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Christopher columbus example #2

Christopher Columbus was an explorer, navigator and colonizer from Genoa, Italy. His voyages across the Atlantic led to the discovery of America while trying to find an all water route to India and China. “ In the 19th century, Christopher Columbus was regarded as one of the most heroic and significant figures of his or any age. The Admiral of the Ocean Seas was celebrated throughout the Americas as a visionary who braved the unknown on a mission of discovery that created a New World” (The American journey p18). He had four voyages that where all funded by Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand.

Although Christopher Columbus was not the first to reach America from Europe, the voyage of 1492 occurred at a critical time of economic competition between countries seeking wealth by establishing an all water trade route to Asia. Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand bought into the idea and funded his journeys. He followed his planned course to India but instead landed in the Bahamas mistaking it for India. Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa in 1451; this is part of modern day Italy. His father was a middle-class wool weaver, who also had a cheese stand where Christopher would help.

Christopher Columbus also had become a chart maker for a period of time. In 1473 Columbus began his apprenticeship becoming a business agent for the important Centurion families of Genoa. In 1476 Christopher was part of an armed convoy sent by Genoa to bring valuables to Europe. He still continued trading for Centurion families and later married Filipa Moniz Perestrello, who was well off in life, daughter of the Porto Santo governor. Columbus had become a great sailor and was working for the Portuguese merchant service by his early thirties.

By the time he was 31 or 32, Columbus had become a master mariner in the Portuguese merchant service”. (Christopher Columbus p2) European merchants always had fairly easy and safe land travel to Asia until the “ Fall of Constantinople” to the Turks in 1453 the land route to Asia became much more difficult and dangerous to carry goods because there was a high chance they would be stolen and the person transporting them killed. By 1480 Columbus thought of a plan to sail due west across the Atlantic Ocean and hit the east coast of Asia.

In 1485 Columbus presented his idea to John II, the King of Portugal. He asked the King for three sturdy ships and to give him one year to sail the Atlantic ocean as far west to find a all water route to Asia. Columbus also requested to be made “ Great Admiral of the Ocean” made governor of any land discovered and given 10 percent of revenue from those lands discovered. The king submitted the proposition to his experts and the turned it down. The king’s experts thought that the distance Columbus estimated of 2, 400 miles was muchto short of a distance.

Three years later Columbus went before the king and court of Portugal again this visit turned out to be the same as the last three years earlier. This time it failed to be approved because a man named Bartholomeu Dias returned to Portugal with news of success rounding the Southern most tip of Africa to make a route to Asia. Columbus also made his proposition to Venice and Genoa but they gave no interest in return. Columbus also tried to see if England would be interested in his proposition of finding a westward route to Asia.

But by the time England had considered it, the invitation to come talk had come to late. Columbus had already made contract with Spain. Spain’s royal advisers thought that Columbus had miscalculated the distance much to short just as Portugal’s advisors had thought and advised her to pass on the expedition. But to keep their options open and to keep him from taking his proposition somewhere else they paid Columbus a annual allowance of 12, 000 maravedis and gave him a certified letter stating that all cities and towns in their kingdom provide him with lodging and food at no cost to him.

After two years of Spain paying him in this way Columbus finally had a break through in his efforts. Spain had just defeated Granada and where broke from the campaign against Granada. In order to indorse the exploration they used royal treasure. And Columbus received half of the funding from Italian investors he and been lining up for help. Columbus made a contract with Spain stating that if he discovered new land he would receive many rewards. For power he was given the title “ Admiral of the Ocean Sea” and made governor of any land discovered.

He also asked for ten percent of all profit made there but was denied. “ Our will is, that you, Christopher Columbus, after discovering and conquering the said Islands and Continent in the said ocean, or any of them, shall be our Admiral of the said Islands and Continent you shall so discover and conquer; and that you be our Admiral, Vice-Roy, and Governour in them, and that for the future, you may call and stile yourself, D. Christopher Columbus” (Privileges and prerogatives granted to Columbus p 39) Columbus was only one of many men that believed in sailing westward to land.

But what set him apart from the rest was his persistence and determination of his dreams of sailing west. Columbus continually seeking help for funding of his voyage but was denied over and over. After eight years of being persistent with his dream of sailing west was final funded by the Spanish finally willing to take a chance. “ His idea that Asia could be reached by sailing west — with a New World discovered along the way — fell on deaf ears. For seven years he sought approval for his voyage — and the financial backing of a world power”.

Christopher Columbus’ Main Sale p1) After being funded by Spain Christopher Columbus’s set out on his first expedition on August 3rd, 1492 sailing from Palos, Spain with three vessels the Santa Maria which was commanded by Columbus and two smaller ships the Pinta and the Nina. They first sailed to the Canary Islands where they got supplies and made previsions and repairs. After leaving the Canary Islands they sailed due west from September 6th until October 7th when they changed their course to southwest. On October 12th Land was sighted at 2 a. . on 12 October 1492, by a sailor named Rodrigo de Triana they landed on to a small island that Columbus name San Salvador which is now the Bahamas.

“ The land was first seen by a sailor called Rodrigo de Triana, although the Admiral at ten o’clock that evening standing on the quarter-deck saw a light, but so small a body that he could not affirm it to be land . . .. At two o’clock in the morning the land was discovered; they took in sail and remained . . . lying to till day, which was Friday, when they found themselves near a small island. (Christopher Columbus: Excerpts from his 1492 Journal p68) They concord this island for Spain and explored other islands around San Salvador.

On October 27th they arrived to Cuba and later on in December they landed at Hispaniola. On Christmas Eve the Santa Maria wreaked on the north coast of Hispaniola. Columbus left men here to start a colony and he left out for Spain to report what they had found. Upon returning they where welcomed back with a nice reception and due to his contract with Spain they made him “ Admiral of the Ocean Sea” and governor of all the new lands he had discovered and that he would discover.

On his second expedition he was given 17 ships that had 1, 500 colonists aboard. They sailed out on October of 1493. When they arrived to Hispaniola they discovered the men and colony he had left there to build had been destroyed by Native Americans. They founded a new colony nearby and sailed off in the summer of 1494 to explore the coast of Cuba. While exploring Cuba the stumbled upon Jamaica and returned to the colony when they arrived here he discovered that all the people was interested in was gold.

He tried to enforce discipline made some of the people mad so they seize vessels to go back to Spain and complain about the way Columbus was implementing things. Columbus left shortly behind and returned to Spain in 1496. On his third expedition two years later in 1498, He was forced to take convicts as colonist this was highly due to bad reports on the conditions of living in Hispaniola and the excitement of the new world was starting to go away. On this expedition he sailed even further south and landed in Trinidad. Columbus sailed across the mouth of the Orinoco River where present day Venezuela is.

Realizing he saw another continent he quickly left back to check on the colony in Hispaniola. In 1500 Spain sent over a independent governor to administer to things because of reports from the people on the terrible conditions and sent Christopher Columbus back in chains. Columbus was immediately released upon arriving to Spain. Columbus set out on his fourth expedition two years later after finally gathering four ships. By going on this fourth expedition he hoped to regain his reputation by sailing far enough west and still find lands answering to the name of Asia or Japan.

He ran into the coast of Honduras in Central America and headed south along its shore, suffering from hardships the whole way. Trying to go seek refuge in Hispaniola they got caught in a storm off the coast of Cuba their ships received to much damage to travel further and they where beached in Jamaica for a year. After his rescue he was forced to return to Spain and abandon his thought off any more expeditions. Even though Christopher Columbus was not the first European explorer to sail westward in search of the New World his expeditions where very important in the westward establishment and colonizing of Europe in the America’s.

Even though Spain neglected to pay Columbus his riches of titles and wealth due to him being relived as governor Spain felt that they no longer owed him anything that was stated in the contract. Although Columbus did not get his riches he was still considered well off when he still died. “ Our national capitol district was named in his honor because he opened the door to a new era of freedom that America represents”. (The American Journey p18) He is still well known for his accomplishments and is mentioned still to this day as the man who discovered America.

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