Christopher Columbus.

8 years after the first expedition to the New World, Columbus was imprisoned in his own colony. The cruel manner of government set his former associates against him and provoked the condemnation of his patrons - the king and queen of Spain. But he still dreamed of following the setting sun and finding a new path to the riches of China. He was ready to do anything for this journey. In order to get permission for the 4th expedition, he had to find good arguments, he was expected to hear something like: “I'm not going to just go to the New World, I plan to circle the globe and find a way to Asia, I want to go to India and return with untold riches, I want to convert the infidels to Christianity in order to intrigue the monarchs in a way that even a trip to the moon could not.” And they gave him one last chance.

the first voyage of the great navigator

Eight years earlier, before the first voyage, everything was different. Until the ships of Columbus had yet crossed the Atlantic, the uncharted expanses of the sea were simply called the sea-ocean. It was obvious that this was a journey into the unknown. No one had swum so far to the west before, and the team members were afraid, they were afraid to fall from the edge of the earth, because they did not know that it had the shape of a ball. They were frightened by the prospect of not finding their way home. Overcoming fear was the most difficult test. There was no certainty whether the ship had enough provisions and water to make it all the way and return. However, a valuable prize was at stake - access to the treasures and riches of Asia, pearls, gold and spices from China, India and Japan. For Europe at that time, these were the most coveted and almost inaccessible resources. Their possession promised a comfortable life. For a long time, a European could approach these riches only by land, through the countries of the Middle East - Persia and Afghanistan. It's long and dangerous journey. There had to be an easier way. Portuguese explorers laid a route around the African continent, but Columbus suggested, as it seemed to him, the fastest and easiest way - to sail west across the sea-ocean, all the way to China.

Columbus's most ingenious suggestion is that China can be reached by sea, moving from Europe to the west. This so-called Asian project was that there was a cheaper and easier way across the ocean from Europe to China, and to find it you had to sail from Spain to the West.

However, Columbus had nothing to prove that this path was possible. The entire space between Europe and Asia was occupied by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Only a few scattered islands were noted in them. North and South America still, as it were, did not exist. Columbus had such an idea of ​​the world when he was preparing the expedition. He had a good store of knowledge, as for a European, and then it was still impossible to assume that there were two more continents between Europe and Asia.

Columbus assumed that the distance between Spain and Japan was between 3 and 5,000 miles, while the real figure was 20,000 miles. He was mistaken several times and was very far from the truth. The Columbus enterprise required huge financial investments, in the race for Asian wealth by sea it was comparable in cost to the space program, all European countries participated in it. Christopher Columbus chose the perfect moment to ask for support from the crown - Spain had just won the war. For more than 700 years, the Spaniards tried to expel the Moors from their territory. In January 1492, the last stronghold of the Moors in Spain - the island of Granada became Christian. Only then did Columbus finally have the opportunity to make his journey. A better moment could not be imagined - Spain desperately needed new sources of income. The treasury was empty, and the navigator's enterprise promised incalculable riches of the East - at that time it was considered the source of all wealth. For this purpose, ships were equipped there.

The great navigator went on his first journey on three ships. The flagship was the caravel "Santa Maria" - a slow merchant ship. But the favorite ship of Columbus was the new caravel "Nina" - a ship of the era of geographical discoveries. They are perfect for adventurous sailors. Small - 20 meters long and 6 wide, with a displacement of 100 tons, light, maneuverable and at the same time strong enough - ideal vessels for crossing the Atlantic. The small draft made it possible to pass a depth of 2 meters, which was of great importance in unfamiliar terrain. But the main thing - the caravels were very fast. From the records of Columbus we know that caravels could travel 100-120 miles a day, and sometimes 160 miles. For that time, this is a very impressive speed. By the standards of the 15th century, they simply flew across the ocean. But Columbus's goal was so far away that even such means did not make it easily accessible.

Before him, the duration of navigation did not exceed 10 days. He also increased this figure several times, which indicates his courage and obsession with the idea. However, the team did not share this enthusiasm. By October 2, Columbus' flotilla was 5,000 miles from Spain. The farther they sailed from home, the more the excitement intensified, and the complaints became more frequent. Among sailors, stories about monsters living in the depths of the ocean were popular. Sailors allegedly saw a sea snake poking out of the water and killing several sailors. For more than 60 days, the Columbus crew experienced hardships at sea. Spoiled food and the stench in the holds forced many sailors to sleep in the open. A mutiny was brewing on the ships. There is a mention of this in the logbook. In the end, a group of sailors put forward demands to turn the ships around and sail back to Spain. Everyone on the expedition knew that, according to Columbus's calculations, they should have already seen land on the horizon, and many already believed that his idea was wrong. However, the navigator managed to remove the rebellious tension and convince the sailors to continue the journey for another three days. And then the first encouraging sign appeared - vegetation in the water. The lookout confirmed: "Earth!" But it turned out to be only a low cloud. Only on the third day, Friday, October 11, 1492, Columbus saw the earth. The next day he went ashore.

At dawn, he armed himself and swam to the shore. Flags with symbols of the Spanish monarchs proclaimed the New World a European colony. Columbus believed that he was in Asia and gave the islands the name East Indies. In fact, he descended to the lands of a new continent - America. The island was given the name San Salvador, in the name of the Lord and Savior. For many people, with the discovery of the New World, the story of Columbus ends. But he will cross the Atlantic three more times. Ahead of him were war, shipwreck, rebellion, poverty, and his last, forgotten voyage would be the culmination.

The first voyage of Columbus went down in history and changed the map of the world forever. But fame alone was not enough for him. He wanted to get more and riches. This was his goal now. He followed the Caribbean coast in search of places where he could find treasure or establish a colony. One island looked promising. In honor of Spain, he named it Hispaniola. Today it contains Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Columbus thought it was paradise. He hoped that after the discovery of the island, the whole world would recognize him as an explorer, and the resources of the island would help him get rich. But the paradise that he described will give him short-term glory and turn into a disaster.

In 1492, the island seemed to Columbus the New World, but it is inhabited. About 100 thousand people already lived on it. The inhabitants called themselves "Tainu". Columbus believed that he was in the East Indies and called them Indians. The Tainu people, who believed that the gods came from the sea, mistook Christopher Columbus for a deity. They did not even think that these gods would use both the people and the wealth of the island for their own selfish purposes.

Columbus, meanwhile, did not waste time in vain. Soon he found in the villages the secret that he was looking for - gold - a source of wealth for himself and the Spanish monarchs. Leaving 39 sailors in Hispaniola, he returned to Spain as a conquering hero.

the second voyage of the great navigator

For Columbus, the discovery of America was just the beginning. He knew that he needed to repeat sailing to the islands he had discovered as soon as possible in order to really get rich. It took him six months to assemble a flotilla of 17 ships for the second trip to the New World. But this was no longer a journey of discoverers, but a raid of colonizers. This time the expedition was much larger. Among its members were simple settlers, royal officials and adventurers eager to enrich themselves. The second voyage across the Atlantic was easy and fast, as the route ran south. After 24 days, the expedition arrived in the Caribbean and headed for Hispaniola. By nightfall, they anchored near the coast, expecting to see their compatriots. But they were met only by night and silence. The next day, Columbus went ashore to find the abandoned fort completely destroyed and 39 sailors killed. It turned out that settling in Hispaniola was much more difficult than crossing the Atlantic Ocean. It was necessary to find a new place to build a settlement that could provide for itself and protect itself.

The flotilla went 100 kilometers south, where Columbus founded La Isabella. Today it is a ghost town. All that remains of a large settlement of 200 houses are the foundations of a warehouse and a church. The largest house was intended for Columbus as a manager. La Isabella was doomed from the start and became a trap. There was no source of fresh water and protection from the elements. Located on the northern coast of the island, the city has experienced the full power of the Caribbean Sea. The city was surrounded by swamps, which became a source of the spread of diseases, the most dangerous was malaria. Columbus went inland. He reached the Sibau Valley, rich in gold. But the decision of the stranger to go far from the sea did not please the locals, who realized that the Spaniards settled for a long time. And they are not gods, but mortals blinded by greed. Tainu began to resist. In response, Columbus took brutal measures and forced them to submit. In Seebau, he built a new city as a sign of victory over them. Later, Concepción de La Vega would become the richest gold mine in the Caribbean.

The city of La Vega became an illustration of the success of the Spanish colonization. The Spaniards subjugated the natives and forced them to work in the extraction of gold, which they spent on their own needs. This city quickly acquired European features. Representatives of the nobility settled here, who, driven by a thirst for profit, crossed the Atlantic with Columbus. The Indians had enough of tiny gold nuggets that came across in the mouths of the rivers, but the Spaniards were interested in all the gold of the island: nuggets, ore, and even gold dust. They pulled out all the supplies. Taina was washed with gold nuggets, brought to the Spaniards, and they were melted into ingots, and left in the fortress until sent by ships to Spain.

In 1496, Columbus, confident in the strength of his city, returned from his second journey already as an admiral of the sea-ocean and a rich man. But at that moment, the fate of his beloved Hispaniola changed dramatically.

the third voyage of the great navigator

Two years later, Columbus returned to the New World on his third voyage across the Atlantic. This time he sailed with the aim of expanding and developing new colonies. He sailed to Venezuela and became the first European to see South America. After that, he headed north. In August 1498, Columbus returned to Hispaniola and founded a new capital and named it Santo Domingo. Now he has become the ruler of an entire island in the heart of a nascent empire in the Caribbean. However, the conqueror of the seas on land did not prove to be a good leader. Here his ability to sail was useless. He had to learn to lead people, but Columbus' methods were cruel. Any dissenting Indian or Spaniard was severely punished. For example, for theft, Columbus ordered people to cut off their ears or noses. Vasa d'Armos became a place of public punishment in Santa Domingo. But all this turned people against Columbus and became the reason for his overthrow. No one was going to put up with such treatment. The colonists rebelled and founded their own village in the mountains. Complaints about Columbus and his methods of government reached the monarch and were taken into account. The alarmed rulers sent a special agent to draw up a report on what was happening in Hispaniola, the conclusion of which was: "Columbus is guilty." The man who discovered the New World was arrested in his own colony and taken to Spain branded as a criminal. But still, Columbus was underestimated, and he will be able to prove himself once again in the forgotten fourth voyage - the most difficult of all.

the fourth voyage of the great navigator

10 years after the discovery of America, Christopher Columbus was going to conquer the Atlantic again. But the fourth journey was the most dangerous and controversial of all. Despite the failure in the colonies of the New World and the return in chains, the trial for cruelty, the king and queen of Spain forgave him and agreed to provide funds for a new expedition. But this undertaking was unthinkably dangerous. Columbus received bad ships, an unprepared team, obviously no one expected his success. However, the team knew that Christopher, the most experienced explorer of the Atlantic, was now poor and without reputation. And now he has one last chance to save his name from shame.

Interestingly, the monarchs did not fulfill the original condition with Columbus. He had to fight, develop new territories and receive a large reward for his work. But everything changed, the royal couple gave the right to dispose of wealth to other researchers.

Columbus's notes are constantly filled with regrets about lost opportunities. On the fourth voyage, Columbus sets off with his illegitimate son, 13-year-old Fernando, a page of the Spanish court. He dreamed of being a sailor like his father. Christopher did not give up hope of finding the coveted path to Asia and getting rich. But he is 51 years old, old by the standards of his age, and suffers from bouts of gout and arthritis. And this was his last trip. The bold plans sounded crazy, like he was determined to circle the globe. He wrote in his letter that God had given him the keys to unlock the secrets of the Atlantic. In addition, Columbus managed to attract several important members to his expedition - Diego Mendez became the official chronicler of the campaign, but the fourth voyage promised unimaginable dangers. Columbus' brother, Bartolomeo, followed him. He was a cartographer and was trained in Portugal at a maritime center. But his reputation also suffered in Espanyol, he was accused of cruelty.

Columbus could not choose captains, they were appointed as his financial backers. Again in his voyage, Christopher relied on a caravel. This time he had four ships, each with a crew of 30. The holds were filled with supplies, spare sails and weapons. There were already guns on deck for defense and attack. In the aft part of the wheelhouse, and below - the quarterdeck, where the command was located. The characteristic stern of the caravel is curved at the level of the waterline. This is the only way to resist the ocean waves. A fully loaded ship could weigh about 100 tons. The navigator used the latest achievements of shipping science: new triangular slanting sails were installed on the ship, allowing it to sail at an angle to the wind.

The expedition left Europe and went to the Atlantic. Columbus made a stop in the Canary Islands to replenish supplies. From now on maps of the Mediterranean and Africa are useless. But during his transatlantic travels, Columbus learned well the direction of the winds blowing in those places. He found that westerly winds in northern latitudes, and eastern winds in southern latitudes, blow with constant force all year round. Thus, for travel it is necessary to describe a circle in the Atlantic. Relying on his knowledge of the prevailing winds, Columbus refitted ships in the Canaries. He installed ordinary rectangular sails on them, which would catch the wind blowing at the back of travelers all the way to the New World. As a result, Columbus' fourth voyage was the fastest. Using the power of the trade winds, he and his fleet crossed the Atlantic in 21 days.
However, after an easy road across the Atlantic, there was a feeling of impending disaster. Columbus, with his characteristic powers of observation, noticed changes in weather conditions, calm, anomalous currents and unusual clouds - signs of mortal danger. They predicted one simple threat - a hurricane. During the second trip, Columbus had already fallen into a hurricane and remembered what destructive power he had. The name of the hurricane was given by the Tainu Indians, who suffered from it every year. Huraka - which meant the god of the winds. Typically, hurricanes at a speed of 180 km / h rage in the Caribbean Sea twice a year, not more often. A wind with a speed of 120 km/h can destroy a wall, a 160 km/h wind can destroy a house, and if its gusts reach 240 km/h, it sweeps away everything in its path. The energy of one hurricane would be enough to satisfy the energy needs of the entire world for a year.

In 1500, Columbus was one of the few Europeans to survive a hurricane. They are especially dangerous on the high seas, because they cross the ocean without encountering obstacles. Columbus knew that his flotilla would not survive the storm. Therefore, he sent a messenger to the governor of Avando with a request to land on Hispaniola in view of the impending disaster. In doing so, Columbus violated the order of the Spanish monarchs, who agreed to support his fourth expedition, but forbade him to ever set foot on the land of Hispaniola. But Columbus had no choice; he desperately needed a harbor to save his ships. The governor of Avando forbade landings on Hispaniola. No one on land believed that a storm was coming. Columbus was furious. Now the fate of the expedition depended on his skills as a navigator.
Finding out that the hurricane would pass north of Hispaniola, he took his ships south and anchored in a sheltered bay, in the hope that it would provide some protection from the storm. With the advent of night, the hurricane also hit the bay. The raging ocean raised sailing ships, plucked them from the anchors, and carried them to the open sea. In the end, the terrible storm subsided. Columbus and his ships escaped. The brilliant skills of the navigator allowed him to save and re-equip the ships. The damage was repairable. But not everyone was lucky. Hispaniola's capital, Santa Domingo, was completely destroyed. The sea took 29 of the new ruler's 30 ships, along with 500 settlers. But Columbus still did not have permission to land on the island. The exhausted crew could only take a course for the open sea. The terrible storm was left behind, but now Columbus and his team were on their way to the unknown. Thus began the history of the forgotten expedition of Columbus.

Christopher Columbus - medieval navigator who discovered Sargasso and caribbean, Antilles, Bahamas and the American continent for Europeans, the first famous traveler to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

According to various sources, Christopher Columbus was born in 1451 in Genoa, in what is now Corsica. Six Italian and Spanish cities claim the right to be called his homeland. Almost nothing is reliably known about the childhood and youth of the navigator, and the origin of the Columbus family is just as vague.

Some researchers call Columbus an Italian, others believe that his parents were baptized Jews, Marranos. This assumption explains the incredible level of education at that time that Christopher, who came from a family of an ordinary weaver and a housewife, received.

According to some historians and biographers, Columbus studied at home until the age of 14, while he had brilliant knowledge in mathematics, knew several languages, including Latin. The boy had three younger brothers and a sister, all of whom were taught by visiting teachers. One of the brothers, Giovanni, died in childhood, sister Bianchella grew up and married, and Bartolomeo and Giacomo accompanied Columbus on his wanderings.

Most likely, Columbus was given all possible assistance by fellow believers, rich Genoese financiers from the Marranos. With their help, a young man from a poor family got into the University of Padua.

Being an educated person, Columbus was familiar with the teachings of the ancient Greek philosophers and thinkers, who depicted the Earth as a ball, and not a flat pancake, as was believed in the Middle Ages. However, such thoughts, like the Jewish origin during the Inquisition, which raged in Europe, had to be carefully hidden.

At the university, Columbus became friends with students and teachers. One of his close friends was the astronomer Toscanelli. According to his calculations, it turned out that to the cherished India, full of untold riches, it was much closer to sail in a westerly direction, and not in an eastern one, skirting Africa. Later, Christopher made his own calculations, which, being incorrect, confirmed Toscanelli's hypothesis. Thus was born the dream of a western journey, and Columbus devoted his whole life to it.

Even before entering the university, at the age of fourteen, Christopher Columbus experienced the hardships of sea travel. The father arranged for his son to work on one of the trading schooners to learn the art of navigation, trade skills, and from that moment the biography of Columbus the navigator started.

Columbus made his first voyages as a cabin boy in the Mediterranean Sea, where trade and economic routes between Europe and Asia intersected. At the same time, European merchants knew about the riches and gold placers of Asia and India from the words of the Arabs, who resold them wonderful silks and spices from these countries.

The young man listened to extraordinary stories from the mouths of eastern merchants and was inflamed with a dream to reach the shores of India in order to find her treasures and get rich.

Expeditions

In the 70s of the 15th century, Columbus married Felipe Moniz from a wealthy Italo-Portuguese family. The father-in-law of Christopher, who settled in Lisbon and sailed under the Portuguese flag, was also a navigator. After his death, he left sea charts, diaries and other documents that were inherited by Columbus. According to them, the traveler continued to study geography, at the same time studying the works of Piccolomini, Pierre de Ailly,.

Christopher Columbus took part in the so-called northern expedition, in which his path passed through the British Isles and Iceland. Presumably, there the navigator heard the Scandinavian sagas and stories about the Vikings, Erik the Red and Leyve Eriksson, who reached the coast of the "Great Land", having crossed the Atlantic Ocean.

The route that made it possible to get to India by the western route was compiled by Columbus in 1475. He presented an ambitious plan to conquer the new land to the court of the Genoese merchants, but did not meet with support.

A few years later, in 1483, Christopher made a similar proposal to the Portuguese king João II. The king assembled a scientific council, which reviewed the Genoese project and found his calculations incorrect. Frustrated, but resilient, Columbus left Portugal and moved to Castile.

In 1485, the navigator requested an audience with the Spanish monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella of Castile. The couple received him favorably, listened to Columbus, who tempted them with the treasures of India, and, just like the Portuguese ruler, convened scientists for advice. The commission did not support the navigator, since the possibility of a western path implied the sphericity of the Earth, which was contrary to the teachings of the church. Columbus was almost declared a heretic, but the king and queen had mercy and decided to postpone the final decision until the end of the war with the Moors.

Columbus, who was driven not so much by a thirst for discovery as by a desire to get rich, carefully hiding the details of the planned trip, sent messages to the English and French monarchs. Charles and Henry did not answer the letters, being too busy with domestic politics, but the Portuguese king sent an invitation to the navigator to continue discussing the expedition.

When Christopher announced this in Spain, Ferdinand and Isabella agreed to equip a squadron of ships to search for a western route to India, although the impoverished Spanish treasury had no funds for this enterprise. The monarchs promised Columbus a title of nobility, the title of admiral and viceroy of all the lands that he had to discover, and he had to borrow money from Andalusian bankers and merchants.

Four Expeditions of Columbus

1. The first expedition of Christopher Columbus took place in 1492-1493. On three ships, the caravels "Pinta" (the property of Martin Alonso Pinson) and "Nina" and the four-masted sailing ship "Santa Maria", the navigator passed through the Canary Islands, crossed the Atlantic Ocean, opening the Sargasso Sea along the way, and reached the Bahamas. On October 12, 1492, Columbus set foot on the island of Saman, which he named San Salvador. This date is considered the day of the discovery of America.
2. The second expedition of Columbus took place in 1493-1496. In this campaign, the Lesser Antilles, Dominica, Haiti, Cuba, Jamaica were discovered.
3. The third expedition refers to the period from 1498 to 1500. A flotilla of six ships reached the islands of Trinidad and Margarita, marking the beginning of the discovery of South America, and ended in Haiti.
4. During the fourth expedition, Christopher Columbus sailed to Martinique, visited the Gulf of Honduras and explored the coast of Central America along the Caribbean Sea.

Discovery of America

The process of discovering the New World dragged on for many years. The most amazing thing is that Columbus, being a convinced discoverer and an experienced navigator, believed until the end of his days that he had opened the way to Asia. He considered the Bahamas, discovered in the first expedition, to be part of Japan, after which wonderful China was to open, and after it, the cherished India.

What did Columbus discover and why did the new continent get the name of another traveler? The list of discoveries made by the great traveler and navigator includes San Salvador, Cuba and Haiti, belonging to the Bahamas, the Sargasso Sea.

Seventeen ships, led by the flagship Maria Galante, went on the second expedition. This type of ship with a displacement of two hundred tons and other ships carried not only sailors, but also colonialists, livestock, and supplies. All this time, Columbus was convinced that he had discovered the Western Indies. At the same time, the Antilles, Dominica and Guadeloupe were discovered.

The third expedition brought the ships of Columbus to the continent, but the navigator was disappointed: he never found India with its gold placers. From this journey, Columbus returned in shackles, accused of a false denunciation. Before entering the port, the fetters were removed from him, but the navigator lost the promised titles and titles.

The last journey of Christopher Columbus ended with a crash off the coast of Jamaica and a serious illness of the leader of the campaign. He returned home sick, unhappy and broken by failures. Amerigo Vespucci was a close associate and follower of Columbus, who undertook four voyages to the New World. A whole continent is named after him, and one country in South America is named after Columbus, who never reached India.

Personal life

According to the biographers of Christopher Columbus, the first of whom was his own son, the navigator was married twice. The first marriage with Felipe Moniz was legal. The wife gave birth to a son, Diego. In 1488 Columbus had a second son, Fernando, from a relationship with a woman named Beatriz Henriques de Arana.

The navigator equally took care of both sons, and even took the youngest with him on an expedition when the boy was thirteen years old. Fernando was the first to write a biography of the famous traveler.

Christopher Columbus with his wife Felipe Moniz

Subsequently, both sons of Columbus became influential people and took high positions. Diego was the fourth Viceroy of New Spain and Admiral of the Indies, and his descendants were titled Marquesses of Jamaica and Dukes of Veragua.

Fernando Columbus, who became a writer and scientist, enjoyed the favor of the Spanish emperor, lived in marble palace and had an annual income of up to 200,000 francs. These titles and wealth went to the descendants of Columbus in recognition of his services to the crown by the Spanish monarchs.

Death

After the discovery of America from the last expedition, Columbus returned to Spain a terminally ill, aged man. In 1506, the discoverer of the New World died in poverty in a small house in Valladolid. Columbus used his savings to pay the debts of the members of the last expedition.

Tomb of Christopher Columbus

Soon after the death of Christopher Columbus, the first ships began to arrive from America, loaded with gold, which the navigator so dreamed of. Many historians agree that Columbus knew that he had discovered not Asia or India, but a new, unexplored continent, but did not want to share glory and treasures with anyone, to which there was one step left.

The appearance of the enterprising discoverer of America is known from photos in history books. Several films have been made about Columbus, the last film being co-produced by France, England, Spain and the USA “1492: The Conquest of Paradise”. Monuments to this great man were erected in Barcelona and Granada, and his ashes were transported from Seville to Haiti.