A number of modern researchers have drawn attention to the unique details of the journey of Columbus
In August 1492, Christopher Columbus went to look for new way to India. As you know, the navigator could not reach the Indian shores, but fate rewarded him with the discovery of a whole continent.
Mountains of literature have been written about the great Columbus, films have been made, a country is named after him, but there is at least one mystery in his journey that still baffles researchers.
Before embarking on his famous voyage, which ended with the discovery of America, Columbus showed some geographic Maps potential travel sponsors. There is evidence of this, for example, the memoirs of his son.
But there is also objective evidence that Columbus had such maps, and they were radically different from the widely known and very inaccurate maps of the Middle Ages.
The fact is that crossing the ocean on a sailboat is not an easy task: you need to take into account the prevailing winds and currents. So, Columbus somehow knew in advance the route that is optimal. He descended first to the Canary Islands, and then entered the line of trade winds, which drove his ships across the ocean.
On ordinary medieval maps, India is directly opposite Spain, but for some reason Columbus did not sail directly to India. Accident? Unlikely.
Further, having stumbled upon the islands of the Caribbean Sea, he again did not do as he was prescribed. regular cards, Columbus swam down. Moreover, he distributed sealed packages to his captains in case a storm scattered ships into different sides. It said that one should not turn back, but should follow the line of the trade winds for a distance of 700 leagues. Then the reefs will begin, and therefore it is already forbidden to swim at night. Amazingly, it was there that Cuba was located with other Caribbean islands.
It is known that on the ships of Columbus there was almost a riot. The sailors were frightened that the trade winds were blowing westward all the time, and they did not understand how they could turn back. But Columbus somehow knew the return route. He showed some documents that reassured everyone. The map did not fail again, and Columbus, breaking through the winds, reached the Gulf Stream, which helped him return to Europe. Such repeated "luck" does not happen.
A number of modern researchers have drawn attention to the unique details of the voyage of Columbus, and they agree that the famous navigator must have had some documents containing a more accurate geographical information than well-known medieval maps.
Where could Columbus get his secret maps? Apparently, from ancient sources, but where did the ancient authors get them from? Plato directly writes that he received information from the Egyptian priests. So, Plato speaks of a certain continent that lies to the west of Atlantis.
Interestingly, there are endless conversations about Atlantis, and the fact that Plato pointed to another continent is usually forgotten. This continent is America. It is known that many great Greeks went to study in Egypt. It is believed that Democritus, who put forward the idea of the atom 2,000 years before it was recognized in the 19th century, also visited there. How did he know this? Democritus himself made no secret of the fact that this theory came from Indian sources.
Geographic mysteries are not limited to the maps of Columbus. Everyone knows the famous map of the 16th century by the Ottoman admiral Piri Reis, which depicts Antarctica. Less well known is that the American explorer Hapgood studied and systematized many anomalous maps, and one of them showed Antarctica completely without ice. Moreover, this map of 1559 is very accurate.
There are unusual maps related to our country. For example, long before the travels of Dezhnev and Bering, Europeans knew that Asia and North America separated by a strait. This strait, called Anian in Europe, is now called the Bering Strait.
Willy-nilly, you begin to think that once upon a time there were highly developed civilizations that created these unusual maps, and medieval cartographers redrawn from old sources. The same Piri-Reis wrote that for his map he used sources from the time of Alexander the Great ... Where from? How could people know this?!
On September 6, 1492, the ships sailed west from the Canary Islands. On October 12 they reached an island of untouched beauty. Columbus hoisted the royal flag and announced that the island now belonged to Ferdinand and Isabella. The island was named San Salvador. The natives living on the island, Columbus called the Indians (Indians). The expedition traveled to Spain for three months.
Columbus believed he was sailing near Japan. He was the first European explorer who saw Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Panama. The discovery of America by Columbus is like opening a door between Europe and the western half of the globe.
Expedition route map
On the morning of August 3, 1492, two 15-meter Spanish ships set off on an expedition that changed the course of human history. This expedition was led by a 41-year-old sailor from Genoa - Christopher Columbus. The flight was delayed as the approval and funding of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella had to be obtained. Christopher Columbus wanted to find a western route to India and Japan.
It was beneficial for King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to open this path. In 1488, the Portuguese sailor Bartolomeo Dias traveled around the Cape of Good Hope and opened the way to India. This was a threat to the Spaniards.
On September 6, 1492, the ships sailed west from the Canary Islands. On October 12 they reached an island of untouched beauty. Columbus hoisted the royal flag and announced that the island now belonged to Ferdinand and Isabella. The island was named San Salvador. The natives living on the island, Columbus called the Indians (Indians). The expedition traveled to Spain for three months.
What happened during the subsequent travels of Columbus
Although Columbus returned without gold and spices, he was treated kindly: he was granted the titles of admiral and viceroy of India and immediately began to prepare for the next expedition. The Spaniards, seeking to get ahead of Portugal, turned to the pope with a request to grant them the exclusive right to own open lands.
As a result, in 1494, an agreement was signed in the city of Tordesillas, according to which the world was actually divided between two countries: Spain received all the lands west of the North-South demarcation line, at a distance of 2000 kilometers west of the Azores, and Portugal - all territories east of this line .
Thus, Brazil, which was discovered by accident in 1500, also went to Portugal. Columbus set off on his next campaign on seventeen ships with a crew of one and a half thousand. They failed to meet with the colonists of Navidad - by this time they had already been driven out of Hispaniola by the natives and almost all were killed.
Despite this, Columbus decided to establish a new colony here - Isabella, just a few kilometers from the first. He also discovered other islands, but there were still no treasures there. He first set foot on the South American mainland only during the third expedition, reaching the mouth of the Orinoco River. From here he sailed again to Hispaniola, where at that time his brother Bartolomeo was hard at work on the fortification of Isabella and the new city of Santo Domingo. Here, difficulties arose with the colonists, among whom there were many criminals who were released early from prisons.
Columbus tried to establish strict discipline, but he did not succeed. Rumors of his failures reached Spain, and the king sent a governor here with orders to put Columbus in chains and bring him back to Spain. However, the Spanish crown gave him one more, last opportunity - to make a fourth expedition, but on the condition that he did not approach Hispaniola. Columbus dreamed this time to go between the islands and finally fulfill his promise - to reach rich India.
Christopher Columbus had an unshakable conviction that it was possible to sail to East Asia and India by heading west from Europe. It was based not on the dark, semi-fabulous news about the discovery of Vinland by the Normans, but on the considerations of the brilliant mind of Columbus. The warm sea current from the Gulf of Mexico to the western coast of Europe gave evidence that a large land existed in the west. The Portuguese helmsman (skipper) Vincente caught in the sea at the height of the Azores a block of wood on which figures were carved. The carving was skillful, but it was clear that it was made not with iron, but with some other chisel. Same piece carved wood saw Christopher Columbus at Pedro Carrei, his relative by wife, who was the ruler of the island of Porto Santo. The King of Portugal, John II, showed Columbus pieces of reed brought by the western sea current so thick and high that three azumbras (more than half a bucket) of water were placed in segments from one knot to another. They reminded Columbus of the words of Ptolemy about the enormous size of Indian plants. The inhabitants of the islands of Faial and Graciosa told Columbus that the sea brings to them from the west pine trees of a species that is not found in Europe and on their islands. There were several cases that the western current brought to the shores of the Azores boats with dead people of a race that was neither in Europe nor in Africa.
Portrait of Christopher Columbus. Artist S. del Piombo, 1519
Treaty of Columbus with Queen Isabella
After living for some time in Portugal, Columbus left to propose a plan for sailing to India by the western route. Castilian government. The Andalusian nobleman Luis de la Cerda, Duke of Medina Celi, became interested in Columbus's project, which promised enormous benefits to the state, and recommended him Queen Isabella. She accepted Christopher Columbus into her service, gave him a salary and submitted his project to the University of Salamanca for consideration. The commission, to which the queen entrusted the final decision of the case, consisted almost exclusively of persons of the clergy; the most influential person in it was the confessor of Isabella, Fernando Talavera. After much deliberation, she came to the conclusion that the foundations of the westward sailing project were weak and that it was unlikely to be carried out. But not everyone was of this opinion. Cardinal Mendoza, a very intelligent man, and the Dominican Diego Desa, later Archbishop of Seville and Grand Inquisitor, became patrons of Christopher Columbus; at their request, Isabella left him in her service.
In 1487 Columbus lived in Cordoba. It seems that he settled in this city, in fact, because Doña Beatriz Enriquez Avana lived there, with whom he had a connection. She had a son, Fernando, from him. The war with the Muslims of Granada absorbed all the attention of Isabella. Columbus lost hope of getting funds from the queen to sail west and decided to go to France to offer his project to the French government. He and his son Diego came to Palos to sail from there to France and stayed at the Franciscan monastery of Ravide. The monk Juan Perez Marchena, who was Isabella's confessor, who lived there at the time, spoke to the visitor. Columbus began to tell him his project; he invited the doctor Garcia Hernandez, who knew astronomy and geography, to his conversation with Columbus. The confidence with which Columbus spoke made a strong impression on Marchena and Hernandez. Marchena persuaded Columbus to postpone his departure and immediately went to Santa Fe (to the camp near Granada) to talk with Isabella about the project of Christopher Columbus. Some courtiers supported Marchena.
Isabella sent Columbus money and invited him to come to Santa Fe. He arrived shortly before the capture of Granada. Isabella listened attentively to Columbus, who eloquently outlined to her his plan to sail to East Asia Western way and explaining what glory she would gain by conquering rich pagan lands and spreading Christianity in them. Isabella promised to equip a squadron for the voyage of Columbus, she said that if there was no money for this in the treasury, depleted by military spending, then she would pawn her diamonds. But when it came to defining the terms of the contract, difficulties arose. Columbus demanded that he be given the nobility, the rank of admiral, the rank of viceroy of all the lands and islands that he discovers in his voyage, a tenth of the income that the government will receive from them, so that he owns the right to appoint to some positions there and were some trading privileges are granted, so that the power granted to him remains hereditary in his posterity. The Castilian dignitaries who negotiated with Christopher Columbus considered these demands too great, urged him to reduce them; but he remained adamant. The negotiations were interrupted, and he again got ready to go to France. The state treasurer of Castile, Luis de San Angel, ardently urged the queen to agree to Columbus' demands; some other courtiers spoke to her in the same vein, and she agreed. On April 17, 1492, an agreement was concluded in Santa Fe by the Castilian government with Christopher Columbus on the terms that he demanded. The treasury was exhausted by the war. San Angel said that he would give his money to equip three ships, and Columbus went to the Andalusian coast to prepare for his first voyage to America.
Beginning of the first voyage of Columbus
The small port city of Palos, shortly before, had incurred the wrath of the government, and for this he was obliged to maintain two ships for a year for public service. Isabella told Palos to place these ships at the disposal of Christopher Columbus; the third ship he equipped himself with money given to him by friends. In Palos, the Pinson family, which was engaged in maritime trade, enjoyed great influence. With the assistance of the Pinsons, Columbus dispelled the fear of sailors to embark on a long voyage to the west and recruited about a hundred good sailors. Three months later, the equipment of the squadron was over, and on August 3, 1492, two caravels sailed from the harbor of Palos, "Pinta" and "Nina", captained by Alonso Pinzon and his brother Vincente Yanes, and a third ship of a slightly larger size, "Santa Maria ”, captained by Christopher Columbus himself.
Replica of Columbus' Santa Maria
Sailing from Palos, Columbus constantly kept the direction to the west under the degrees of latitude of the Canary Islands. The path along these degrees was longer than along latitudes more northerly or more southerly, but it represented the benefit that the wind was constantly favourable. The squadron stopped at one of the Azores to repair the damaged Pint; it took a month. Then the first voyage of Columbus continued further west. In order not to arouse concern in the sailors, Columbus hid from them the true magnitude of the distance traveled. In the tables that he showed to his companions, he put up numbers that were smaller than the actual ones, and noted the real numbers only in his journal, which he did not show to anyone. The weather was good, the wind was fair; the air temperature was reminiscent of the fresh and warm morning hours of April days in Andalusia. The squadron sailed for 34 days, seeing nothing but the sea and the sky. The sailors began to worry. The magnetic needle changed its direction, began to deviate from the pole further to the west than in parts of the sea not far from Europe and Africa. This increased the fear of the sailors; the voyage seemed to lead them to places dominated by influences unknown to them. Columbus tried to reassure them, explaining that the change in the direction of the magnetic needle is created by a change in the position of the ships relative to the polar star.
A fair east wind carried the ships in the second half of September along a calm sea, in some places covered with green sea plants. The invariability in the direction of the wind increased the anxiety of the sailors: they began to think that there was never any other wind in those places, and that they would not be able to sail the opposite way, but these fears disappeared when strong sea currents from the southwest became noticeable: they made it possible to return to Europe. The squadron of Christopher Columbus sailed on that part of the ocean, which later became known as the Grass Sea; this continuous vegetative shell of water seemed to be a sign of the proximity of the earth. A flock of birds circling over the ships reinforced the hope that land was near. Seeing on September 25 at sunset a cloud on the edge of the horizon in a northwesterly direction, the participants in the first voyage of Columbus mistook him for an island; but the next morning it turned out that they were mistaken. There are stories from earlier historians that the sailors plotted to force Columbus to return, that they even threatened his life, that they made him promise to turn back if land did not show up in the next three days. But now it has been proven that these stories are fictions that arose several decades after the time of Christopher Columbus. The fears of the sailors, very natural, were turned into a mutiny by the imagination of the next generation. Columbus calmed his sailors with promises, threats, reminders of the power given to him by the queen, kept himself firmly and calmly; this was enough for the sailors not to disobey him. He promised a lifetime pension of 30 gold coins to the first person to see the land. Therefore, the sailors who were on Mars gave signals several times that the land was visible, and when it turned out that the signals were erroneous, the crews of the ships were overcome with despondency. To stop these disappointments, Columbus said that whoever gives the wrong signal about the land on the horizon loses the right to receive a pension, even after actually seeing the first land.
Discovery of America by Columbus
In early October, signs of the proximity of the land intensified. Flocks of small, colorful birds circled over the ships and flew southwest; plants floated on the water, obviously not marine, but terrestrial, but still retaining their freshness, showing that they had recently been washed away from the earth by waves; a plank and a carved stick were caught. The navigators took a direction somewhat to the south; the air was fragrant, like Andalusian spring. On a clear night on October 11, Columbus noticed a moving light in the distance, so he ordered the sailors to look carefully and promised, in addition to the previous reward, a silk camisole to the one who first sees the land. At 2 am on October 12, the sailor of Pinta Juan Rodriguez Vermejo, a native of the town of Molinos, neighboring Seville, saw the outline of the cape in the moonlight and with a joyful cry: “Land! Earth!" rushed to the cannon to make a signal shot. But then the award for the discovery was awarded to Columbus himself, who had seen the light earlier. At dawn, the ships sailed to the shore, and Christopher Columbus in the scarlet clothes of an admiral, with a Castilian banner in his hand, went out to the land he had discovered. It was an island that the natives called Guanagani, and Columbus named San Salvador to the glory of the Savior (later it was called Watling). The island was covered with beautiful meadows and forests, and there were inhabitants, naked, of a dark copper color; their hair was straight, not curly; their body was painted in bright colors. They met the foreigners timidly, respectfully, imagined that they were the children of the sun descended from the sky, and, understanding nothing, watched and listened to the ceremony by which Columbus took possession of the Castilian crown of their island. They gave expensive things for beads, bells, foil. Thus began the discovery of America.
AT next days voyage Christopher Columbus discovered several more small islands belonging to the Bahamas archipelago. He called one of them the island of the Immaculate Conception (Santa Maria de la Concepcion), the other Fernandina (this is the current island of Ehuma), the third Isabella; gave others new names in this genus. He believed that the archipelago discovered by him in this first voyage lies in front of the eastern coast of Asia, that from there it is not far to Jipangu (Japan) and Katai (China), described Marco Polo and drawn on the map by Paolo Toscanelli. He took several natives on his ships to learn Spanish and serve as interpreters. Traveling further southwest, Columbus discovered the large island of Cuba on October 26, and on December 6, a beautiful island that resembled Andalusia with its forests, mountains and fertile plains. For this resemblance, Columbus named it Hispaniola (or, in the Latin form of the word, Hispaniola). The natives called it Haiti. Luxurious vegetation of Cuba and Haiti approved in the Spaniards the belief that this is an archipelago neighboring India. No one then suspected the existence of the great continent of America. The participants in the first voyage of Christopher Columbus admired the charm of the meadows and forests on these islands, their excellent climate, bright feathers and the sonorous singing of birds in the forests, the aroma of herbs and flowers, which was so strong that it was felt far from the coast; admired the brightness of the stars in the tropical sky.
The vegetation of the islands was then, after the autumn rains, in the full freshness of its splendor. Columbus, endowed with a lively love of nature, describes in the ship's log of his first voyage the beauty of the islands and the sky above them with graceful simplicity. Humboldt says: “In his voyage along the coast of Cuba between the small islands of the Bahamas and the Hardinel group, Christopher Columbus admired the density of forests in which the branches of trees were intertwined so that it was difficult to make out which flowers belonged to this or that tree. He admired the luxurious meadows of the wet coast, the pink flamingos standing along the banks of the rivers; each new land seems to Columbus even more beautiful than the one described before it; he complains that he lacks words to convey the pleasure he experiences. - Peschel says: “Fascinated by his success, Columbus imagines that mastic trees grow in these forests, that the sea is replete with pearl shells, that there is a lot of gold in the sand of the rivers; he sees the fulfillment of all the tales of rich India.”
But the Spaniards did not find as much gold, expensive stones and pearls on the islands they discovered as they wished. The natives wore small jewelry made of gold, willingly exchanged them for beads and other trinkets. But this gold did not satisfy the greed of the Spaniards, but only kindled in them the hope of the proximity of lands in which there is a lot of gold; they questioned the natives who came to their ships in canoes. Columbus treated these savages kindly; they ceased to be afraid of foreigners and answered questions about gold that further south there was a land in which there was a lot of it. But in his first journey, Christopher Columbus did not reach the mainland of America; he did not sail further than Hispaniola, whose inhabitants received the Spaniards gullibly. The most important of their princelings, the cacique Guacanagari, showed Columbus sincere friendship and filial piety. Columbus considered it necessary to stop sailing and return from the coast of Cuba to Europe, because Alonso Pinzon, the head of one of the caravels, secretly sailed away from the admiral's ship. He was a proud and quick-tempered man, burdened by his submission to Christopher Columbus, he himself wanted to acquire the merit of discovering a land rich in gold, and use its treasures alone. On November 20, his caravel sailed away from the ship of Columbus and never returned. Columbus suggested that he sailed to Spain to claim the fame and reward for the discovery.
A month later (December 24), the ship "Santa Maria" fell through the negligence of a young helmsman on a sandbank and was wrecked by waves. Columbus had only one caravel left; he saw himself in the necessity of hastening his return to Spain. Cacique and all the inhabitants of Hispaniola showed the most friendly disposition towards the Spaniards, tried to do everything they could for them. But Columbus was afraid that his only ship might crash on unfamiliar shores, and did not dare to continue discoveries. He decided to leave some of his companions on Hispaniola, so that they would continue to acquire gold from the natives for trifles that the savages liked. With the help of the natives, the participants in the first voyage of Columbus built a fortification from the wreckage of a crashed ship, circled it with a moat, transferred part of the food supplies into it, and placed several cannons there; sailors vying one before another volunteered to stay in this fortification. Columbus chose 40 of them, among whom were several carpenters and other artisans, and left them in Hispaniola under the command of Diego Arana, Pedro Gutierrez and Rodrigo Escovedo. The fort was named after the Christmas holiday La Navidad.
Before Christopher Columbus sailed to Europe, Alonso Pinson returned to him. Having sailed away from Columbus, he went further along the coast of Hispaniola, went to land, received from the natives in exchange for trinkets several pieces of gold two fingers thick, went inland, heard about the island of Jamaia (Jamaica), which has a lot of gold and from which ten days you can swim to the mainland, where people who wear clothes live. Pinzón had strong kinship and powerful friends in Spain, so Columbus hid his displeasure at him, pretended to believe in the fictions that he explains his act with. Together they sailed along the coast of Hispaniola and found in the Saman Bay warlike tribe Siguayo, who entered into battle with them. This was the first hostile encounter between the Spaniards and the natives. From the shores of Hispaniola, Columbus and Pinson sailed to Europe on January 16, 1493.
Return of Columbus from the first voyage
On the way back from the first voyage, happiness was less favorable to Christopher Columbus and his companions than on the way to America. In the middle of February, they were subjected to a violent storm, which their ships, already quite badly damaged, could hardly withstand. The Pint was swept north by the storm. Columbus and other travelers who sailed on the Nina lost sight of her. Columbus felt great anxiety at the thought that the Pinta had sunk; his ship, too, could easily have perished, in which case information about his discoveries would not have reached Europe. He made a promise to God that if his ship survived, pilgrimage trips would be made to three of the most famous Spanish holy places. He and his companions cast lots to see which of them would go to these holy places. Of the three trips, two fell to the lot of Christopher Columbus himself; he took over the costs of the third. The storm was still going on, and Columbus came up with a means for the news of his discovery to reach Europe in the event of the death of the Nina. He wrote on parchment short story about his voyage and about the lands he found, folded the parchment, covered it with a wax shell to protect it from water, put the package in a barrel, made an inscription on the barrel that whoever finds it and delivers it to the Queen of Castile will receive 1000 ducats of reward, and threw it into sea.
A few days later, when the storm stopped and the sea calmed down, the sailor saw land from the main mast's top; the joy of Columbus and his companions was as great as at the discovery earlier during the voyage of the first island in the west. But no one except Columbus could figure out which coast was in front of them. Only he correctly conducted observations and calculations; all the others got mixed up in them, partly because he deliberately introduced them into errors, wanting one to have the information needed for the second voyage to America. He realized that the land in front of the ship was one of the Azores. But the waves were still so great and the wind so strong that the caravel of Christopher Columbus cruised for three days in sight of the land before it could land on Santa Maria (the very south island Azores archipelago).
The Spaniards went ashore on February 17, 1493. The Portuguese, who owned the Azores, met them unfriendly. Castanjeda, the ruler of the island, an insidious man, wanted to capture Columbus and his ship for fear that these Spaniards were rivals of the Portuguese in trade with Guinea, or at the desire to find out about the discoveries they made on the voyage, Columbus sent half of his sailors to the chapel to thank God for salvation from the storm. The Portuguese arrested them; they wanted to take possession of the ship later, but this failed because Columbus was careful. Having failed, the Portuguese ruler of the island released the arrested, excusing his hostile actions by the fact that he did not know whether the ship of Columbus was really in the service of the Queen of Castile. Columbus sailed to Spain; but near the Portuguese coast was subjected to a new storm; she was very dangerous. Columbus and his companions made a promise of a fourth pilgrimage; by lot, it fell to the lot of Columbus himself. The inhabitants of Cascaes, who saw from the shore the danger that the ship was in, went to church to pray for its salvation. Finally, on March 4, 1493, the ship of Christopher Columbus reached Cape Sintra and entered the mouth of the Tagus River. The sailors of the Belem harbor, where Columbus landed, said that his salvation was a miracle, that in the memory of people there had never been such a strong storm that it sank 25 large merchant ships sailing from Flanders.
Happiness favored Christopher Columbus on his first voyage, saving him from dangers. They threatened him in Portugal. Its king, John II, envied the amazing discovery, which overshadowed all the discoveries of the Portuguese and, as it seemed then, robbed them of the benefits of trade with India, which they wanted to achieve thanks to the discovery Vasco da Gama way around Africa. The king received Columbus in his western palace of Valparaiso, listened to his story about the discoveries. Some nobles wanted to irritate Columbus, challenge him to some insolence and, using it, kill him. But John II rejected this shameful thought, and Columbus survived. John showed respect for him and took care to ensure his safety on the way back. On March 15, Christopher Columbus sailed to Palos; the inhabitants of the city greeted him with delight. His first voyage lasted seven and a half months.
In the evening of the same day, Alonso Pinzon sailed to Palos. He went ashore in Galicia, sent a notice of his discoveries to Isabella and Ferdinand, who were then in Barcelona, and asked for an audience with them. They answered that he should come to them in the retinue of Columbus. This disfavor of the queen and king grieved him; saddened him and the coldness with which he was received in his hometown Palos. He grieved so much that he died a few weeks later. By his cunning towards Columbus, he brought contempt upon himself, so that his contemporaries did not want to appreciate the services rendered by him to the discovery of the New World. Only descendants did justice to his brave participation in the first voyage of Christopher Columbus.
Columbus reception in Spain
In Seville, Columbus received an invitation from the Queen and King of Spain to visit them in Barcelona; he went, taking with him several savages brought from the islands discovered by navigation, and products found there. The people gathered in a huge crowd to see him enter Barcelona. Queen Isabella and the King Ferdinand they received him with such honors as only the most distinguished people received. The king met Columbus in the square, seated him next to him, and then several times rode next to him on horseback around the city. The most famous Spanish nobles gave feasts in honor of Columbus and, as they say, at the feast given in his honor by Cardinal Mendoza, there was a famous anecdote with the “Columbian egg”.
Columbus before Kings Ferdinand and Isabella. Painting by E. Leutse, 1843
Columbus remained firmly convinced that the islands he discovered during his voyage lay off the eastern coast of Asia, not far from the rich lands of Jipangu and Cathay; almost everyone shared his opinion; only a few doubted its thoroughness.
Continued - see article
Surely every student can easily answer the question of what Christopher Columbus discovered. Well, of course, America! However, let's think about whether this knowledge is too scarce, because most of us do not even know where this famous discoverer comes from, what was his life path And what era did he live in?
This article is aimed at telling in detail about the discoveries of Christopher Columbus. In addition, the reader will have a unique opportunity to get acquainted with interesting data and the chronology of events that took place several centuries ago.
What did the great navigator discover?
Christopher Columbus, the traveler now known to the whole planet, was originally an ordinary Spanish navigator who worked both on the ship and in the port and, in fact, was practically no different from the same eternally busy hard workers.
It was later, in 1492, that he would become a celebrity - the man who discovered America, the first European to cross Atlantic Ocean, visiting the Caribbean.
By the way, not everyone knows that it was Christopher Columbus who laid the foundation for a detailed study of not only America itself, but also almost all the nearby archipelagos.
Although here I would like to make an amendment. The Spanish navigator was far from the only traveler who set off to conquer unknown worlds. In fact, even in the Middle Ages, there were already inquisitive Icelandic Vikings in America. But at a time of such widespread this information did not receive, therefore the whole world believes that it was the expedition of Christopher Columbus that was able to popularize information about American lands and initiate the colonization of the whole continent by Europeans.
History of Christopher Columbus. Secrets and mysteries of his biography
This man was and remains one of the most mysterious historical figures on the planet. Unfortunately, not many facts have been preserved that tell about his origin and occupation before the first expedition. In those days, Christopher Columbus, we briefly note, was practically nobody, that is, he did not differ significantly from the usual average sailor, and therefore distinguish him from total mass practically impossible.
By the way, that is why, being lost in conjectures and trying to surprise the readership, historians have written hundreds of books about him. Almost all such manuscripts are full of assumptions and unverified claims. But in fact, even the original ship's log of the first expedition of Columbus has not been preserved.
It is believed that Christopher Columbus was born in 1451 (according to another, unverified version - in 1446), between August 25 and October 31, in the Italian city of Genoa.
To date, a number of Spanish and Italian cities ascribe to themselves the honor of being called the small homeland of the discoverer. As for his social position, it is only known that the Columbus family was not at all of noble origin, none of his ancestors was a navigator.
Modern researchers believe that Columbus Sr. earned a living by hard work and was either a weaver or a wool comber. Although there is also a version that the navigator's father served as a senior guard at the city gates.
Of course, the journey of Christopher Columbus did not begin immediately. Probably, from early childhood, the boy began to earn extra money, helping the elders to support the family. Perhaps he was a cabin boy on ships and that is why he fell in love with the sea so much. Unfortunately, more detailed records of how the childhood and youth of this famous person, has not been preserved.
As for education, there is a version that H. Columbus studied at the University of Pavia, but there is no documentary evidence of this fact. Therefore, it is quite possible that he was educated at home as well. Be that as it may, this man had excellent knowledge in the field of navigation, which provides for far from superficial knowledge in mathematics, geometry, cosmography and geography.
It is also known that at an older age, Christopher Columbus worked as a cartographer, and then moved to serve in a local printing house. He spoke not only his native Portuguese, but also Italian and Spanish. A good command of Latin helped him in deciphering maps and annals. There is evidence that the navigator could write a little in Hebrew.
It is also known that Columbus was a prominent man who was constantly looked at by ladies. So, serving in Portugal in some Genoese trading house, the future discoverer of America met his future wife, Doña Felipe Moniz de Palestrello. They got married in 1478. Soon the couple had a son, Diego. The wife's family was also not rich, but it was the wife's noble origin that allowed Christopher to establish contacts, establish useful contacts in the circles of the nobility of Portugal
As for the nationality of the traveler, there are even more mysteries. Some researchers prove the Jewish origin of Columbus, but there are also versions of Spanish, German and Portuguese roots.
The official religion of Christopher was Catholic. Why can you say that? The fact is that, according to the rules of that era, otherwise he would simply not have been allowed into the same Spain. Although, it is quite possible that he hid his true religion.
Apparently, many mysteries of the navigator's biography will remain unsolved for all of us.
Pre-Columbian America or what the discoverer saw when he arrived on the mainland
America, until its discovery, was a land where certain groups of people lived, who for centuries remained in some kind of natural isolation. All of them, by the will of fate, were cut off from the rest of the planet. However, despite all this, they were able to create a high culture, demonstrating unlimited possibilities and skill.
The uniqueness of these civilizations lies in the fact that they are considered natural and ecological in nature, and not man-made, like ours. The local natives, the Indians, did not seek to transform environment On the contrary, their settlements blended harmoniously with nature as much as possible.
Experts say that all civilizations that arose in North Africa, Asia, Europe, developed approximately the same. In pre-Columbian America, this development took a different path, so, for example, the contrast between the population of the city and the countryside was minimal. The cities of the ancient Indians also contained extensive agricultural lands. The only significant difference between the city and the countryside was the area occupied by the territory.
At the same time, the civilizations of pre-Columbian America did not make much progress in what Europe and Asia could rise on. For example, the Indians were not very eager to improve metal processing technologies. If in the Old World bronze was considered the main metal and new lands were conquered for it, then in pre-Columbian America this material was used exclusively as decoration.
But the civilizations of the New World are interesting for their unique structures, sculptures and paintings, which were characterized by a completely different style.
The beginning of the way
In 1485, after the categorical refusal of the King of Portugal to invest in a project to find the shortest sea route to India, Columbus moved to permanent place residence in Castile. There, with the help of Andalusian merchants and bankers, he nevertheless managed to achieve the organization of a government sea expedition.
For the first time, the ship of Christopher Columbus went on a year-long voyage in 1492. 90 people took part in the expedition.
By the way, contrary to a fairly common misconception, there were three ships, and they were called "Santa Maria", "Pinta" and "Nina".
The expedition left Palos at the very beginning of the sultry August 1492. From the Canary Islands, the flotilla headed west, where it crossed without any problems Atlantic Ocean.
Along the way, the navigator's team discovered Sargasso Sea and successfully reached the Bahamas, where she landed on October 12, 1492. Since then, this very date has become the official day of the discovery of America.
In 1986, the US geographer J. Judge carefully processed all the available materials about this expedition on a computer and came to the conclusion that the first land that Christopher saw was Fr. Samana. From about October 14, for ten days, the expedition approached several more Bahamas, and by December 5, opened part of the coast of Cuba. On December 6, the team reached Fr. Haiti.
Then the ships moved along the northern coast, and then luck changed the pioneers. On the night of December 25, the Santa Maria suddenly landed on a reef. True, this time the crew was lucky - all the sailors survived.
Second Voyage of Columbus
The second expedition took place in 1493-1496, it was led by Columbus already in the official position of Viceroy of the lands he discovered.
It is worth noting that the team has increased significantly - the expedition already consisted of 17 ships. According to various sources, 1.5-2.5 thousand people participated in the expedition.
At the beginning of November 1493, the islands of Dominica, Guadeloupe and twenty Small Antilles, and November 19 - Fr. Puerto Rico. In March 1494, Columbus, in search of gold, decided to make a military campaign on about. Haiti, then in the summer opened about. Khuventud and about. Jamaica.
For 40 days, the famous navigator carefully explored the south of Haiti, but in the spring of 1496 he nevertheless sailed home, completing his second voyage on June 11 in Castile.
By the way, it was then that H. Columbus informed the public about the discovery of a new route to Asia.
Third expedition
The third trip took place in 1498-1500 and was not as numerous as the previous one. Only 6 ships participated in it, and the navigator himself led three of them across the Atlantic.
On July 31, in the first year of the trip, Fr. Trinidad, the ships entered the Gulf of Paria, as a result, the peninsula of the same name was discovered. This is how South America was discovered.
On August 31, Columbus landed in the Caribbean Sea in Haiti. Already in 1499, the monopoly right of Christopher Columbus to new lands was canceled, the royal couple sent their representative F. Bobadilla to the destination, who in 1500 arrested Columbus along with his brothers on a denunciation.
The navigator, shackled, was sent to Castile, where local financiers persuaded the royal family to release him.
Fourth voyage to American shores
What continued to excite such a restless person as Columbus? Christopher, for whom America was already a practically passed stage, wanted to find a new way from there to South Asia. The traveler believed that such a route existed, for he observed off the coast of about. Cuba is a strong current that went west through the Caribbean Sea. As a result, he was able to convince the king to give permission for a new expedition.
On his fourth trip, Columbus went along with his brother Bartolomeo and his 13-year-old son Hernando. He was lucky to discover the mainland south of about. Cuba is the coast of Central America. And Columbus was the first to inform Spain about the Indian peoples inhabiting the coast of the South Sea.
But, unfortunately, he never found the strait into the South Sea. I had to return home with almost nothing.
Unexplained facts, the study of which continues
The distance from Palos to the Canaries is 1600 km, the ships participating in the Columbus expedition covered this distance in 6 days, that is, they covered 250-270 km per day. The way to the Canary Islands was well known, it did not present any difficulties. But it was on this site that on August 6 (possibly 7) a strange breakdown occurred on the Pinta ship. According to some reports, the steering wheel broke, according to others, there was a leak. This circumstance aroused suspicion, because then the Pint crossed the Atlantic twice. Prior to that, she quite successfully covered about 13 thousand km, visited terrible storms and arrived in Palos without damage. Therefore, there is a version that the crew members arranged the accident at the request of the co-owner of the ship K. Quintero. It is possible that the sailors received part of the salary in their hands and spent it. They didn’t see any more sense in risking their lives, and the owner himself had already received a lot of money for renting the Pint. So it was logical to simulate a breakdown and stay safe in the Canary Islands. It seems that the captain of the "Pinta" Martin Pinzon nevertheless saw through the conspirators and stopped them.
Already on the second trip of Columbus, intentional colonists set sail with him, loaded cattle, equipment, seeds, etc. on ships. The colonists founded their city somewhere in the vicinity of the modern city of Santo Domingo. The same expedition discovered Fr. Lesser Antilles, Virginia, Puerto Rico, Jamaica. But Christopher Columbus to the last remained of the opinion that he had discovered western India, and not a new land.
Interesting data from the life of the discoverer
Of course, there is a lot of unique and very informative information. But in this article we would like to give as an example the most entertaining facts.
- When Christopher lived in Seville, he was friends with the brilliant Amerigo Vespucci.
- King Juan II at first refused Columbus to organize an expedition, but then sent his sailors to sail along the route proposed by Christopher. True, due to a strong storm, the Portuguese had to return home with nothing.
- After Columbus was shackled during his third expedition, he decided to keep the chains as a talisman for the rest of his life.
- By order of Christopher Columbus, for the first time in the history of navigation, Indian hammocks were used as sailor berths.
- It was Columbus who proposed to the Spanish king to populate new lands with criminals to save money.
The historical significance of the expeditions
Everything that Christopher Columbus discovered was appreciated only half a century later. Why so late? The thing is that only after this period from the colonized Mexico and Peru began to be delivered to old light whole galleons filled with gold and silver.
The Spanish royal treasury spent only 10 kg of gold on the preparation of the expedition, and over three hundred years Spain managed to export precious metals from America, the value of which was at least 3 million kg of pure gold.
Alas, crazy gold did not benefit Spain, it did not stimulate the development of industry or the economy. And as a result, the country still hopelessly lagged behind many European states.
To date, not only numerous ships and vessels, cities, rivers and mountains are named after Christopher Columbus, but also, for example, currency unit El Salvador, Colombia, located in South America, as well as a well-known state in the USA.
