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 had decided to sail to Asia by a new sea route - 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 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 the era of geographical exploration and discovery, which began with the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus.
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 the Canary Islands, and the land was still 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 wasn't big 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, the theory that the civilizations of the Americas developed almost completely independently before 1492 has a larger number of supporters.
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 definitive fact. Scholars have agreed that the Vikings among Europeans were indeed the first to discover North America, but the exact place their settlement is still unknown.In the beginning, the Vikings did not distinguish between their settlement in Greenland and Vinland, on the one hand, and Iceland, on the other. 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.
This important event is celebrated both in Europe and in America. In the United States, this holiday is called Columbus Day, in the Bahamas - Opening Day, in Spain - National Day.
The phrase "Columbus discovered America" is an example of banality for us. Who doesn't know this? Everyone remembers the covers of children's books and the pot-bellied ships painted on them. And also shots from different films, where the Spanish queen liked the brave and handsome navigator so much that she promised to pawn her jewelry in order to equip the expedition.
All these are beautiful myths.
Let's start with the fact that in 1486, when Christopher Columbus (Cristobal Colon as it was called in Spain) (1451 - 1506) appeared before the Spanish monarchs, he could hardly captivate a woman's heart. Columbus was pretty battered by life. Thirty-five years for a man of the fifteenth century is a respectable age.
Secondly, Spain at that time was not among the maritime powers. She hadn't been before. Under the joint rule of King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile, the reconquest from the Muslims of the Iberian Peninsula was ending. The last outpost of the Moors was Granada. So the thoughts of the rulers were not about the sea.
Thirdly, Columbus appeared before the rulers as a completely non-timid petitioner. For the opening of the sea route to India, he asked for the Spanish nobility, the rank of admiral and the post of viceroy and governor-general of all open lands. Demands reminiscent of the impudent wishes of an old woman from Pushkin's Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish. Christopher Columbus wanted to become not only a "pillar nobleman", not only a "free king" of newly discovered lands, but also a "master of the sea."
Perhaps it was the impudence of the sailor that convinced the king and queen that they were not facing a cunning rogue, but a man who, in fact, could fulfill the promise. In addition, they knew a lot more about intrigue and villainy than any goldfish. If new lands are invaded, it is always easy to lead the discoverer to obedience and repentance. To do this, in Spain there was a holy inquisition.
Fourthly, there was no need to pawn royal jewels to pay for the expedition. Columbus was given the right to collect tax arrears, and use this money to make great geographical discoveries.
Columbus succeeded in the trade of the farmer. Perhaps this is where the rumor began that he was not a Genoese, but a baptized Jew. But all the same, the money collected for the collection of any decent fleet was not enough.
Among the debtors given to the care of Columbus was a whole city - Palos de la Frontera (Palos de la Frontera). The city was fined for illegal trade with the Moors who lived on the African coast.
The collection of arrears in Palos was tight until Columbus came to the aid of three well-known sailors in the city, three brothers from the Pinzon family. One of the three vessels that participated in the voyage, "Pinta" ("Painted"), belonged to the Pinsons. The owner of the second ship, "Ninya" ("Baby") was a shipowner from the neighboring town of Mager, whose name was Juan Nino. Columbus hired the third ship (with the money of the Pinsons) from a sailor from the northern Spanish province of Galicia. The ship "Gallega" ("Galician") was larger than the "Pinta" and "Nina", and therefore became the flagship. Only the pious Columbus changed his name to Santa Maria.
The inhabitants of the city, seeing that the Pinson brothers were participating in the enterprise of Columbus, believed in the idea of the Genoese. It was no longer difficult to recruit one hundred and ninety men for three carriages.
Fat-bellied, well-armed, galleons appeared on the sea much later, when it was necessary to transport gold from the American colonies to the metropolis. The squadron of Columbus looked rather unpresentable. The flagship looked more like a barge under sail. The length of the vessel was 23 meters, the draft was 2.8 meters. "Pinta" and "Nina" were even smaller.
The Columbus expedition made its first stop at canary islands. The steering wheel on the Nina broke. Repaired, replenished provisions, waited for a fair wind. On September 6, 1492, three caravels headed west.
Another legend is about the mutiny of sailors brewing on the ships. There was none of that either. The journey went smoothly. The ocean was quiet, a fair wind was blowing.
On October 12, at two o'clock in the morning, the watchman on the Pint noticed a light ahead. At dawn, ships landed on the island, which Columbus named San Salvador. This is where the first meeting with the locals took place. Columbus sincerely considered them to be inhabitants of India. Another mistake left to us as a legacy of a great man. In the Russian language, then one letter was changed to distinguish Indians from Indians. In many Western languages, this annoying homonym has been around since the time of Columbus.
True, it soon became clear that the red-skinned inhabitants of San Salvador were not Indians. On the "Santa Maria" floated an interpreter, specially taken by Columbus to communicate with the local population. Luis de Torres, a baptized Jew, knew Arabic, Persian, and Indian languages well, but he did not come to terms with the local inhabitants. However, it seems that his trip overseas was justified. De Torres had traveled to many countries on merchant business and was accustomed by virtue of his profession to find a common language even with those whose language was not understood. Who, if not him, was to become the first European who, at the very least, spoke the language of tribes unknown until then. At least from San Salvador to present-day Cuba, the ship was accompanied by Indian guides.
In Cuba, Pinzon, at his own peril and risk, separated from the squadron and sailed away on the Pinta in search of rich Indian ports, about which he had heard so much. Columbus, on the other two ships, sailed to the island, which he called "Hispaniola". We now call this island Haiti. It was here that the first Latin America European settlement. Here, "Santa Maria" ran aground. The admiral switched to the Ninha, everything that was possible was removed from the Santa Maria, and they shot the ship from cannons in full view of the local Indians in order to inspire respect for the power of the newcomers.
Then Martin Alonso Pinson returned from "AWOL" on his "Pinta". He did not reveal the secrets of navigation to the admiral. Apparently, he reached the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico and visited the Yucatan Peninsula. But rich Indian ports were not found.
On January 16, 1493, the ships set off on their return journey. In winter, the Atlantic is harsh. The sailors had to endure several storms. On March 4, Columbus, on the Nina, with almost completely torn sails, landed on the Portuguese coast near Lisbon. The Viceroy of India paid a courtesy call to the King of Portugal. Each of the meeting participants was secretly proud of their achievements. Columbus believed that India was already in his pocket. Juan II just recently took care of Bartolomeu Dias, who finally circumnavigated Africa. The king personally renamed the Cape of Storms, discovered by Diasem, into the Cape of Good Hope. How else? A little more, he thought, and India would be in his pocket.
On March 15, 1493, Columbus returned to Palos. And on the same day, in the late afternoon, the sails of the Pinta appeared on the horizon. Martin Alonso Pinson also returned safely to his home port. In the same year he died, perhaps being one of the first "lucky ones" who brought syphilis to Europe.
From 1493 to 1504, Columbus made three more voyages across the ocean. On his second expedition (1493-1496) he discovered Puerto Rico, Jamaica and South coast Cuba. In the third (1498-1500) - the island of Trinidad and part of the coast South America. In the fourth, last (1502-1504) - the Atlantic coast of Central America.
And in May 1506 Columbus, half blind and half paralyzed, dies in the Spanish city of Valladolid. He dies, confident that he has discovered India after all. Than he won fame for himself and provided wealth to his offspring. This was the last delusion of the great man.
- Many have pointed out that the process of turning a hypothesis into a scientific discovery is very well illustrated by the discovery of America by Columbus. Columbus was obsessed with the idea that the earth was round and what could be achieved East India sailing west.
Pay attention to the following:
a) the idea was in no way original, but he received new information;
b) he met with great difficulties both in finding persons who could subsidize him, and directly in the process of conducting the experiment;
c) he did not find a new way to India, but he found new part Sveta;
d) despite all the evidence to the contrary, he still believed that he had opened the road to the East;
e) during his lifetime he did not receive any special honor or substantial reward;
f) irrefutable evidence has since been found that Columbus was not the first European to reach the Americas.
The lands were the most common: the founding of cities, the discovery of deposits of gold and wealth. In the 15th century, navigation was actively developing, and expeditions were equipped in search of an unknown continent. What was on the mainland before the arrival of Europeans, when Columbus discovered America, and under what circumstances did this happen?
History of the great discovery
By the 15th century European states different high level development. Each country tried to expand its sphere of influence, looking for additional sources of profit to replenish the treasury. New colonies formed.
Before the discovery, tribes lived on the continent. The natives were distinguished by a friendly character, which favored the rapid development of the territory.
Christopher Columbus, while still a teenager, discovered such a hobby as cartography. The Spanish navigator once learned from the astronomer and geographer Toscanelli that if you sail in a westerly direction, you can reach India much faster. It was 1470. And the idea came just in time, as Columbus was looking for another route that would allow him to get to India in a short time. He suggested that a route should be laid through the Canary Islands.
In 1475, the Spaniard organizes an expedition, the purpose of which is to find a fast way by sea to India through Atlantic Ocean. He reported this to the government with a request to support his idea, but received no help. The second time Columbus wrote to King Joao II of Portugal, however, he was also refused. Then he again turned to the government of Spain. On this occasion, several meetings of the commission were held, lasting a year. The final positive decision on financing was made after the victory of the Spanish troops in the city of Granada, liberated from the occupation of the Arabs.
In the event that a new path to India was discovered, Columbus was promised not only wealth, but also a noble title: Admiral of the Sea-Ocean and Viceroy of the lands that he would discover. Since Spanish ships were forbidden to enter the waters on the west coast of Africa, such a move was beneficial for the government in order to conclude a direct trade agreement with India.
In what year did Columbus discover America?
1942 is officially recognized as the year of the discovery of America in history. Having discovered undeveloped lands, Columbus did not imagine that he had discovered the continent, which would be called the "New World". In what year the Spaniards discovered America, one can say conditionally, since a total of four campaigns were undertaken. Each time the navigator found more and more new lands, believing that this was the territory of Western India.
Columbus thought that he was following the wrong route after the expedition of Vasco de Gama. The traveler arrived in India and returned in a short time with rich goods, accusing Christopher of deceit.
Later it turned out that Columbus discovered the islands and the continental part of North and South America.
Which travelers discovered America earlier?
To say that Columbus became the discoverer of America is not entirely true. Before that, Scandinavians landed on the lands: in 1000 - Leif Eriksson and in 1008 - Thorfinn Karlsefni. This is evidenced by the historical records "The Saga of the Greenlanders" and "The Saga of Eric the Red". There is also other information about making trips to the "New World". Traveler Abu Bakr II, a resident of the Celestial Empire Zheng He and a nobleman from Scotland, Henry Sinclair, arrived from Mali to America.
There is historical evidence that the Normans visited the New World in the 10th century after the discovery of Greenland. However, they failed to develop the territory due to severe weather conditions unsuitable for agriculture. In addition, the way from Europe was very long.
Visits to the mainland by the navigator Amerigo Vespucci, after whom the continent was named.
Few people are now interested in such an event as the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus, but only a few centuries ago America itself did not exist for Europeans at all.
No one could have imagined that outside their narrow little world there is a huge world where large peoples live, there is a developed culture and a lot of monuments of ancient history.
Today America is the center of development of our world, where people from all over the planet flock, the best scientists, programmers, just active people who want to make the American dream come true in their lives. And this is one of the most important reasons why it is worth knowing more about the discovery of this continent.
North America is interesting to study in terms of history, not only because it is unique and exciting in its own way, but also in order to better understand its people, values and culture.
It was the colonial status of this powerful power that at one time became the incentive that forced it to actively develop and turn into what we see now. And it fell to the great traveler Columbus to discover this continent full of beauty and secrets.
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Who discovered America first
We all know stories about the travels of the great man Columbus, who, together with his team, fearlessly plied the oceans in search of new places to spread the power of his country. This man acted on the will of his leadership and the country, and was driven by personal interests, the desire to move and discover new things.
Amerigo Vespucci (1454 - 1512)
But not everyone knows that Columbus was not the first to discover America, since another no less legendary traveler managed to do this before him.
America is named after famous traveler of his time - Amerigo Vespucci. This resident of Florence, born in 1454, departed under the leadership of Admiral Alonso de Ojeda as a navigator to conquer hitherto unseen lands.
It was he who gave Venezuela its current name, which means "little Venice", and also discovered many dozens of other places, which later largely retained the names he gave. It is interesting that Vespucci was most likely personally acquainted with the Spanish traveler Columbus, their acquaintance probably took place in the trading house of Danoto Berardi.
The discoverer Vespucci did not go unnoticed, and it was in honor of his discoveries that the lands of the New Overseas World were later named America.
What then did Columbus discover?
If it was Vespucci who discovered the continents of America, which is reflected even in its name, then what are the merits of the famous Columbus, why is he considered the discoverer of this region of the world?
Many travelers reached the shores of the New World even before Columbus, but the problem with their travels was that they did not leave behind any intelligible and structured information. The property of the travels of Christopher's predecessors remained in the shadows, few people knew about them, and that part of the world still remained distant and mysterious.
Columbus himself, starting from 1499 and later, in his further voyages not only reached the shores of the Western Hemisphere, but collected a lot of information about the countries and islands located there.
It was he who opened these places for a wide range of Europeans and launched mass travel and migration to this region, began an age of great change and transformation of the whole world.
When and how was America discovered by Christopher Columbus
The discovery of America is a collective concept that includes many events, and not just some found largest island or country on the continent.
It is believed that the discoverer discovered New world in 1492, during his first expedition there. At this time, the Spanish ships reached Haiti, Caribbean, visited the Bahamas archipelago, as well as Cuba.
The first island that travelers met in America was San Salvador, where they landed in the memorable year 1492.
This expedition, like the three subsequent ones, was organized by the Spanish king in order to find shorter routes to India, with which ever closer trade relations were being established at that time. But fate turned out differently, and the path of the sailors went to the shores of completely new lands.
Four expeditions of Columbus - briefly about the history of the discovery of America
In total, Columbus, together with other brave sailors, made 4 expeditions to the shores of Novaya Zemlya. Thanks to these visits, a lot of new islands, countries and regions appeared on the map, many of which still have the names that the sailors of the past assigned them.
The first trip took place in 1492-1493, there were 91 people on 3 ships, the places visited at that time have already been mentioned above. The sailors returned home on March 15, 1943.
The next, 2nd trip in a row, took place in 1493-1496. The navigator was already in the rank of admiral and, in addition to this, also viceroy of the open lands. Now, a team of fifteen hundred people and 17 ships had the task of fortifying themselves on new lands and carefully exploring them. This time it was possible to discover the Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico, Pinos, to go deeper into the study of Haiti.
The third time the journey lasted 2 years (1498-1500) and this voyage made it possible to study New World. The islands of Trinidad, the peninsula of Paria were discovered, the development of not only the lands of the current United States, but also South America began. The peninsulas of Margarita and Araya were also found, many studies were carried out.
The last, 4th trip of Columbus, took place in 1502-1504. This time the brave discoverer of new lands reached the Caribbean shores, visited Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama. In 1503, trouble happened - the sailor's ship was wrecked near Jamaica.
Columbus travel routes on the map
To clearly see what path the brave traveler from Europe traveled with his team, just look at the routes of all 4 expeditions depicted on the map. In general terms, the features of the route of each new voyage are clear from the list of discovered new lands, but for greater clarity, you can use the following image:
America's official discovery date
As mentioned above, the official date of the discovery of America is 1492, when the very first expedition of the great European sailor took place.
There are many stories that indirectly indicate that the coast of America was first discovered not by Columbus or Vespucci, but by many other researchers and even representatives of the Viking people.
But the official opening date is exactly 1492, because it was not just a discovery on the map, but also the discovery of the countries of the New World as a cultural phenomenon, the beginning of an endless flow of emigrants and the establishment of trade and economic ties.
The fact that it was Christopher Columbus who took upon himself the great fame of being considered a discoverer is in some way a luck of fate, but not just fallen on his head, but given as a reward for courage, activity and lack of fear of trials and distant wanderings.
Significance of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus
Obviously, the discovery of the New World for Europe in the form of North and South America was a grandiose event of its time and set the vector for the development of an entire world civilization for hundreds of years to come.
Thanks to these events, the United States appeared, at first frail and mired in internal conflicts, populated by incomprehensible personalities and adventurers, and later rapidly turned into an advanced country that fought slavery, created the most powerful dollar currency, and shifted progress in science and technology to new horizons.
The considered event became extremely important both for Europe and America, and for the whole world as a whole. It is difficult to imagine what the current civilization, economic and political map worlds, if it were not for the presence of a Spanish daredevil in his time, who, for the sake of a call of honor and a reckless desire for adventure, would not go to conquer the Atlantic Ocean.
It was midnight October 11, 1492. Just another two hours - and an event will take place that is destined to change the entire course of world history. On the ships, no one was fully aware of this, but literally everyone, from the admiral to the youngest cabin boy, was in suspense. The one who first sees the land was promised a reward of ten thousand maravedis, and now it was clear to everyone that the long voyage was nearing its end ...
1.India
Columbus was quite sure all his life that he had sailed to east coast Asia, although in fact it was located about 15 thousand kilometers from it. At that time it was already known that the Earth is round, but here's the size the globe representations were still very vague.
It was believed that our planet is much smaller, and that if you sail from Europe strictly to the west, you can find a short sea route to China and India - countries that have long attracted travelers with their silks and spices. It was this path that Christopher Columbus dreamed of finding.
In 1483, Christopher Columbus proposes a project to King Juan II, but after a long study, Columbus's "excessive" project is rejected. In 1485, Columbus moved to Castile, where, with the help of merchants and bankers, he sought to organize a government sea expedition under his command.
2. Convince the Queen
It took Columbus 7 years to convince the king and queen of Spain and their scientific advisers to help him organize an expedition across the ocean.
In 1485 Columbus enters Spain. The only way for him to fulfill his dream and set sail is to get the support of the Spanish King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. At first, no one believed him. The court scholars simply did not understand how it was possible, by sailing to the west, to get to the lands that are far to the east. It seemed like something completely impossible.
Here is what they said: “Even if you could somehow descend into another hemisphere, how would you get back up from there? Even with the most favorable wind, the ship would never climb the huge water mountain that the bulge of the ball forms, even if we assume that the Earth is really spherical.
It wasn't until 1491 that Columbus was able to again visit Ferdinand and Isabella and convince them that he could indeed find a sea route to India.
Columbus at a reception with the Spanish King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella
3. A team of prisoners
The crew of the ships had to be assembled from prisoners serving sentences - no one else agreed to voluntarily participate in the dangerous voyage. Still would! After all, it was impossible to predict in advance how long this journey would last and what dangers might be encountered along the way. Even if scientists did not immediately believe in the plan of Columbus, what can we say about ordinary sailors.
Former criminals and dregs of society will have an entire continent under their rule.
4. Three caravels
Columbus was given three caravels: "Santa Maria" (about 40 meters long), "Nina" and "Pinta" (about 20 meters each). Even for that time, these ships were very small.
Riding them across the ocean with 90 crew members seemed like an incredibly bold decision. For example, only Columbus himself, ship captains and a few other crew members had their own beds. The sailors, on the other hand, had to sleep in turns on the floor in a cramped hold, on damp barrels and boxes. And so for many weeks of travel.
Three small wooden ships - "Santa Maria", "Pinta" and "Nina" set off from the port of Paloe (Atlantic coast of Spain) on August 3, 1492. About 100 crew members, the bare minimum of food and equipment.
5. Riot on the ship
They have never had to swim so far into the ocean and so far from their native shores. Columbus even deliberately decided not to tell everyone how much distance had already been covered, and called much smaller numbers. With joy, the sailors were ready to believe in any sign of the approaching land: for example, they encountered whales, albatrosses, or algae floating on the surface of the water. Although in fact, all these “signs” have nothing to do with the proximity of land.
6.Magnetic needle
One of the first in the world, Christopher Columbus was able to observe how the magnetic needle deflected.
At that time, it was not yet known that the compass needle did not point exactly to the north, but to the magnetic north pole. Once Columbus discovered that the magnetic needle does not point exactly in the direction of the North Star, but deviates more and more from this direction. Of course he was very scared. Is the compass on the ship inaccurate or maybe broken? Just in case, Columbus also decided not to tell almost anyone about this observation.
Late 15th century compass (like Columbus had)
7.First islands
Before the land appeared on the horizon on October 12, 1492, 70 days of sailing had passed. However, the outlines of the coast seen were not the mainland at all, but a small island, which was later called San Salvador.
In total, Columbus made four trips across the Atlantic Ocean (and all four times he thought that he was approaching the shores of India). During this time he visited many islands caribbean and only during the third voyage saw the shores of the continent. During the fourth voyage, Columbus sailed along the coast for several months, hoping to find a strait leading to the long-awaited India. Of course, no strait could be found. Completely exhausted sailors were forced to return to the already familiar islands with nothing.
All of them, writes Columbus, go naked, in what their mother gave birth, and women too ... And the people I saw were still young, all of them were no more than 30 years old, and they were well built, and their bodies and faces they were very beautiful, and their hair was coarse, just like horse hair, and short ... Their features were regular, their expression friendly ...
8. Indians
Columbus called the natives met on the islands Indians - because he sincerely considered the lands found to be part of India. It is surprising that this “erroneous” name of the native inhabitants of America has survived to this day.
Moreover, we were still lucky with the Russian language - we call the inhabitants of India Indians, distinguishing them from the Indians by at least one letter. And, for example, in English language both words are spelled exactly the same: "indians". Therefore, when it comes to American Indians, they are called immediately with a clarification: “American Indians” or simply “Native Americans” (“Native Americans”).
Here everything seemed unusual and new: nature, plants, birds, animals and even people.
9. Columbus exchange
Columbus brought from his voyages many products not yet known to Europeans: for example, corn, tomatoes and potatoes. And in America, thanks to Columbus, grapes appeared, as well as horses and cows.
This movement of products, plants and animals between the Old World (Europe) and the New World (America) lasted several hundred years and was called the “Columbus Exchange”.
10. Astronomy
At the most dangerous moment, Columbus miraculously saved ... knowledge of astronomy!
During the last voyage, the team got into a very difficult situation. Ships were wrecked, provisions were running out, people were exhausted and sick. It only remained to wait for help and hope for the hospitality of the Indians, who were not too peacefully disposed towards foreigners.
And then Columbus came up with a trick. From astronomical tables, he knew that on February 29, 1504, a lunar eclipse would occur. Columbus called the local leaders to him and announced that in punishment for their hostility, the god of the white people decided to take the moon from the inhabitants of the island.
And indeed, the prediction came true - exactly at the indicated time, the moon began to be covered with a black shadow. Then the Indians began to beg Columbus to return the moon to them, and in return they agreed to feed the strangers with the best food and fulfill all their wishes.
