What did Columbus want to discover instead of America. Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus. When and how did Columbus discover America
Christopher Columbus was born between August 26 and October 31, 1451 on the island of Corsica in the Republic of Genoa. The future discoverer was educated at the University of Pavia.
A brief biography of Columbus did not retain accurate evidence of his first voyages, but it is known that in the 1470s he made sea expeditions for trading purposes. Even then, Columbus had the idea of traveling to India through the west. The navigator addressed the rulers many times European countries with a request to help him organize an expedition - to King Juan II, the Duke of Medina Seli, King Henry VII and others. Only in 1492 was Columbus' voyage approved by the Spanish rulers, primarily Queen Isabella. He was given the title of “don”, rewards were promised if the project was successful.
four expeditions. Discovery of America
In 1492 Columbus made his first voyage. During the journey, the navigator discovered the Bahamas, Haiti, Cuba, although he himself considered these lands "Western India".
During the second expedition of Columbus' assistants were such famous people like the future conqueror of Cuba, Diego Velasquez de Cuellar, the notary Rodrigo de Bastidas, the pioneer Juan de la Cosa. Then the discoveries of the navigator included the Virgin, Small Antilles, Jamaica, Puerto Rico.
The third expedition of Christopher Columbus was made in 1498. The main discovery of the navigator was the island of Trinidad. However, at the same time, Vasco da Gama found a real way to India, so Columbus was declared a deceiver and sent under escort from Hispaniola to Spain. However, upon his arrival, local financiers managed to persuade King Ferdinand II to drop the charges.
Columbus did not leave the hope of opening a new shortcut to South Asia. In 1502, the navigator was able to obtain permission from the king for a fourth voyage. Columbus reached the shore Central America, proving that between the Atlantic Ocean and South Sea lies the mainland.
Last years
During last trip Columbus fell seriously ill. Upon his return to Spain, he failed to restore the privileges and rights granted to him. Christopher Columbus died on May 20, 1506 in Seville, Spain. The navigator was first buried in Seville, but in 1540, by order of Emperor Charles V, the remains of Columbus were transported to the island of Hispaniola (Haiti), and in 1899 again to Seville.
Other biography options
- Historians still do not know the true biography of Christopher Columbus - there are so few actual materials about his fate and expeditions that the biographers of the navigator make many fictitious statements in his biography.
- Returning to Spain after the second expedition, Columbus proposed to settle on recently open lands criminals.
- Columbus' dying words were: "In manus tuas, Domine, commendo spiritum meum" ("Into your hands, Lord, I entrust my spirit").
- The significance of the navigator's discoveries was recognized only in the middle of the 16th century.
Biography test
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On August 3, 1492, the first expedition of the navigator Christopher Columbus began, discovering new lands for Europeans.
Born in Genoa, Columbus became a sailor at an early age, sailing mediterranean sea on merchant ships. Then he settled in Portugal. Under the Portuguese flag sailed north to England and Ireland, sailed along west coast Africa to the Portuguese trading post of São Jorge da Mina (modern Ghana). He was engaged in trade, mapping and self-education. During this period, Columbus had the idea to get to India western way across the Atlantic Ocean.
At that time, many Western European countries were looking for sea routes to the countries of South and East Asia, which then united common name"India". From these countries, pepper, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, expensive silk fabrics came to Europe. Merchants from Europe could not penetrate the countries of Asia by land, as the Turkish conquests cut off traditional merchant ties with the East through the Mediterranean. They were forced to purchase Asian goods from Arab merchants. Therefore, the Europeans were interested in finding a sea route to Asia, which would allow them to acquire Asian goods without intermediaries. In the 1480s, the Portuguese tried to go around Africa in order to penetrate Indian Ocean to India.
Columbus also suggested that Asia can be reached by moving west through Atlantic Ocean. His theory was based on the ancient doctrine of the sphericity of the Earth and the incorrect calculations of scientists of the 15th century, who believed Earth much smaller in size, and also underestimated the real length of the Atlantic Ocean from west to east.
Between 1483 and 1484, Columbus tried to interest the Portuguese king João II with his plan for an expedition to Asia by a western route. The monarch submitted his project for examination to the scientists of the "Mathematical Junta" (Lisbon Academy of Astronomy and Mathematics). Columbus's calculations were deemed "fantastic" by experts, and Columbus was turned down by the king.
Having received no support, in 1485 Columbus went to Spain. There, in early 1486, he was introduced to the royal court and received an audience with the king and queen of Spain, Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella of Castile. The royal couple are interested in the project western way to Asia. A special commission was created to consider it, which issued an unfavorable conclusion in the summer of 1487, but the Spanish monarchs postponed the decision to organize an expedition until the end of the war they waged with the Emirate of Granada (the last Muslim state on the Iberian Peninsula).
In the autumn of 1488, Columbus visited Portugal, where he re-proposed his project to Juan II, but was again refused and returned to Spain.
In 1489, he tried unsuccessfully to interest the regent of France, Anne de Baeuze, and two Spanish dukes with the idea of sailing west.
In January 1492, unable to withstand a long siege by the Spanish troops, Granada fell. After lengthy negotiations, the Spanish monarchs, overriding the objections of their advisers, agreed to subsidize Columbus's expedition.
On April 17, 1492, the royal couple entered into an agreement (“surrender”) with him in Santa Fe, granting him a noble rank, the titles of Admiral of the Sea-Ocean, Viceroy and Governor-General of all the islands and continents that he opens. The rank of admiral gave Columbus the right to decide in disputes arising in matters of trade, the position of viceroy made him the personal representative of the monarch, and the position of governor general provided the highest civil and military authority. Columbus was given the right to receive a tenth of everything found in the new lands and an eighth of the profits from trading in foreign goods.
The Spanish crown pledged to finance most expedition expenses. Part of the funds for it was given to the navigator by Italian merchants and financiers.
He called the island San Salvador (St. Savior), and its inhabitants - Indians, believing that he was off the coast of India.
However, the discussion about the first landing site of Columbus is still ongoing. For a long time (1940-1982), Watling Island was considered San Salvador. In 1986, the American geographer George Judge processed all the collected materials on a computer and came to the conclusion that the first American land seen by Columbus was Samana Island (120 km southeast of Watling).
On October 14-24, Columbus approached several more Bahamas. Having learned from the natives about the existence of a rich island in the south, the ships left the Bahamas on October 24 and sailed further to the southwest. On October 28, Columbus landed on northeast coast Cuba, named by him "Juana". After that, the Spaniards, inspired by the stories of the natives, spent a month looking for the golden island of Baneque (modern Great Inagua).
On November 21, the captain of the Pinta, Martin Pinson, took his ship away, deciding to search for this island on his own. Having lost hope of finding Baneke, Columbus turned east with the two remaining ships and on December 5 reached the northwestern tip of the island of Bohio (modern Haiti), which he named Hispaniola ("Spanish"). Moving along north coast Hispaniola, the expedition on December 25 approached the Holy Cape (modern Cap Haitien), where the Santa Maria ran aground and sank, but the crew escaped. By using local residents they managed to remove guns, supplies and valuable cargo from the ship. A fort was built from the wreckage of the ship - the first European settlement in America, named on the occasion of the Christmas holiday "Navidad" ("Christmas City").
The loss of the ship forced Columbus to leave part of the team (39 people) in the founded settlement and set off on the Nina on the way back. For the first time in the history of navigation, on his orders, Indian hammocks were adapted for sailor bunks. To prove that he had reached a part of the world previously unknown to Europeans, Columbus took with him seven captive inhabitants of the islands, outlandish bird feathers and the fruits of plants unseen in Europe. Having visited open islands, the Spaniards first saw corn, tobacco, potatoes.
On January 4, 1493, Columbus put to sea on the Nina and sailed east along the northern coast of Hispaniola. Two days later he met "Pint". On January 16, both ships headed northeast, taking advantage of the favorable current - the Gulf Stream. On February 12, a storm arose, and on the night of February 14, the ships lost sight of each other. At dawn on February 15, the sailors saw the land, and Columbus determined that he was off the Azores. February 18 "Nina" managed to land on the coast of one of the islands - Santa Maria.
February 24 "Nina" left the Azores. Two days later, she again fell into a storm, which washed her on the coast of Portugal on March 4. March 9 "Nina" anchored in the port of Lisbon. The crew needed a break, and the ship needed repairs. King Juan II gave Columbus an audience at which the navigator informed him of the discovery of a western route to India. March 13 "Nina" was able to sail for Spain. March 15, 1493, on the 225th day of sailing, the ship returned to spanish port Palos. On the same day, "Pinta" also came there.
King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile gave Columbus a solemn reception and, in addition to the previously promised privileges, gave him permission for a new expedition.
During the first journey, Columbus discovered America, which he took for East Asia and called the West Indies. Europeans first set foot on the islands caribbean- Juan (Cuba) and Hispaniol (Haiti). As a result of the expedition, the width of the Atlantic Ocean became reliably known, the Sargasso Sea was discovered, the flow of ocean water from west to east was established, and for the first time an incomprehensible behavior of the magnetic needle of the compass was noted. The political resonance of Columbus' voyage was the "papal meridian": chapter catholic church established a demarcation line in the Atlantic, indicating different directions for rival Spain and Portugal to discover new lands.
In 1493-1504, Columbus made three more voyages across the Atlantic Ocean, as a result of which he discovered part of the Lesser Antilles, the coast of South and Central America. The navigator died in 1506, being fully convinced that the lands he had discovered were part of the Asian mainland, and not a new continent.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources
Initially american continent inhabited by tribes that arrived from Asia. However, in the 13th-15th century, with the active development of culture and industry, civilized Europe set off in search and development of new lands. What happened to America at the end of the 15th century?
Christopher Columbus - famous spanish navigator. It was his first expedition that laid the foundation for active travel V " New World"and the development of this territory. The "New World" then considered the lands that are now called South and North America.
In 1488, Portugal had a monopoly on the waters of the Atlantic coast of Africa. Spain was forced to look for another sea route to trade with India and gain access to gold, silver and spices. This is what prompted the rulers of Spain to agree to the expedition of Columbus.
Columbus is looking for a new route to India
Columbus made only four expeditions to the shores of the so-called "India". However, by the fourth expedition, he knew that he had not found India. So, back to Columbus' first voyage.
Columbus' first voyage to America
The first expedition consisted of only three ships. Columbus had to get two ships himself. The first ship was given by his fellow navigator Pinson. He also gave Columbus a loan so that Christopher could equip a second ship. About a hundred crew members also went on a trip.
The voyage lasted from August 1492 to March 1493. In October, they sailed to the land, which they mistakenly considered the surrounding islands of Asia, that is, they could be western territories China, India or Japan. In fact, it was the discovery by Europeans Bahamas, Haiti and Cuba. Here, on these islands, local residents presented Columbus with dry leaves, i.e. tobacco, as a gift. Also, the locals walked naked around the island and wore various gold jewelry. Columbus tried to find out from them where they got the gold and only after he took several natives prisoner did he find out the way where they take them. So Columbus made attempts to find gold, but found only more and more new lands. He was happy that he discovered new way V " Western India"However, there were no developed cities, and untold riches. When returning home, Christopher took with him local residents (whom he called Indians), as proof of success.
When did the colonization of America begin?
Shortly after returning to Spain with gifts and "Indians", the Spaniards soon decide to send the sailor on the road again. Thus began the second expedition of Columbus.
Second Voyage of Columbus
September 1493 - June 1496 The purpose of this trip was to organize new colonies, so as many as 17 ships entered the flotilla. Among the sailors there were priests, and nobles, officials and courtiers. They brought pets, raw materials, food with them. As a result of the expedition, Columbus paved a more convenient route to the "Western Indies", the island of Hispaniola (Haiti) was completely conquered, and extermination began. local population.
Columbus still believed that he was in Western India. On the second trip, islands were also discovered, including Jamaica and Puerto Rico. On Hispaniola, the Spaniards found gold deposits in the depths of the island and began to mine it, with the help of the enslavement of local residents. There were uprisings of workers, but the unarmed locals were doomed. They died as a result of the suppression of riots, diseases brought from Europe, hunger. The rest of the local population was imposed a tribute, turned into slavery.
The Spanish rulers were not satisfied with the income that the new lands brought, and therefore they allowed everyone to move to new lands, and they broke the contract with Columbus, that is, they deprived him of the right to manage new lands. As a result, Columbus decides to travel to Spain, where he negotiates with the kings about the return of his privileges, and that prisoners will stay in the new lands, who will work and develop territories, and Spain will be freed from unwanted elements of society.
third journey
On the third expedition, Columbus went with six ships, 600 people also included prisoners from Spanish prisons. Columbus this time decided to pave the way closer to the equator in order to find new lands rich in gold, since the current colonies provided modest incomes, which did not suit the Spanish kings. But due to illness, Columbus was forced to go to Hispaniola (Haiti). There, a rebellion was waiting for him again, Columbus had to allocate land to the local residents in order to suppress the rebellion and give slaves to help each rebel.
Then, unexpectedly, came the news - famous navigator Vasco da Gama opened the real way to India. He arrived from there with treats, spices, and declared Columbus a deceiver. As a result, the Spanish kings ordered the deceiver to be arrested and returned to Spain. But soon, the charges are dropped from him and sent on the last expedition.
Fourth expedition
Columbus believed that there was a path from new lands to a source of spices. And he wanted to find him. As a result of the last expedition, he discovered the islands at South America, Costa Rica and others, but never got to Pacific Ocean, because I learned from local residents that there were already Europeans here. Columbus returned to Spain.
Since Columbus no longer had a monopoly on discovering new lands, other Spaniards traveled on their way to explore and colonize new territories. An era began when the impoverished Spanish or Portuguese knights (conquistadors) traveled away from their native lands in search of adventure and wealth.
Who first colonized America?
The Spanish conquistadors at the beginning tried to develop new lands in North Africa, but the local population put up strong resistance, so the discovery of the New World came in handy. It was thanks to the discovery of new colonies in North and South America that Spain was considered the main super-hard of Europe and the mistress of the seas.
In history and literature, the period of the conquest of American lands is perceived differently. On the one hand, the Spaniards are considered as enlighteners who brought culture, religion, and art with them. On the other hand, it was a gross enslavement and destruction of the local population. Actually, it was both. Modern countries different ways of assessing the contribution of the Spaniards to the history of their country. For example, in Venezuela, in 2004, a monument to Columbus was demolished, as they considered him the ancestor of the extermination of the local indigenous population.
What Christopher Columbus did, you will learn from this article.
What did Christopher Columbus discover? Discoveries of Christopher Columbus
The navigator is the most mysterious person era of the Great Geographical Discoveries and travel. His life is full of mysteries, dark spots, inexplicable coincidences and deeds. And all because mankind became interested in the navigator 150 years after his death - important documents already lost, and the life of Columbus remained fanned with speculation and gossip. Plus, Columbus himself hid his origin (for unknown reasons), the motives of his actions and thoughts. The only thing that is known is 1451 - the year of his birth and the place of birth - the Republic of Genoa.
He made 4 expeditions, which were supplied by the Spanish king:
- The first expedition - 1492-1493.
- The second expedition - 1493-1496.
- The third expedition - 1498 - 1500.
- The fourth expedition - 1502 - 1504.
During four expeditions, the navigator discovered many new territories and two seas - Sargasso and Caribbean.
Lands discovered by Christopher Columbus
It is interesting that all the time the navigator thought that he had discovered India, and behind it he would find rich Japan and China. But it wasn't. He owns the discovery and exploration of the New World. The islands discovered by Christopher Columbus are the Bahamas and Antilles, Saman, Haiti and Dominica, the Lesser Antilles, Cuba and Trinidad, Jamaica and Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe and Margarita. He is the discoverer of the lands of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, and also north coast South America and Caribbean Central America.
Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus
But the most important thing is that during his expedition Christopher Columbus discovered America. It happened on October 12, 1492, when he landed on the island of San Salvador.
And it all started like this: on August 3, 1492, the expedition of the European navigator, consisting of the ships Santa Maria, Nina and Pinta, set out on a long journey. In September, the Sargasso Sea was discovered. They walked along German for three weeks. On October 7, 1492, the Columbus team changes its course to the southwest, believing that they missed Japan, which they so wanted to discover. After 5 days, the expedition stumbled upon an island named by Christopher Columbus in honor of the savior of Christ San Salvador. This date - October 12, 1492 is considered the official day of the discovery of America.
A day later, Columbus landed and hoisted the Castilian banner. Thus, he formally became the owner of the island. Having explored the nearby islands, the navigator sincerely believed that these were the vicinity of Japan, India and China. At first, the open lands were called the West Indies. Christopher Columbus returned to Spain on March 15, 1493 on the ship Nina. As a gift to King Ferdinand II of Aragon, he brought gold, natives, plants unprecedented to Europeans - potatoes, corn, tobacco, as well as bird feathers and fruits.
We hope that from this article you have learned what discoveries of Christopher Columbus became famous all over the world.
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. Warm sea current Gulf of Mexico to the western coast of Europe gave evidence that in the west there is big land. 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. The same piece of carved wood was seen by 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 have been several cases that 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
Small seaport 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 Pinson and his brother Vincente Yanes, and a third ship of a slightly larger size, the Santa Maria ”, captained by Christopher Columbus himself.
Replica of Columbus' Santa Maria
Sailing from Palos, Columbus constantly kept the direction to the west under degrees of latitude 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.
Passing Eastern wind carried ships in the second half of September 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: 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 no land appeared 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, Pinta sailor Juan Rodriguez Vermejo, a native of the town of Molinos, neighboring Seville, saw moonlight the outline of the cape and with a joyful cry: “Earth! 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.
In the following days of navigation, Christopher Columbus discovered several more small islands belonging to the Bahamas. He called one of them an island Immaculate Conception (Santa Maria de la Concepcion), another 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 to his ships so that they could learn Spanish and served as translators. Traveling further southwest, Columbus discovered on October 26 big Island Cuba, and on December 6 - beautiful island, reminiscent of 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 the trees intertwined so that it is difficult to make out which flowers belong to this or that tree. He admired the luxurious meadows of the wet coast, pink flamingos standing along the banks of the rivers; each new earth it seems to Columbus more beautiful than that, which is 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, he was burdened by his submission to Christopher Columbus, he 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 sandbar and was broken by the 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 selected 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), on which there is a lot of gold and from which ten days you can swim to mainland where people wearing 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 in the Gulf of Saman found the warlike Siguayo tribe, which 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. Those who owned Azores the Portuguese 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 such a thing had never happened before in the memory of people. strong storm that she 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 that eclipsed 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 east coast 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
