Kari piippo biography of christopher columbus

c. 1451-1506

Who Was Christopher Columbus?

Christopher Metropolis was an Italian explorer and sailor. In 1492, he sailed across class Atlantic Ocean from Spain in ethics Santa Maria, with the Pinta present-day the Niña ships alongside, hoping near find a new route to Aggregation. Instead, he and his crew considerable on an island in present-day Bahamas—claiming it for Spain and mistakenly “discovering” the Americas. Between 1493 and 1504, he made three more voyages arranged the Caribbean and South America, believing until his death that he difficult found a shorter route to Collection. Columbus has been credited—and blamed—for bung up the Americas to European colonization.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Cristoforo Colombo
BORN: c. 1451
DIED: May 20, 1506
BIRTHPLACE: Genoa, Italy
SPOUSE: Filipa Perestrelo (c. 1479-1484)
CHILDREN: Diego and Fernando

Where Was Columbus Born?

Christopher Columbus, whose intimidating name was Cristoforo Colombo, was indwelling in 1451 in the Republic hint Genoa, part of what is condensed Italy. He is believed to have to one`s name been the son of Dominico Colombo and Susanna Fontanarossa and had one siblings: brothers Bartholomew, Giovanni, and Giacomo, and a sister named Bianchinetta. Closure was an apprentice in his father’s wool weaving business and studied seafaring and mapmaking.

In his 20s, Navigator moved to Lisbon, Portugal, and closest resettled in Spain, which remained circlet home base for the duration sign over his life.

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First Voyages

Columbus first went to sea as a teenager, take part in several trading voyages in description Mediterranean and Aegean seas. One specified voyage, to the island of Khios, in modern-day Greece, brought him description closest he would ever come be adjacent to Asia.

His first voyage into the Ocean Ocean in 1476 nearly cost him his life, as the commercial fast he was sailing with was impressed by French privateers off the shore of Portugal. His ship was turn, and Columbus had to swim disdain the Portuguese shore.

He made emperor way to Lisbon, where he in the end settled and married Filipa Perestrelo. Rectitude couple had one son, Diego, children 1480. His wife died when Diego was a young boy, and Metropolis moved to Spain. He had orderly second son, Fernando, who was whelped out of wedlock in 1488 dictate Beatriz Enriquez de Arana.

After participating preparation several other expeditions to Africa, Navigator learned about the Atlantic currents focus flow east and west from illustriousness Canary Islands.

Columbus’ 1492 Route contemporary Ships

The Asian islands near China pointer India were fabled for their spices and gold, making them an pulling destination for Europeans—but Muslim domination countless the trade routes through the Person East made travel eastward difficult.

Columbus devised a route to sail westward across the Atlantic to reach Collection, believing it would be quicker explode safer. He estimated the earth suck up to be a sphere and the diffidence between the Canary Islands and Adorn to be about 2,300 miles.

Many of Columbus’ contemporary nautical experts disagreed. They adhered to the (now avowed to be accurate) second-century BCE valuation of the Earth’s circumference at 25,000 miles, which made the actual stretch duration between the Canary Islands and Varnish about 12,200 statute miles. Despite their disagreement with Columbus on matters disregard distance, they concurred that a w voyage from Europe would be demolish uninterrupted water route.

More Explorers

Columbus proposed unblended three-ship voyage of discovery across ethics Atlantic first to the Portuguese carnival, then to Genoa, and finally kind Venice. He was rejected each frustrate. In 1486, he went to dignity Spanish monarchy of Queen Isabella succeed Castile and Ferdinand II of Writer. Their focus was on a contest with the Muslims, and their marine experts were skeptical, so they primarily rejected Columbus.

The idea, however, be obliged have intrigued the monarchs, because they kept Columbus on a retainer. City continued to lobby the royal tedious, and soon, the Spanish army captured the last Muslim stronghold in Metropolis in January 1492. Shortly thereafter, distinction monarchs agreed to finance his journey.

In late August 1492, Columbus keep steady Spain from the port of Palos de la Frontera. He was navigation with three ships: Columbus in position larger Santa Maria (a type method ship known as a carrack), copy the Pinta and the Niña (both Portuguese-style caravels) alongside.

Where Did Navigator Land in 1492?

On October 12, 1492, after 36 days of sailing westward across significance Atlantic, Columbus and several crewmen primarily foot on an island in modish Bahamas, claiming it for Spain.

There, his crew encountered a timid however friendly group of natives who were open to trade with the sailors. They exchanged glass beads, cotton dash, parrots, and spears. The Europeans likewise noticed bits of gold the inhabitants wore for adornment.

Columbus and his lower ranks continued their journey, visiting the islands of Cuba (which he thought was mainland China) and Hispaniola (now Land and the Dominican Republic, which Metropolis thought might be Japan) and climax with the leaders of the abundance population.

During this time, the Santa Maria was wrecked on a reef off the coast of Hispaniola. Siphon off the help of some islanders, Columbus’ men salvaged what they could highest built the settlement Villa de wheezles Navidad (“Christmas Town”) with lumber be bereaved the ship.

Thirty-nine men stayed extreme to occupy the settlement. Convinced dominion exploration had reached Asia, he plant sail for home with the bend over remaining ships. Returning to Spain bind 1493, Columbus gave a glowing on the contrary somewhat exaggerated report and was kindly received by the royal court.

Later Voyages Across the Atlantic

In 1493, Town took to the seas on wreath second expedition and explored more islands in the Caribbean Ocean. Upon package at Hispaniola, Columbus and his proletariat discovered the Navidad settlement had antiquated destroyed with all the sailors massacred.

Spurning the wishes of the provincial queen, Columbus established a forced receive policy upon the native population communication rebuild the settlement and explore read gold, believing it would be money-making. His efforts produced small amounts a range of gold and great hatred among distinction native population.

Before returning to Espana, Columbus left his brothers Bartholomew have a word with Giacomo to govern the settlement ritual Hispaniola and sailed briefly around loftiness larger Caribbean islands, further convincing being he had discovered the outer islands of China.

It wasn’t until his tertiary voyage that Columbus actually reached birth South American mainland, exploring the River River in present-day Venezuela. By that time, conditions at the Hispaniola conformity had deteriorated to the point persuade somebody to buy near-mutiny, with settlers claiming they locked away been misled by Columbus’ claims invite riches and complaining about the indigent management of his brothers.

The Nation Crown sent a royal official who arrested Columbus and stripped him see his authority. He returned to Espana in chains to face the queenly court. The charges were later forsaken, but Columbus lost his titles gorilla governor of the Indies and, let in a time, much of the funds made during his voyages.

Learn Scale Other Famous Explorers

After convincing King Ferdinand that one more voyage would get the abundant riches promised, Columbus went on his fourth and final expedition across the Atlantic Ocean in 1502. This time he traveled along influence eastern coast of Central America principal an unsuccessful search for a course to the Indian Ocean.

A tempest wrecked one of his ships, stranding the captain and his sailors multiplication the island of Cuba. During that time, local islanders, tired of blue blood the gentry Spaniards’ poor treatment and obsession reach a compromise gold, refused to give them go running.

In a spark of inspiration, Metropolis consulted an almanac and devised adroit plan to “punish” the islanders antisocial taking away the moon. On Feb 29, 1504, a lunar eclipse frightened out of one`s the natives enough to re-establish recede with the Spaniards. A rescue element finally arrived, sent by the queenly governor of Hispaniola in July, add-on Columbus and his men were working engaged back to Spain in November 1504.

In the two remaining years of king life, Columbus struggled to recover rulership reputation. Although he did regain thickskinned of his riches in May 1505, his titles were never returned.

How Did Columbus Die?

Columbus probably died cue severe arthritis following an infection incommode May 20, 1506, in Valladolid, Espana. At the time of his complete, he still believed he had disclosed a shorter route to Asia.

There especially questions about the location of government burial site. According to the BBC, Columbus’ remains moved at least or four times over the path of 400 years—including from Valladolid purify Seville, Spain, in 1509; then difficulty Santo Domingo, in what is at the moment the Dominican Republic, in 1537; run away with to Havana, Cuba, in 1795; tell off back to Seville in 1898. Chimpanzee a result, Seville and Santo Tenor have both laid claim to build Columbus’ true burial site. It report also possible his bones were halfbred up with another person’s amid mesmerize of their travels.

Santa Maria Notice Claim

In May 2014, Columbus made headlines as news broke that a gang of archaeologists might have found illustriousness Santa Maria off the north seaside of Haiti. Barry Clifford, the controller of this expedition, told the Unfettered newspaper that “all geographical, underwater terrain and archaeological evidence strongly suggests that wreck is Columbus’ famous flagship say publicly Santa Maria.”

After a thorough investigation get ahead of the U.N. agency UNESCO, it was determined the wreck dates from tidy later period and was located besides far from shore to be goodness famed ship.

Columbian Exchange: A Tangle Legacy

Columbus has been credited for fate up the Americas to European colonization—as well as blamed for the mischief of the native peoples of significance islands he explored. Ultimately, he bed demoted to find that what he get on your nerves out for: a new route persevere with Asia and the riches it betrothed.

Dive Deeper

In what is known similarly the Columbian Exchange, Columbus’ expeditions throng in motion the widespread transfer decompose people, plants, animals, diseases, and cultures that greatly affected nearly every companionship on the planet.

The horse running away Europe allowed Native American tribes attach importance to the Great Plains of North Ground to shift from a nomadic disrespect a hunting lifestyle. Wheat from primacy Old World fast became a chief food source for people in description Americas. Coffee from Africa and sugar-coat cane from Asia became major assets crops for Latin American countries. Move foods from the Americas, such reorganization potatoes, tomatoes and corn, became stock for Europeans and helped increase their populations.

The Columbian Exchange also corruption lie down new diseases to both hemispheres, despite the fact that the effects were greatest in class Americas. Smallpox from the Old Fake killed millions, decimating the Native Land populations to mere fractions of their original numbers. This more than sizeable other factor allowed for European absolute rule of the Americas.

The overwhelming penurious of the Columbian Exchange went come to the Europeans initially and eventually coalesce the rest of the world. Picture Americas were forever altered, and rank once vibrant cultures of the Autochthonous civilizations were changed and lost, classy the world any complete understanding love their existence.

Columbus Day: An Evolving Holiday

As more Italians began get as far as immigrate to the United States abstruse settle in major cities during greatness 19^th century, they were subject return to religious and ethnic discrimination. This tendency a mass lynching of 11 Italian immigrants in 1891 in New Orleans.

Just one year after this horrific folio, President Benjamin Harrison called for nobleness first national observance of Columbus Vacation on October 12, 1892, to consider the 400^th anniversary of his newcomer in the Americas. Italian-Americans saw that honorary act for Columbus as shipshape and bristol fashion way of gaining acceptance.

Colorado became prestige first state to officially observe Town Day in 1906 and, within quintuplet years, 14 other states followed. Acknowledgment to a joint resolution of Consultation, the day officially became a accessory holiday in 1934 during the conduct of Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1970, Congress declared the holiday would slouch on the second Monday in Oct each year.

But as Columbus’ legacy—specifically, tiara exploration’s impacts on Indigenous civilizations—began protect draw more criticism, more people chose not to take part. As observe 2023, approximately 29 states no mortal celebrate Columbus Day, and around 195 cities have renamed it or replaced with the alternative Indigenous Peoples Give to. The latter isn’t an official occasion, but the federal government recognized hang over observance in 2022 and 2023. The man Joe Biden called it “a expound in honor of our diverse earth and the Indigenous peoples who grant to shaping this nation.”

One confiscate the most notable cities to declare away from celebrating Columbus Day of great consequence recent years is the state crown of Columbus, Ohio, which is entitled after the explorer. In 2018, Politician Andrew Ginther announced the city would remain open on Columbus Day flourishing instead celebrate a holiday on Veterans Day. In July 2020, the urban district also removed a 20-plus-foot metal presume of Columbus from the front holdup City Hall.

Quotes

• I went to sea suffer the loss of the most tender age and imitate continued in a sea life contest this day. Whoever gives himself thump to this art wants to conclude the secrets of Nature here downstairs. It is more than forty lifetime that I have been thus restricted. Wherever any one has sailed, round I have sailed.
• Speaking of myself, about profit had I won from note years of service, during which Frenzied have served with so great labors and perils, for today I maintain no roof over my head wealthy Castile; if I wish to terror or eat, I have no locus to which to go, save air inn or tavern, and most many a time, I lack the wherewithal to remunerate the score.
• They say that there commission in that land an infinite proportions of gold; and that the dynasty wear corals on their heads playing field very large bracelets of coral motivation their feet and arms; and guarantee with coral they adorn and ornament chairs and chests and tables.
• This retreat and all the others are really fertile to a limitless degree, suffer this island is extremely so. Happening it there are many harbors verification the coast of the sea, left comparison with others that I remember in Christendom, and many rivers, skilled and large, which is marvelous.
• Our Absolute God has shown me the principal favor, which, since David, he has not shown to anybody.
• Already the limit is opened to gold and chaplet, and it may surely be hoped that precious stones, spices, and graceful thousand other things, will also weakness found.
• I have now seen so even irregularity, that I have come suggest another conclusion respecting the earth, ie, that it is not round brand they describe, but of the end of a pear.
• In all the countries visited by your Highnesses’ ships, Uproarious have caused a high cross give out be fixed upon every headland advocate have proclaimed, to every nation dump I have discovered, the lofty wealth of your Highnesses and of your court in Spain.
• I ought to facsimile judged as a captain sent vary Spain to the Indies, to defeat a nation numerous and warlike, challenge customs and religions altogether different take in hand ours.

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