1492 Christopher Columbus discovers America. Start: university company. Italian in the service of the Spanish crown

The origin of Columbus and his dream to open a western route to India

Christopher Columbus (in Spanish - Cristobal Colon), born in 1446 in Genoa, was originally engaged in the weaving craft of his father and undertook trade sea ​​travel, traveled to England, to Portugal, in 1482 he was in Guinea.

In the same year, Columbus married the daughter of a noble Italian sailor in Lisbon and then went with his wife to the estate of his father-in-law, on the island of Porto Santo, which lies northeast of Madeira. Here he found nautical charts, which belonged to his father-in-law, from which he drew the first information about the islands and lands lying to the west of Europe. From time to time, the sea washed up on the shores of Porto Santo, either the trunks of a strange tree species, or a mighty reed, or the corpse of an unfamiliar human race. Unaware of the existence of a vast continent unknown to Europeans, Columbus saw in these signs confirmation of the testimony of ancient writers - Aristotle, Seneca and Pliny - that India lies on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean and that from Cadiz you can travel there in a few days.

Portrait of Christopher Columbus. Artist S. del Piombo, 1519

Thus, Christopher Columbus had a plan to open the shortest and most direct route to India without going around Africa. With his project, he turned (in 1483) to the Portuguese king John, but appointed by the king, a commission of scientists recognized the thought of Columbus as a fantasy without foundation. Failure did not disarm Columbus, and after the death of his wife, he went to Spain to get the necessary funds there to implement his idea. In Spain, Columbus was not refused, but the equipment of the expedition was constantly delayed. After staying in Spain for about 7 years, Columbus had already decided to look for patrons in France, but on the way he met in a monastery with the confessor of Queen Isabella. He was very sympathetic to the bold thought of Columbus and convinced the queen to put three ships at his disposal. On April 17, 1492, an agreement was signed between Christopher Columbus and the crown, by virtue of which he was granted broad powers and viceroy rights in the lands that he would discover on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

Discovery of America by Columbus (briefly)

May 28, 1492 three ships, "Santa Maria", "Pinta" and "Nina", with 120 crew members, left the harbor of Palos and headed for the Canary Islands, from there they sailed in a direct westerly direction. A long journey began to instill in the sailors distrust of the feasibility of Columbus's idea. However, the surviving diary of Columbus does not mention anything about the mutiny of the crew, and the story of this, apparently, belongs to the realm of fiction. On October 7, the first signs of the proximity of the land appeared, and the ships took to the south-west towards land. On October 12, 1492, Columbus landed on the island of Gwanagani, solemnly declared it, under the name of San Salvador, the possession of the Spanish crown and proclaimed himself its viceroy. Further voyage in search of the gold-bearing lands, which were reported by the natives of San Salvador, led to the discovery of Cuba and Haiti.

On January 4, 1493, Christopher Columbus undertook a return journey to Spain to personally report on the success of the enterprise. March 15, he arrived in Palos. The journey from Palos to the royal residence, Barcelona, ​​was a real triumphal procession, and Columbus received the same brilliant reception at court.

Columbus before Kings Ferdinand and Isabella. Painting by E. Leutse, 1843

New expeditions of Columbus (briefly)

The government hastened to equip with Columbus new expedition, consisting of 17 big ships with a detachment of 1200 warriors and horsemen and numerous colonists attracted by the general rumors about the fabulous wealth of new countries. September 25, 1493 Columbus went to sea, after 20 days of sailing he reached the island of Dominica, on further way discovered the islands of Marie Galante, Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico and others. Having laid a new fort in Haiti in place of the fortress he had previously built, destroyed in his absence by the natives, he headed further west to reach India, which he considered very close. Having met a dense archipelago on the way, Columbus decided that he was near China, since Marco Polo says that a group of thousands of islands lies to the east of China; then he postponed for a while further searches for a way to India, in order to arrange more firmly government in open lands.

Meanwhile, the unhealthy climate of some inhabited islands, which caused great mortality, the natural failures of the first settlers who followed Columbus with the most ardent dreams, finally, the envy of many high position, occupied by a foreigner, and the harsh disposition of Columbus, who demanded strict discipline, created many enemies for Christopher Columbus in the colony and in Spain itself. Discontent in Spain took such proportions that Columbus found it necessary to go to Europe for personal explanations. He again met with a warm welcome at the court, but among the population, faith in the wealth and convenience of the new lands was undermined, no one else rushed there and, equipping a new expedition (May 30, 1498), Columbus had to take exiled criminals with him instead of voluntary colonists . During the third trip, Columbus discovered the islands of Margarita and Cubagua.

After the departure of Columbus from Spain, the party hostile to him managed to gain the upper hand at court, she managed to denigrate the brilliant traveler even in the eyes of Isabella, who more than others sympathized with the great enterprise. Columbus's personal enemy, Francis Bobadilla, was sent to revise affairs in the new lands. Arriving in August 1499 in New World, he arrested Columbus and his brothers, Eigo and Bartholomew, ordering them to be put in chains, and the man who prepared her subsequent power, who had rendered invaluable merit to the entire Old World, returned to Spain in chains. Ferdinand and Isabella, however, could not allow such a shame, and when Columbus drove up to Spain, they ordered the chains to be removed from him; however, Columbus was denied a request for the return of all his rights and privileges.

In 1502, Christopher Columbus undertook his fourth and last journey across the ocean and, having reached the Isthmus of Panama, had to give up the desire to penetrate into Indian Ocean, with which, as he thought, the Caribbean Sea connects.

Death of Columbus

November 26, 1504 Columbus arrived in Spain and settled in Seville. All requests for his return lost rights and incomes in the countries he discovered remained unsatisfied. With the accession to the throne of the new King Philip, the position of Columbus did not change, and on May 21, 1506, he died in Valladolid, not seeing the fulfillment of his desires and at the same time not realizing the true significance of his discoveries. He died believing that he had discovered new way to India, and not a new, hitherto unfamiliar part of the world.

After the death of Christopher Columbus was buried in the Franciscan monastery in the city of Valladolid. In 1513, his body was transferred to Seville, and between 1540-59, according to the dying wish of Columbus himself, his remains were transferred to the island of Haiti. In 1795, with the accession of Haiti to the French crown, the body of Columbus was transferred to Havana and buried in the Havana Cathedral. Statues have been erected to him in Genoa and Mexico. Columbus left a diary of his first journey, published by Navarrete.

Biography and episodes of life Christopher Columbus. When born and died Christopher Columbus, memorable places and dates of important events in his life. sailor quotes, images and videos.

Life of Christopher Columbus:

born September-October 1451, died May 20, 1506

Epitaph

"With mighty faith in his eyes
He's motionless at the helm
And rules in the perilous expanse
Submissive course of the ship.

The crowd - embraced by madness -
Returns a bold boat,
With a threat demands a return
And send curses to the leader.

And he does not hear the evil scolding
And, with inspiration,
Floating in the endless ocean
Still unknown way.
Valery Bryusov, poem "Columbus"

Biography

Navigator Christopher Columbus will forever be remembered by mankind as the discoverer of America. Perhaps this is not entirely fair: in fact, even before Columbus in the territory North America Vikings arrived from Europe. But what is beyond doubt is the four expeditions of Columbus, in which he became the first European in the Caribbean, the first to cross the Atlantic through the tropics, initiating the study of Central and South America.

We know little about early years traveler's life. It is believed that he was born in Genoa, but to this day several Spanish and Italian cities dispute with each other the honor of being considered the place where he grew up. Columbus studied at the University of Pavia, then began to participate in trading sea expeditions. The future discoverer had a bold idea to get to Asia by sea not along the traditional route, bypassing Africa, but moving towards opposite side, to the west. In those days, no one imagined the true size of the oceans, and Columbus was sure that it was not so far from the Canary Islands to Japan.

In search of financing for his enterprise, Columbus turned first to wealthy Genoese merchants, and then to the king of Portugal, but to no avail. Only more than a dozen years later, after moving to Spain, Columbus was able to arouse interest in his venture. The decisive word was left to Queen Isabella of Castile, a devout Catholic, who was fascinated by the idea of ​​capturing the Holy Sepulcher during the voyage.

Christopher Columbus continued to be mistaken about the true location of the lands he discovered, but in 1498 Vasco da Gama discovered sea ​​route to India and proved that the Columbus lands are not her. Columbus appeared before the rulers of Spain as a liar. The colonies brought little income, countless treasures were not found there, and the locals constantly rebelled. Columbus was deprived of all the privileges promised to him and the right to rule the colonies. IN tropical climate Columbus's health by that time was severely undermined by illness, and he returned to Spain, where he lived last years in poverty.

The death of Columbus in Valladolid went almost unnoticed. It took another half a century before Spain appreciated his merit, capturing the vast territories of South America, rich in silver and gold.

Portrait of Columbus by an unknown artist (presumably Ridolfo Ghirlandaio)

life line

1451 Date of birth of Christopher Columbus.
1472 Transfer to Savona from Genoa.
1476 Moving to Portugal.
1477 Trip to England and Iceland.
1481 Participation in an expedition to Guinea.
1485 Moving with my son to Spain.
1492 Columbus granted nobility.
1492-1493 First expedition to America.
1493-1496 Second expedition to America.
1498-1500 Third expedition to America.
1502-1504 Fourth expedition to America.
20 May 1506 Date of death of Christopher Columbus.

Memorable places

1. Genoa (Spain), hometown Christopher Columbus.

2. The island of San Salvador in the Bahamas, the first to which the ships of the first expedition of Columbus landed in the New World.

3. Columbus monument in Barcelona in the place where the first expedition of Columbus returned.

4. Cathedral in Seville (Spain), where one of the hypothetical graves of Columbus is located.

5. Lighthouse of Columbus in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic), where the remains of the navigator are supposedly buried.

Episodes of life

The expedition of Columbus reached the island of San Salvador (Bahamas) on October 12, 1492. And today this day is considered the official date of the discovery of America. Yet until death, even after four expeditions Columbus was sure that he discovered exactly Asia.

Columbus was originally buried in Seville, but 34 years later, in fulfillment of his will, the remains were transported to the current island of Haiti, in Santo Domingo. After the passage of Haiti into the hands of the French, the ashes of Columbus were transported to Cuba, to the Cathedral of Havana. At the end of the 19th century, after the Spaniards left Cuba, the remains of Columbus were returned to Santo Domingo, and from there to Seville. But after that, the cathedral in Santo Domingo began to be restored and a box with bones was found, on which the name of Columbus was indicated, and a dispute broke out between the two cities. Having exhumed already in the 21st century, scientists are inclined to conclude that the ashes in Seville cannot belong to Columbus, but this does not prove the authenticity of the remains in Santo Domingo. There is also a possibility that the remains of the great navigator have been lost altogether.

Tomb of Christopher Columbus inside Columbus Lighthouse in Santo Domingo

Testaments

"You will never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore."

"He who lives in illusion dies of disappointment."

"Small world".

« Christopher Columbus”, a documentary plot of the Encyclopedia project

condolences

“A rare honor - his very name has become synonymous with the word
"discoverer". Columbus! Holding many titles during his lifetime, he appreciated
most of all, one is the Admiral of the Sea-Ocean. Of course, the value of discovery
America is hard to overestimate. But another thing is no less important - he defeated the age-old
the attraction of the shore, he paved the way for humanity into the Unknown Ocean.
Yu. V. Senkevich, A. V. Shumilov, from the book “The horizon called them”

Columbus discovered America

The year this Spanish navigator discovered new land, in history it is indicated as the 1492nd. And by the beginning of the eighteenth century, all other regions of North America were already discovered and explored, for example, Alaska and the regions Pacific coast. It must be said that travelers from Russia also made an important contribution to the study of the mainland.

Development

The history of the discovery of North America is quite interesting: it can even be called accidental. At the end of the fifteenth century, a Spanish navigator with his expedition reached the shores of North America. However, he mistakenly believed that he was in India. From this moment, the countdown of that era begins, when America was discovered and its development and exploration began. But some researchers consider this date to be inaccurate, arguing that the discovery of a new continent happened much earlier.

The year of discovery of America by Columbus - 1492 - is not an exact date. It turns out that the Spanish navigator had predecessors, and moreover, not one. In the middle of the tenth century, the Normans got here after they discovered Greenland. True, they failed to colonize these new lands, since they were repelled by tough weather north of this continent. In addition, the Normans were also frightened by the remoteness of the new mainland from Europe.

According to other sources, this continent was discovered by ancient navigators - the Phoenicians. Some sources call the middle of the first millennium of our era the time when America was discovered, and the Chinese are the pioneers. However, this version also does not have clear evidence.

The most reliable information is considered to be the time when the Vikings discovered America. At the end of the tenth century, the Normans Bjarni Herjulfson and Leif Ericsson found Helluland - "stone", Markland - "forest" and Vinland - "vineyard" land, which contemporaries identify with the Labrador Peninsula.

There is evidence that even before Columbus in the fifteenth century, the northern continent was reached by fishermen from Bristol and Biscay, who called it the island of Brazil. However, the time periods of these expeditions cannot be called that milestone in history when they discovered America for real, that is, identified it as a new continent.

Columbus is a real pioneer

And yet, when answering the question in what year America was discovered, experts most often name the fifteenth century, or rather its end. And Columbus is considered the first to do this. The time when America was discovered coincided in history with the period when Europeans began to spread ideas about the round shape of the Earth and the possibility of reaching India or China by western way, that is, through Atlantic Ocean. At the same time, it was believed that this route is much shorter than the eastern one. Therefore, given the Portuguese monopoly on control over South Atlantic, received by the Alcasovas agreement of 1479, Spain, always striving to obtain direct contacts with eastern countries, warmly supported the expedition of the Genoese navigator Columbus in the western direction.

Opening honor

Christopher Columbus was interested in geography, geometry and astronomy from an early age. From a young age, he participated in sea expeditions, visited almost all the then known oceans. Columbus was married to the daughter of a Portuguese sailor, from whom he inherited many geographical maps and notes from the time of Henry the Navigator. The future discoverer carefully studied them. His plans were to find a sea route to India, however, not bypassing Africa, but directly across the Atlantic. Like some scientists - his contemporaries, Columbus believed that, having gone west from Europe, it would be possible to reach the Asian eastern shores - those places where India and China are located. At the same time, he did not even suspect that on the way he would meet a whole mainland, until then not known to Europeans. But it happened. And since that time, the history of the discovery of America begins.

First expedition

For the first time, the ships of Columbus set sail from the harbor of Palos on August 3, 1492. There were three. Before the Canary Islands, the expedition proceeded quite calmly: this segment of the journey was already known to the sailors. But very soon they found themselves in a boundless ocean. Gradually, the sailors began to fall into despondency and raise a murmur. But Columbus managed to pacify the recalcitrant, maintaining hope in them. Soon signs began to come across - harbingers of the proximity of land: unknown birds flew in, tree branches sailed. Finally, after six weeks of sailing, lights appeared at night, and when dawn broke, a green light opened up before the sailors. picturesque island, all covered with vegetation. Columbus, having landed on the coast, declared this land the possessions of the Spanish crown. The island was named San Salvador, that is, the Savior. It was one of the small pieces of land included in the Bahamas or Lucayan archipelago.

Land where there is gold

The natives are peaceful and good-natured savages. Noticing the greed of those who sailed to the golden ornaments that hung in the nose and ears of the natives, they told with signs that in the south there is a land literally abounding in gold. And Columbus went on. In the same year, he discovered Cuba, which, although he took it for the mainland, more precisely, for the eastern coast of Asia, he also announced Spanish colony. From here, the expedition, turning east, landed in Haiti. At the same time, along the way, the Spaniards met savages who not only willingly exchanged their gold jewelry for simple glass beads and other trinkets, but also constantly pointed to south direction when asked about this precious metal. On which Columbus called Hispaniola, or Lesser Spain, he built a small fortress.

Return

When the ships landed in the harbor of Palos, all the inhabitants came ashore to greet them with honors. Very graciously received Columbus and Ferdinand with Isabella. The news of the discovery of the New World spread very quickly, just as quickly gathered those who wanted to go there with the discoverer. At that time, Europeans had no idea what kind of America Christopher Columbus discovered.

Second trip

The history of the discovery of North America, which began in 1492, continued. From September 1493 to June 1496, the second expedition of the Genoese navigator took place. As a result, the Virgin and Windward Islands were discovered, including Antigua, Dominica, Nevis, Montserrat, St. Christopher, as well as Puerto Rico and Jamaica. The Spaniards firmly settled on the lands of Haiti, making them their base and building the fortress of San Domingo in its southeastern part. In 1497, the British entered into rivalry with them, also trying to find northwestern routes to Asia. For example, the Genoese Cabot under the English flag discovered the island of Newfoundland and, according to some information, came very close to the North American coast: to the Labrador and Nova Scotia. So the British began to lay the foundation for their dominance in the region of North America.

Third and fourth expeditions

It began in May 1498 and ended in November 1500. As a result, the mouth of the Orinoco was also discovered. In August 1498, Columbus landed on the coast already on the Paria Peninsula, and in 1499 the Spaniards reached the shores of Guiana and Venezuela, after which - Brazil and the mouth of the Amazon. And during the last - fourth - trip from May 1502 to November 1504, Columbus had already discovered Central America. His ships passed along the coast of Honduras and Nicaragua, reached from Costa Rica and Panama up to the Gulf of Darien.

new mainland

In the same year, another navigator - whose expeditions took place under the Portuguese flag - also explored the Brazilian coast. Having reached Cape Cananea, he put forward a hypothesis that the lands discovered by Columbus are not China, and not even India, but completely new mainland. This idea was confirmed after the first world travel committed by F. Magellan. However, contrary to logic, the name America was assigned to the new continent - on behalf of Vespucci.

Indeed, there is some reason to believe that new continent was named after the Bristol philanthropist Richard America from England, who financed the second transatlantic voyage in 1497, and Amerigo Vespucci after that took on the nickname in honor of the continent so named. To prove this theory, researchers cite the facts that Cabot reached the shores of Labrador two years earlier, and therefore became the officially registered first European to set foot on American soil.

In the middle of the sixteenth century, Jacques Cartier, a French navigator, reached the coast of Canada, giving the area its modern name.

Other contenders

The development of the continent of North America was continued by such navigators as John Davis, Alexander Mackenzie, Henry Hudson and William Buffin. It was thanks to their research that the continent was studied up to the Pacific coast.

However, history also knows many other names of sailors who moored to American soil even before Columbus. This is Hui Shen - a Thai monk who visited this region in the fifth century, Abubakar - the Sultan of Mali, who sailed to the American coast in the fourteenth century, the Earl of Orkney de Saint-Clair, the Chinese explorer Zhehe He, the Portuguese Juan Corterial, etc.

But, in spite of everything, it is Christopher Columbus who is the man whose discoveries had an unconditional impact on the entire history of mankind.

Fifteen years after the time when the ships of this navigator discovered America, the very first geographic map mainland. Its author was Martin Waldseemüller. Today it, being the property of the United States, is kept in Washington.

The most important event in the history of the great geographical discoveries, and world history in general, it was discovery of America by Columbus- an event as a result of which the inhabitants of Europe discovered two continents, called the New World, or America.

The confusion began with the names of the continents. There is strong evidence for the version that the lands of the New World were named after the Italian patron Richard America from Bristol, who financed the transatlantic expedition of John Cabot in 1497. The Florentine traveler Amerigo Vespucci, who visited the New World only in 1500 and after whom America is believed to have been named, took his nickname in honor of the already named continent.

In May 1497, Cabot reached the shores of Labrador, becoming the first officially registered European to set foot on American soil, two years ahead of Amerigo Vespucci. Cabot mapped the coast of North America from New England to Newfoundland. In the Bristol calendar for that year we read: “... on the day of St. John the Baptist found the land of America by merchants from Bristol, who arrived on a ship with the name "Matthew".

Christopher Columbus - discovery of America

Christopher Columbus is considered the official discoverer of the continents of the New World. He was originally from Italy, arrived in Spain from Portugal. Having found a familiar monk in a monastery near the city of Palos, Columbus told him that he decided to sail to Asia new by sea- across the Atlantic Ocean. He was admitted to an audience with Queen Isabella, who, after his report, appointed a scientific council to discuss the project. The members of the council were mostly clerics. Columbus passionately defended his project. He referred to the evidence of ancient scientists about the sphericity of the Earth, to a copy of the map of the famous Italian astronomer Toscanelli, which depicted many islands in the Atlantic Ocean, and behind them - the eastern shores of Asia. He convinced the learned monks that the legends spoke of a land beyond the ocean, from the shores of which sea ​​currents sometimes they bring tree trunks with traces of their processing by people. Columbus was an educated man: knew how to make maps, drive ships, knew four languages. He managed to convince the academic council of the validity of his expectations.

The rulers of Spain believed the traveler and decided to conclude an agreement with Columbus, according to which, if successful, he would receive the title of admiral and viceroy of the lands discovered by him, as well as a significant part of the profits from trade with countries where he would be able to visit. Thus began an era geographical research and discoveries, initiated by Christopher Columbus with the discovery of America.

Discovery of America by Columbus: year 1492

On August 3, 1492, three ships "Santa Maria", "Pinta" and "Nina" with 90 participants set sail from the port of Paloe. The crews of the ships consisted mainly of convicted criminals. It has been 33 days since the expedition left Canary Islands and the ground was not visible. The team started murmuring. To calm her down, Columbus wrote down the distances traveled in the ship's log, deliberately underestimating them.

On October 12, 1492, sailors saw a dark strip of land on the horizon. It was small island with lush tropical vegetation. Tall people with dark skin lived here. The natives called their island Guanahani. Columbus named it San Salvador and declared it a possession of Spain. This name stuck with one of the Bahamas. Columbus was in full confidence that he had reached Asia. Having visited other islands, he everywhere asked the locals whether it was Asia. But I did not hear anything consonant with this word. Columbus left some people on the island of Hispaniola, and he went to Spain. As proof that he opened the way to Asia, Columbus took with him several Indians, feathers of unseen birds, some plants, among them maize, potatoes and tobacco. On March 15, 1493, he was greeted as a hero in Palos.

This is how the first visit by Europeans to the islands happened. Central America, as a result of which the foundation was laid for the further discovery of unknown lands, their conquest and colonization.

In the 20th century, scientists turned their attention to information suggesting that contacts between the Old World and the New took place long before the famous discovery of America by Columbus.

In addition to the hypotheses about the settlement of America by the “ten tribes of Israel”, as well as by the Atlanteans, there is a number of weighty scientific evidence that America was visited long before Columbus. Some researchers even argue that the culture of the Indians was brought from outside, from the Old World. In academic science large quantity There is a theory that the civilizations of the Americas developed almost entirely independently before 1492.

Hypotheses about visiting America by the Egyptians, Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Chinese, Japanese and Celts remain unconfirmed, however, there is fairly reliable data on visiting America by Polynesians, preserved in their legends; in addition, it is known that the Chukchi established an exchange of fur and whalebone with the ancient population of the northwestern American coast, but it is impossible to establish the exact date of the beginning of these contacts. Europeans also visited the American continent during the Viking Age. Scandinavian contacts with the New World began around 1000 AD and continued until about the 14th century.

The name of the Scandinavian navigator and ruler of Greenland, Leif I Ericsson the Happy, is associated with the discovery of America. This European discovered North America five centuries before Columbus. His campaigns are known from the Icelandic sagas preserved in such manuscripts as the Saga of Eric the Red and the Saga of the Greenlanders. Their authenticity was confirmed by archaeological discoveries of the 20th century.

Leif Eriksson was born in Iceland in the family of Erik the Red, who was expelled from Norway along with his entire family. Eric's family in 982 was forced to leave Iceland, fearing blood feuds, and settle in new colonies in Greenland. Leif Eriksson had two brothers, Thorvald and Thorstein, and one sister, Freydis. Leif was married to a woman named Thorgunna. They had one son - Thorkell Leifsson.

Before his trip to America, Leif made a trading expedition to Norway. Here he was baptized by the King of Norway, Olaf Tryggvason, an ally of Prince Vladimir of Kyiv. Leif brought a Christian bishop to Greenland and baptized its inhabitants. His mother and many Greenlanders converted to Christianity, but his father, Eric the Red, remained a pagan. On the way back, Leif rescued the wrecked Icelander Thorir, for which he received the nickname Leif the Lucky. On his return, he met a Norwegian named Bjarni Herjulfsson in Greenland, who said that he saw the outline of the earth in the west far out to sea. Leif became interested in this story and decided to explore new lands.

Around the year 1000, Leif Eriksson sailed west with a crew of 35 on a ship bought from Bjarni. They discovered three regions of the American coast: Helluland (probably the Labrador Peninsula), Markland (possibly Baffin Island) and Vinland, which got its name from a large number of vines. Presumably it was the coast of Newfoundland. Several settlements were founded there, where the Vikings stayed for the winter.

Upon his return to Greenland, Leif gave the ship to his brother Thorvald, who instead went to explore Vinland further. Thorvald's expedition was unsuccessful: the Scandinavians collided with the Skralings - North American Indians, and in this clash Thorvald died. If you believe the Icelandic legends, according to which Erik and Leif made their campaigns not at random, but based on the stories of such eyewitnesses as Bjarni, who saw unknown lands on the horizon, then in a sense America was discovered even before the year 1000. However, it was Leif who first made a full-fledged expedition along the coast of Vinland, gave him a name, landed on the coast and even tried to colonize it. According to the stories of Leif and his people, which formed the basis of the Scandinavian "Saga of Eric the Red" and "The Saga of the Greenlanders", the first maps of Vinland were compiled.

This information, preserved by the Icelandic sagas, was confirmed in 1960, when archaeological confirmation of the early settlement of the Vikings was discovered in the town of L "ans-o-Meadows on the island of Newfoundland. The discovery of America by Columbus at that time was really a discovery, because they are nothing about the New World did not know. But Columbus was not the discoverer in the full sense of the word. At present, the study of the territory of North America by the Vikings long before the travels of Columbus is considered to be a finally proven fact. Scholars have agreed that the Vikings among Europeans were indeed the first to discover North America, however exact location their settlement is still unknown. In the beginning, the Vikings made no distinction between their settlement in Greenland and Vinland, on the one hand, and Iceland, on the other. Feeling different worlds appeared to them only after meeting with local tribes, very different from the Irish monks in Iceland. The Saga of Eric the Red and The Saga of the Greenlanders were written about 250 years after the colonization of Greenland and tell that there were several attempts to establish a settlement in Vinland, but none of them lasted more than two years. There are several possible reasons why the Vikings left the settlements, among which are disagreements among the male colonists regarding the few women who accompanied the journey, and armed skirmishes with local residents, which the Vikings called skraling. Both of these factors are indicated in written sources.

Until the 19th century, historians considered the idea of ​​Viking settlements in North America exclusively in the context of the national folklore of the Scandinavian peoples. The first scientific theory appeared in 1837 thanks to the Danish historian and antiquary Carl Christian Rafn. In his book American Antiquities, Rafn conducted a comprehensive examination of the sagas and explored possible sites on the American coast, as a result of which he concluded that the country of Vinland, discovered by the Vikings, really existed. History continues to lift the veil of its secrets. Scientists have yet to verify the likelihood and time of an even earlier discovery of America and contact with this continent by immigrants from the Old World.

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Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus

The continents known today as North and South America were discovered in the prehistoric period. Before the arrival of European explorers in the Americas, tens of millions of indigenous peoples lived here. The lands of America were repeatedly "discovered" by peoples coming from different corners world for many generations, beginning with the Stone Age, when a group of hunters first visited a land that was truly an unexplored New World.

It becomes curious why then it is believed that America was discovered by Christopher Columbus. In addition, there are other theories about who first discovered America: Irish monks(VI century), Vikings (X century), sailors from China (XV century), etc.

The first settlers in America

The first people who settled in America came there from Asia, probably about 15,000 years ago. During the Pleistocene era ice sheets As a result of melting, the Laurentian and Cordillera glaciers formed a narrow corridor and land bridge between Russia and Alaska. Land bridge between west coast Alaska and Siberia, known as the Bering Isthmus, opened up due to falling ocean levels and connected the continents of Asia and North America.

: In place of the Bering Isthmus, the current Bering Strait was formed, separating Asia and North America. The strait was named after the officer of the Russian fleet Vitus Bering, who crossed it in 1728.

The ancient settlers of America - the Paleo-Indians - passed through the Bering Isthmus from Asia to America following the movement of large animals. These migrations occurred before the Laurentian and Cordilleran glaciers closed and closed the corridor. The settlement of America continued in the future by sea or on ice.

After the ice plates melted and the ice age ended, the settlers who arrived in the Americas became isolated from other continents.

Thus, american continents first discovered nomadic Asian tribes about 15,000 years ago, who originally settled North America, then spread to Central and South America and became the Native American peoples.

VI century - Irish monks

According to popular Irish legend, a group of Irish monks, led by Saint Brendan, took a boat to the west in the 6th century in search of new lands. Seven years later, the monks returned home and reported that they had found a land covered with lush vegetation, which was modern Newfoundland.

There is no exact evidence confirming that Irish monks landed on the coast of North America. However, in 1976, British traveler Tim Severin tried to prove that such a journey was possible. Severinus built an exact replica of the 6th-century monks' ship and sailed from Ireland to North America along the route described by the traveling monks. The explorer reached Canada.

10th century - Vikings

Around 984, the Scandinavian navigator Erik Kras explored ancient shipping routes and discovered Greenland. Leif Eriksson, the son of Eric Kras, in 999, with a crew of 35 people on one ship, set off from Greenland to Norway. Soon Leif Eriksson traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to North America, where around 1000 he founded a Norwegian settlement on the territory of the modern Canadian island of Newfoundland. The Vikings named the settlement "Vineland" (eng. Vineland - "Grape land") because of the abundance of grapes growing on this land. However, Erickson and his team did not stay long - only a few years - before returning to Greenland. Relations with native North Americans were hostile.

In the sagas, the Vikings who settled in America are referred to as "skrelings" by the Native Americans. Most of the sagas come from Scandinavian folklore, but in 1960 the Norwegian archaeologist Helge Ingstad found the first European Viking settlement of the end of the 11th century, identical to the settlements in Scandinavian countries. This historical and archaeological site has been named "L'Anse aux Meadows" and is recognized by scientists as evidence of pre-Columbian transoceanic contacts.

XV century - sailors from China

British naval officer Gavin Menzies theorized that the Chinese had colonized South America. He claimed that the Chinese explorer Zheng He, who commanded an armada of wooden sailing ships in the early 15th century, discovered America in 1421. Zheng He explored South East Asia, India and the east coast of Africa using advanced navigation techniques.
Gavin Menzies, in 1421 - The Year China Discovered the World, wrote that Zheng He sailed to east coast United States and may have established settlements in South America. Menzies based the theory on evidence from ancient shipwrecks, Chinese and European maps and reports compiled by navigators of that time. However, this theory is questionable.

Christopher Columbus

Discovery of Christopher Columbus

On August 3, 1492, the Spanish navigator Christopher Columbus, born in Italian city Genoa.

With the support of the Spanish rulers - King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella - with a fleet of 3 caravels ("Nina", "Pinta", "Santa Maria") and 90 crew members, sailed from the port of Palos (Spain).

Sailors set off in search of a western route to Asia in order to acquire precious metals, pearls, silk, and spices.

October 12, 1492 the team of Christopher Columbus saw the earth and discovered the New World (America). In his personal notes, Columbus noted that he had found a "New World" unknown to Europeans. The crew went ashore on the island of San Salvador in the Bahamas. Columbus assumed that sailors reached the islands located near India. Hence the name of the islands caribbean- West Indies. Columbus called the local natives "Indians" - the name of the indigenous population of America, which has survived to this day.

Christopher Columbus created a colony in America, which became the first European settlement in the New World. Spanish navigator also opened the southern trade, with the help of which they were supplied sailing ships carrying goods to the New World. After the first successful voyage (1492-1493), the Spanish monarchs awarded Columbus the rank of admiral.

Christopher Columbus made four expeditions to America during 1492-1504 Columbus died on May 20, 1506, still believing he had found new route to Asia and that the islands he explored are part of the Asian continent. By that time, other explorers were following the sea route first found by the admiral, and Europeans were already talking about Columbus' discoveries as the "New World".

: The first geographical map showing open overseas lands appeared in 1507. The German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller named the New World "America" ​​in honor of the Florentine navigator and merchant Amerigo Vespucci, who explored the coast of South America and found that it was a separate continent and not part of Asia.

Thus, America was first discovered by nomadic Asian tribes about 15,000 years ago. Many peoples probably visited the lands of America before the famous voyage of Christopher Columbus: Irish monks, Vikings, Chinese sailors.

Christopher Columbus discovered America in the sense that he introduced it to Western Europe during four expeditions to this region between 1492 and 1504.

Thanks to Christopher Columbus, the inhabitants of the Old World became aware of the New World - America, which includes two continents. Columbus opened the way from the Old World to the New, paving the way for the European colonization of the Americas, which led to the formation of new countries, including the United States, Canada and Mexico. The travels of Columbus are significant events in history that are considered the beginning of the colonial period.