Discovery of Christopher Columbus in 1492. Who is Christopher Columbus. The true goals of Christopher Columbus

Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus. 1492. (briefly)

The first landing of Christopher Columbus on the shores of the New World: in San Salvador, Wisconsin, October 12, 1492.
Spanish artist Tolin Puebla Theophilus Dioscorus (1831-901)

Date of: 1492

"Old World" called the area of ​​the Earth known to Europeans before the discovery of America. It included Europe, Asia and Africa. "New World"- this is America.

Discovery of America- this is the name of the event, as a result of which the inhabitants of the Old World learned about the existence of America - the New World.

From the history:

    Christopher Columbus (1451-1506). Genoese. Navigator, Spanish admiral.

    Columbus made 4 expeditions. America was discovered as a result of the first expedition. The king of Spain of this period is Ferdinand, the queen is Isabella (she supported H. Columbus).

    1st expedition- 1492-1493

Vessel: "Santa Maria", "Pinta", "Nina".

Route: Palos da la Flonter, a city in Spain - Canary Islands - crossing the Atlantic ocean-island San Salvador in the Bohamian Archipelago (12 October 1492 - the official date of the discovery of America) - Cuba is an island Haiti - Castile (Italy)

H. Columbus himself believed that opened the way to Asia, calling the land the West Indies, and the inhabitants - the Indians.

    In Spain, H. Columbus was met with great honors. The king appointed him "admiral of the sea - ocean", the viceroy of those lands that he discovered and will open in the future.

    Ironically, the discoveries of the lands did not give Columbus wealth. He died in poverty, forgotten by everyone.

    During the expedition 1501-1502. Florentine navigator Amerigo Vespucci came to the conclusion that Columbus dug new mainland. In 1507 appeared on the map new earth, conditionally called "Land of Amerigo", later America.

Events in the history of Russia of this period:

    Period of government IvanaIII (1462-1505)

    1492-1494 - successful war with Lithuania, annexation of Vyazma and other cities.

Material prepared: Melnikova Vera Alexandrovna

For the first time the idea to cross Atlantic Ocean to find a straight line and fast track to India, supposedly visited Columbus as early as 1474 as a result of correspondence with the Italian geographer Toscanelli. The navigator made the necessary calculations and decided that the easiest way would be to sail through the Canary Islands. He believed that from them to Japan there were only about five thousand kilometers, and from the Country rising sun finding a way to India is not difficult.

But Columbus was able to fulfill his dream only after a few years, he repeatedly tried to interest the Spanish monarchs in this event, but his demands were recognized as excessive and expensive. And only in 1492, Queen Isabella gave a trip and promised to make Columbus an admiral and viceroy of all open lands, although she did not donate money. The navigator himself was poor, but his colleague, the shipowner Pinson gave his ships to Christopher.

Discovery of America

The first expedition, which began in August 1492, was attended by three ships - the famous "Nina", "Santa Maria" and "Pinta". In October, Columbus reached the land and ashore, it was an island that he named San Salvador. Confident that this is a poor part of China or some other undeveloped land, Columbus, however, was surprised by many things unknown to him - he first saw tobacco, cotton clothes, hammocks.

Local Indians told about the existence of the island of Cuba in the south, and Columbus went in search of it. During the expedition, Haiti and Tortuga were discovered. These lands were declared the property of the Spanish monarchs, and Fort La Navidad was created in Haiti. The navigator went back together with plants and animals, gold and a group of natives, whom the Europeans called the Indians, since no one yet suspected the discovery of the New World. All found lands were considered part of Asia.

During the second expedition, Haiti, the archipelago of Jardines de la Reina, the island of Pinos, Cuba were examined. For the third time, Columbus discovered the island of Trinidad, found the mouth of the Orinoco River and Margarita Island. The fourth voyage made it possible to explore the shores of Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, and Nicaragua. The path to India was never found, but South America was discovered. Columbus finally realized that south of Cuba lies a whole - a barrier to rich Asia. Spanish navigator initiated the exploration of the New World.

Christopher Columbus(Latin Columbus, Italian Colombo, Spanish Colon) (1451-1506) - navigator, Viceroy of the Indies (1492), discoverer Sargasso Sea And caribbean, Bahamas and Antilles, parts north coast South America and Caribbean coastline Central America.

In 1492-1493, Columbus led a Spanish expedition to find the shortest sea route to India; on 3 caravels ("Santa Maria", "Pinta" and "Nina") crossed the Atlantic Ocean, discovered the Sargasso Sea and reached the island of Samana on October 12, 1492 (the official date of the discovery of America), later - the ancient Bahamas, Cuba, Haiti . In subsequent expeditions (1493-1496, 1498-1500, 1502-1504) he discovered the Greater Antilles, part of the Lesser Antilles and the coasts of South and Central America and the Caribbean Sea.

Gold is an amazing thing! Whoever possesses it is the master of whatever he wants. Gold can even open the way to heaven for souls.

Columbus Christopher

Christopher Columbus was born in the autumn of 1451 in Genoa, Genoese by origin. He was above average height, strong and well built. Reddish in his youth, his hair turned gray early, which made him look older than his years. On an oblong, wrinkled and weather-beaten face with a beard, living Blue eyes and aquiline nose. He was distinguished by faith in divine providence and omens, and at the same time rare practicality, morbid pride and suspicion, and a passion for gold. He had a sharp mind, the gift of persuasion and versatile knowledge. H. Columbus was married twice and had two sons from these marriages.

Three-quarters of Christopher Columbus' life was spent sailing

Among the great figures of world civilization, few can compare with Columbus in the number of publications devoted to his life, and at the same time in the abundance of "blank spots" in his biography. More or less confidently, it can be argued that he was a Genoese by origin and around 1465 he entered the Genoese fleet, after some time he was seriously wounded. Until 1485, Christopher sailed on Portuguese ships, lived in Lisbon and on the islands of Madeira and Porto Santo, engaged in trade, mapping and self-education. It is not clear when and where he drafted the western, in his opinion, the shortest sea route from Europe to India; the project was based on the ancient doctrine of the sphericity of the Earth and on the incorrect calculations of scientists of the 15th century. In 1485, after the refusal of the Portuguese king to support this project, Columbus moved to Castile, where, with the help of Andalusian merchants and bankers, he organized a government sea expedition under his command.

Those who live in illusions die of disappointment.

Columbus Christopher

First expedition of Christopher Columbus 1492-1493, consisting of 90 people on three ships - "Santa Maria", "Pinta" and "Nina" - left Palos on August 3, 1492, from canary islands turned west, crossed the Atlantic Ocean, opening the Sargasso Sea, and reached an island in the Bahamas, named San Salvador by the traveler, where Columbus landed on October 12, 1492 (the official date of the discovery of America). For a long time (1940-82) Watling Island was considered San Salvador. However, our contemporary American geographer J. Judge in 1986 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, and on October 28 - December 5, he discovered part of the northeast coast of Cuba. December 6 reached the island of Haiti and moved along north coast. On the night of December 25, the flagship Santa Maria landed on a reef, but the crew escaped. For the first time in the history of navigation, on the orders of Columbus, Indian hammocks were adapted for sailor bunks.

A false step more than once led to the opening of new roads

Columbus Christopher

Columbus returned to Castile on the Nina on March 15, 1499. The political resonance of the voyage of H. Columbus was the "papal meridian": the head of the Catholic Church established a demarcation line in the Atlantic, indicating different directions for the discovery of new lands by competing Spain and Portugal.

Second expedition(1493-96), headed by Admiral Columbus, in the position of Viceroy of the newly discovered lands, consisted of 17 ships with a crew of 1.5-2.5 thousand people. On November 3-15, 1493, Columbus discovered the islands of Dominica, Guadeloupe and about 20 Lesser Antilles, on November 19, the island of Puerto Rico. In March 1494, in search of gold, he made a military campaign deep into the island of Haiti, in the summer he discovered the southeastern and south coast Cuba, the Isle of Youth and Jamaica.

For 40 days, Columbus examined South coast Haiti, whose conquest continued in 1495. But in the spring of 1496 he sailed home, completing his second voyage on June 11 in Castile. Columbus announced the discovery of a new route to Asia. The colonization of new lands by free settlers, which began soon, cost Spanish crown very expensive, and Columbus proposed to populate the islands with criminals, halving their sentence. With fire and sword, plundering and destroying the country ancient culture, on the land of the Aztecs - Mexico - the military detachments of Cortes passed, on the land of the Incas - Peru - the detachments of Pizarro.

Third Expedition of Columbus(1498-1500) consisted of six ships, three of which he himself led across the Atlantic. On July 31, 1498, the island of Trinidad was discovered, entered the Gulf of Paria, discovered the mouth of the western arm of the Orinoco Delta and the Paria Peninsula, marking the beginning of the discovery of South America. Having entered the Caribbean Sea, he approached the Araya Peninsula, discovered the island of Margarita on August 15 and arrived in Haiti on August 31. In 1500, upon a denunciation of Christopher Columbus, he was arrested and shackled (which he then kept all his life) was sent to Castile, where he was expected to be released.

Having obtained permission to continue the search western way to India, Columbus on four ships (fourth expedition, 1502-1504) reached the island of Martinique on June 15, 1502, on July 30 - the Gulf of Honduras, where he first met representatives ancient civilization Maya, but did not attach any importance to this. From August 1, 1502 to May 1, 1503 opened 2000 km Caribbean shores Central America (to Uraba Gulf). Unable to find a passage to the west, he turned north and on June 25, 1503, was wrecked off the coast of Jamaica. Help from Santo Domingo came only a year later. Columbus returned to Castile on November 7, 1504, already seriously ill.

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 voyage, the navigator discovered 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 coast of 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

The biography will fill up better if you try to answer the test questions.

I often notice that chance plays a big role in our life. An example is my favorite story about the discovery of America by Columbus. I think it was an amazing accident when an explorer was looking for India and discovered new continent.

Who is Christopher Columbus

Very little has come down to us about the life of Columbus before the discovery of the continent. He is believed to have been born in Italy. In his youth he served in the navy. During the fighting, he was wounded and went to Spain.

The idea that India can be reached across the Atlantic Ocean originated with him during his military service. To implement the plan, Columbus needed money. He sent many letters to various nobles for financial support. Only the Spanish king responded to his requests.

Columbus set out on his first expedition in 1492.


What was the great discovery that Columbus made?

Find sea ​​route Everyone wanted to go to India at that time. The Portuguese tried to go around Africa, and the Spaniards, believing Columbus, equipped three ships to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

The Columbus crew stayed on the voyage for about three months until they stumbled upon the islands. This happened in the autumn of 1492. When Columbus saw local residents, he decided that he had arrived in the poor provinces of China. The navigator brought gold, unprecedented plants and natives with him to Spain.

In the future, Columbus was on three more expeditions to America. The second visit to America was aimed at colonization. Several thousand people went on the expedition. Having landed a second time, the Spaniards still believed that they were in India.


On the third and fourth expedition, Columbus tried to open the way to South Asia. His attempts led to the discovery of South America.

There are a few more facts about the discovery of America:

  • Columbus believed until the end of his life that he had discovered India.
  • To go on his first expedition, Columbus took ten years to raise funds.
  • The Spaniards sent prisoners to settle in America.

The saddest thing is that Columbus in old age was deprived of all honors and titles.