The biography of the life of Christopher Columbus is so eventful that you can write an interesting book. We will present a short version containing the main facts of the traveler's life.

He was born into a poor Spanish family. Since childhood, he dreamed of a celebrity of his surname. Christopher discovered the western route by which America exports goods today. He is the discoverer of South and North America. Columbia is named after him - this is a significant part of America.

The young navigator dreamed of finding Indian treasures and getting rich, which he failed to do later - all the valuables, gold and pearls of the Caribbean Sea passed into the power of the King of Portugal.

Parts of the world and continents discovered by Columbus

During his life, Columbus managed to discover: North and South America, the Bahamas, Cuba and Haiti, the large and small Antilles, a number of small islands in the Caribbean.

Biography of Columbus - summary

Christopher Columbus was born on September 26, 1951 in the Republic of Genoa. His mother was a housewife, his father worked in a weaving shop and a grape seller.

In addition to Christopher, three more younger brothers and a sister grew up in the family. All went to the same school. One of Columbus' brothers, Giovanni, died of a serious illness at an early age, and his sister got married. And the two younger brothers were to go with the elder on the fourth expedition in the future.

Already at the age of 14, Christopher was distinguished from his peers by his excellent memory, great imagination, strong intellect, rich imagination. At the age of 14, in the city of Padua, he entered the university with the help of kind, rich people, completed a paid course of study, and received a bachelor's degree. Interestingly, based on these data, historians claim that the Spanish navigator was the son of a Jewess.

At the university, Columbus became friends with the astronomer Paolo Toscanelli, they shared new knowledge and ideas among themselves. A faithful friend suggested to Christopher that it is easier to get to the riches of India by going around the mainland of Africa along the western path than along the eastern one. Columbus, having made calculations, brought to life the words of Toscanelli.

Columbus' voyage to America

Christopher Columbus married Moniz Phillipe. Her father was an avid traveler, and after his death he left a multi-ton educational material as a legacy to his son-in-law. It included: books, manuscripts, maps, diaries, known continents, wind directions, geometric weather conditions. For Christopher, this is a whole treasure.

Columbus calculated how to get to India by the western route. Then he asked for material support from the noble, richest people of the country. Anticipating great risks, entrepreneurs refused to give to charity.

In 1483, Columbus made an appointment with King João II of Portugal, explained his plans in detail to him, but did not receive a positive response, since all the country's financial resources were directed to the weapons and clothing of the soldiers.

After many years of searching for sponsors, Queen Isabella of Castile became interested in the project. Columbus was granted the title "don" and promised that he would be "Admiral of the Sea-Ocean and viceroy of all the lands" that he would discover. But the royal couple did not give money.

The Spanish shipowner Martin Alonso Pinson helped the traveler, who went on an expedition with Columbus and provided him with everything necessary, including ships.

Columbus path on the map

The map clearly shows the route of the ships on which the traveler and his expedition sailed.

First expedition

August 3, 1492. The number of sailors was about 80 people. Columbus discovered San Juan Bautista. In 1508, the persecution of the local inhabitants of the island began, their enslavement and murder. The entire population of the island of the Caribbean has died out. On this place was founded the city of Caparra.

Second expedition

September 25, 1493. Rapid movements of 178 Portuguese ships led by Columbus broke into the Lesser Antilles and Hungarian Islands.

The ships, numbering more than 1,600 people, brought with them seeds, cattle and poultry for the development of agriculture and garden trees. Thus was discovered the island of Jamaica and Puerto Rico.

This voyage paved the way to the West Indies. Later, prisoners from Spanish prisons were taken to exile on this island. The thugs caused great harm to the local population, gradually winning back the territory for housing. Thus, Portugal got rid of unnecessary trouble with prisoners.

Third expedition

May 30, 1498. Nobody wanted to go swimming, many criminals gathered in the team. 300 thugs under the command of Columbus arrived in Trinidad. So the famous traveler called the island in the Indian coast.

Two weeks later, the scientist and geographer Vasco Da Gama discovered the true route to India, which brought a whole ship of spices to the royal court. He declared that the real India was where he had just visited, and Columbus was a real deceiver - the lands that he discovered were not India at all.

Christopher's big mistake turned out to be deplorable, in 1500 he was imprisoned. The liberation was facilitated by influential acquaintances of Columbus. Christopher made the mistake of mistaking America for the Indian islands, which he paid with his freedom.

Fourth expedition

May 9, 1502. Having gone through many difficulties, the scientist did not want to stop and decided to calculate the coordinates to the new lands of Young Asia. He managed to get permission to sail with great difficulty.

In 1502, together with two brothers, he managed to dig: the mainland of Central America, the islands of Panama, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The sailors included 150 people, they sailed on three ships.

The discoverers met face to face with the Indian tribes. After this trip, the Indians and Africans suffered much grief and great losses. On the part of the Portuguese massacres were committed, the colonization of the slave system was underway.

Significance of the discovery of America by Columbus

What is the value of the discoveries of the great traveler is known to everyone, but let's still clarify:

• first crossed the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics and subtropics of the Northern Hemisphere;
• the first European to swim in the "Mediterranean" American Sea;
• surveyed the coast of America (total length 2700 km);
• open lands: discovered South America, the isthmus of Central America, the Greater and Lesser Antilles, Dominica and Virginia, the islands of the Caribbean, about. Trinidad, Bahamas;
• a necklace, diamonds and pearls were brought to the coast of Portugal.

Christopher Columbus last years of life

The last years of the life of Christopher Columbus were spent in an incurable disease. His acquaintances and friends found out about his death very late. Columbus is buried in the city of Valladolid.

How did Columbus die and where is he buried?

On the verge of life and death, he held the hands of his sons and unconsciously talked about his travels. The location of his grave is still unknown, the date of birth is not exact.

In Santo Domingo there is a large monument dedicated to Columbus. It is called Faro a Colon, Spanish for "Columbus' Lighthouse". It is a strong electrical system that forms a giant cross in the air at dusk. The light is so bright that it can be seen even in Puerto Rico.

Columbus died in the city of Valladolid. Before his death, Christopher asked his sons to transfer his remains to the Carthusian monastery in Seville. At the request of his wife, in 1542, the body of Columbus was again moved to the city of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.

Recently, in Santo Domingo, builders dug up a lead box with the inscription: “The illustrious and respected Don Cristobal Colon”, fragments of bones remained inside. Translated from Spanish as "Christopher Columbus". So the burial place of Columbus remains still unknown.

Not everyone probably knows that:

• the real name of the traveler is Cristobal Colon;
• Columbus is Jewish by nationality, scientists believe, because his mother was an Israeli. The mind, the memory of the traveler surpassed his classmates, and scientists attribute unusual abilities only to Jews;
• homeland of the navigator - Spain, Valladolid;
• when Columbus went on a trip, he did not have a penny, he was helped by Martin Alonso Pinson, a ship owner from Spain, who later became the same discoverer;
• ships on which the traveler sailed to America with his expedition: Santa Maria, Pinta, Nina;
• Having sailed to America, Columbus decided that this was India, calling the mainland the West Indies. Here he made a serious mistake, which he paid with his freedom. He was jailed. But a month after imprisonment, influential acquaintances pulled Columbus to freedom;
• the predecessors of the navigator massively enslaved and exterminated the people who lived before their arrival, at the cost of blood.
• the sad shade in the character of Columbus is that he was not worried about the further fate of the local inhabitants of another land, and he continued to ruthlessly discover other continents.

The famous traveler differed from his friends in pride, great will, patience, he was driven forward by a great impulse to power and wealth. The scientist tried to develop new lands for his people.

After his discoveries, many inhabitants of the islands died, brutal murders were committed by Spanish criminals and soldiers. More than 100 kg of pearls were taken from the Caribbean Sea to the coast of Portugal. The discoveries that Columbus made were truly appreciated only in the 16th century.

Columbus Christopher (1451-1506), navigator.

About 1472 he became a sailor; sailed the Mediterranean. In 1476 he arrived in Portugal, joined a small colony of Italian merchants in Lisbon and participated in voyages across the North Atlantic.

Around 1484, Columbus tried to interest the Portuguese king João II with his plan for an expedition to Asia not around Africa, but moving west. But the project was rejected (1485), and Columbus moved to Castile.

Queen Isabella of Castile and her husband, King Ferdinand of Aragon, agreed to support the expedition and promised to give Columbus a noble rank, the titles of admiral, viceroy and governor-general of all the islands and continents that he would discover.

On the morning of August 3, 1492, three ships ("Santa Maria", "Nina" and "Pinta") left Palos and headed west. On October 12, 1492, Columbus discovered one of the Bahamas, which he named San Salvador.

Assuming that he is in Asia, the navigator called the natives Indians. On October 27, he discovered the northeastern coast of Cuba, and on December 6, the island of Hispaniola (Haiti). Off the coast of Hispaniola, the ship "Santa Maria" ran aground, and Columbus, having founded the first settlement of Navidad, returned to Castile in March 1493.

The announcement of the discovery of rich lands, which the navigator considered part of East Asia, prompted the Castilian authorities to organize a second expedition. On September 25, 1493, a flotilla of 17 ships left Cadiz, reached the Canary Islands on October 2, and ten days later set sail across the Atlantic.

Having discovered a number of the Lesser Antilles and Puerto Rico, Columbus arrived in Hispaniola. However, it turned out that all the settlers left in Navidad died as a result of skirmishes with the natives. Columbus founded a new settlement, naming it La Isabela. In the spring of 1494, he undertook a voyage along the southern coast of Cuba, during which the islands of Guadeloupe and Jamaica were discovered, after which he returned to Hispaniola, where he organized a series of campaigns against the Indians who resisted the colonists. June 11, 1496 Columbus returned to Spain.

In the spring of 1498, he went on a third expedition, during which he discovered the island of Trinidad, the Orinoco Delta and a section of the northern coast of South America.

In 1500, Isabella and Ferdinand, in connection with the revolts of the Spanish colonists against Columbus, removed him from the management of the newly discovered lands, and only in March 1502
agreed to a new expedition. On May 11 of the same year, Columbus left Cadiz on four small caravels, crossed the Atlantic Ocean and reached the island on June 15, which he called Martinique.

Sailing through the Antilles archipelago, the expedition reached Hispaniola and continued along the coast of Central America. Columbus still believed that he was in Asia, not far from the Ganges River. The Guayami Indians, who lived in the newly discovered territory (modern Panama), offered gold in exchange for goods, but opposed Columbus's attempts to establish a settlement and in April 1503 forced the Europeans to leave their lands.

Christopher Columbus was born in the autumn of 1451 into a poor family. The navigator was tall with a long face and a large nose. His eyes were gray-blue, his skin was white, and his beard and mustache were red. Christopher was a believer. He was also smart, his knowledge was from completely different areas. The traveler was married twice and had two sons. The eldest son became Viceroy of New Spain, and the youngest found his calling in creativity: he became a writer and biographer.

About 14 years old, the young man was accepted into the fleet and was soon wounded. Then he became engaged in trade and traveled a lot, he drew maps and studied. He calculated how to get from Europe to India in the shortest amount of time. They refused to sponsor the trip of Christopher in Portugal, so he went to Spain, to Castile, where he organized a sea expedition. The traveler assembled a team, which consisted of 90 men and three ships. They began their journey in 1492, in August. The team reached the island, which was named San Salvador, about two months later. Then Christopher visited other Bahamas, Cuba, Haiti. In the spring, the navigator arrived in Castile.

During the second trip, the explorer discovered the island of Dominica, Guadeloupe and other small islands. He again visited Cuba and Haiti, where Columbus made attempts to find gold. In June, the traveler returned to his homeland. People began to move to the lands discovered by Christopher, but it turned out to be expensive to sponsor them. Therefore, later they began to send criminals there, reducing their term, which they must serve in prison.

Another expedition was undertaken by the explorer in 1498. During this journey he rediscovered various islands and bays, and came close to discovering South America. In Haiti, the navigator was arrested and put in shackles. Christopher kept them as a keepsake until the end of his life. The traveler was released in his homeland.

The fourth journey began in 1502. The explorer was still trying to find a way to India. It was during this expedition that South America was discovered. Unfortunately, after this campaign, Christopher's health was undermined.

Unfortunately, because of the discoveries of Christopher, settlements of the Spaniards were created on the colonized lands due to the fact that the Indians were killed and their culture was severely destroyed.

Many believe that Christopher discovered America. In fact, the researchers proved that the Normans were the first to discover America, but the travels of Christopher were historically significant. It was after him that research began on a new part of the world. Thanks to the navigator, new products appeared in Europe brought from America, and interest in geography and geology increased. Many contemporaries of Christopher began to go to America in search of wealth, they found pearls and other jewelry in large quantities.

Many places were named after the navigator, such as rivers, counties, states, cities, waterfalls, streets, parks, and so on.

The navigator died in the spring of 1506.

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Biography of Columbus Christopher about the main thing

Christopher Columbus is one of the most famous navigators, travelers and discoverers. He was born in 1451 in Spain. He studied at the University of Pavia, where he received an excellent education. He spent almost his entire life sailing, and in 1472 he went on his first expedition, where he reached the Mediterranean Sea. After 4 years, he reached Portugal and from there went to the North Atlantic.

In 1484, Columbus met with the Portuguese king and wanted to convince him to assemble an expedition to the west of Asia, but was refused. Without thinking twice, the navigator leaves for Castile. There he negotiates with the Queen of Castile and her husband that he will be awarded all sorts of titles and positions, the continents of which he will discover.

After 4 years, the expedition was ready and set off on a journey. The first thing Columbus discovered was the Bahamas. Then came the discovery of Cuba and the island of Hispaniola.

In 1493 his ship ran aground and the navigator returned to Castile. In connection with the discovery of new lands, the idea arose to create another expedition. Six months later, several ships left Cadiz and headed for the Atlantic. Several more islands are discovered there, and Columbus heads to the previously discovered Hispaniola. He learns that all the inhabitants have become victims of the local natives. The navigator decides to establish a settlement there and calls La Isabela.

In 1494 Columbus discovered Jamaica as a result of another successful expedition. And two years later he returns to his homeland. He understands that it is impossible to stop there and collects a group with which he sets sail along the shores of South America. Being near the Ganges, Columbus encountered the Indians, who demanded that the Europeans leave the open lands, and in 1503 the navigator decides to return. A year later, Christopher Columbus dies, having made a great contribution to world history.

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Interesting facts and dates from life

The content of the article

COLUMBUS, CHRISTOPHER(Cristoforo Colombo, Cristobal Colon) (1451–1506), Spanish navigator who discovered America. Italian by birth. Born in Genoa between August 25 and October 31, 1451 in the family of woolen weaver Domenico Colombo. In 1470 he began to actively participate in commercial transactions (until 1473 under the leadership of his father). In 1474–1479 he made several voyages as part of the trading expeditions of the Genoese company Centurione Negro: he visited the island of Chios, England, Ireland, the islands of Porto Santo and Madeira. In 1476 he settled in Portugal. In 1482-1484 he visited the Azores and the Guinean coast (fort Sao Jorge da Mina).

In the early 1480s, he began to develop a project for sailing to the shores of East Asia by the western route across the Atlantic Ocean; the works of Aristotle, Seneca, Pliny the Elder, Strabo, Plutarch, Albert the Great and Roger Bacon prompted him to this idea, and the Florentine cartographer Paolo Toscanelli (1397–1482) was his main inspiration. In 1484 he presented his project to the Portuguese king João II (1481–1495). However, in the spring of 1485, the Mathematical Junta (Lisbon Academy of Astronomy and Mathematics) recognized Columbus's calculations as "fantastic". In the summer of 1485 he left for Spain (Castile) and in January 1486 proposed his project to the Spanish royal couple - Ferdinand II of Aragon (1479–1516) and Isabella I of Castile (1474–1504), who created a special commission for its consideration, headed by E. de Talavera. In the summer of 1487, the commission issued an unfavorable opinion; nevertheless, Ferdinand and Isabella postponed the decision until the end of the war with the Emirate of Granada.

In the autumn of 1488, Columbus visited Portugal to re-propose his project to Juan II, but was again refused and returned to Spain. In 1489, he unsuccessfully tried to interest the regent of France, Anne de Beaugh, and two Spanish grandees, Dukes Enrique Medinasidonia and Luis Medinaceli, with the idea of ​​sailing west. But after the fall of Granada, with the support of influential patrons at the Spanish court, he was able to achieve the consent of Ferdinand and Isabella: on April 17, 1492, the royal couple entered into an agreement (“surrender”) with Columbus in Santa Fe, granting him a noble rank, the titles of Admiral of the Sea-Ocean, Vice - the king and governor-general of all the islands and continents that he discovers. The position 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 with overseas goods. The Spanish crown undertook to finance most of the expenses of the expedition.

Ivan Krivushin

Christopher Columbus- the famous Spanish navigator of the fifteenth century. He was born in 1451 in Italy in a poor family. However, thanks to his lively mind, he received a good education - he graduated from the University of Pavia, and then married the daughter of one of the seafarers of that time, which could play a role in the future choice of profession.

Columbus was trying to find the shortest sea route from Europe to India. In total, he made 4 such voyages, and during the first of them he discovered America, but during his lifetime he never found out about it.

First sea voyage

In those days, it was believed that if you swim across the Atlantic Ocean, you can immediately find yourself in Asia, on the coast of China. Geographer Paolo Toscanelli calculated that in order to get to the Asian coast across the Atlantic, you need to swim 5600 km, Columbus made all the necessary calculations and it turned out that it was at this distance that he discovered land. He was sure that he had opened the way to India, so he called the locals Indians.

He prepared for the first campaign for a very long time - more than ten years. Went on different ships, visited many places. All this time he was engaged in self-education, corresponded with many scientists of that time. The main problem was that for a long time he could not find a sponsor for this expedition and was constantly refused. As a result, he went on his first campaign only in 1492, having received the patronage of the Spanish Queen Isabella.

Subsequent sea voyages

After returning from the first campaign, Columbus showed off the gold jewelry that he received from the locals. The King and Queen of Spain quickly organized another expedition, during which Columbus was able to better explore new lands.

But to his misfortune, in 1498 he opened the way to India through Africa and began to trade. Against the background of this achievement, all the discoveries of Columbus were forgotten, because he never managed to start trading with new lands, and the open territories at that time did not bring any practical benefit.

Columbus died in 1506 in poverty. From his last campaign, he returned seriously ill and could not resist the creditors who took away all his property.

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