Christopher Columbus

Cristoforo Colombo (Italian) also known as the famous Christopher Columbus was the head navigator and admiral of the 15th century known for his four most important transatlantic voyages held during 1492–93, 1493–96, 1498–1500, and 1502–04, that had lead to European exploration, exploitation, and colonization of the Americas. Since then, Christopher Columbus was known as the “discoverer” of the New World. He is said to be born between August 26 and October 31, 1451, in Genoa, Italy, to a wool weaver who worked both in Genoa and Savona and who also owned a cheese stand at which young Christopher worked as a helper. He had 3 brothers and a sister who was also a part of the helping hand for his father’s business.

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Between the 15th and 16th centuries, it was a tradition for the leaders of different European nations to sponsor expeditions across the ocean for a hope that these explorers would find various riches and untouched habitable lands. When Columbus was a teenager, he was said to have a job on a merchant ship which was then attacked by the pirates during 1476, while sailing across the Portuguese coast. The boat unfortunately sank but Columbus was lucky to float ashore on a wooden board and ended up in Lisbon. There, he studied for several years in mathematics, cartography, astronomy, and navigation.  

During the 15th century, sailing to Asia, where the land was rich in spices and other materials, was extremely difficult and almost impossible to reach by land from Europe. Hence the Portuguese explorers decided to go there by sea. However, Columbus was brilliant with his new and improved idea of going west and not having the difficulty of travelling around the great African continent, and to take the earlier undiscovered Northwest Passage. Years of planning and hard work had been disapproved by English and Portuguese officials until the year 1492, where the Spanish monarchs, Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, had believed in his work and trusted that Columbus will be able to bring in fame and fortune as he craved for it. His first voyage was set to sail on August 3rd, 1492, with 3 ships known as the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. 

During this voyage, he makes the unexpected discovery of the Americas while in trying to search for rich merchandise and spices. Instead, he stumbles upon the land with far more futuristic opportunities. This discovery was the birth of the history of America and also the uncovering and interactions with the Indians. In this journey, Columbus kept a journal that dated between August 3rd till November 6th that includes all his experiences such as encountering the wildlife, his impression on the locals, and how he used them as slaves. This journal was later gifted to Isabella. Further journeys across the ocean to the Americas were mainly to take control of the land. It is known that Columbus considered these Indians as an obstacle in his plan and enforced slavery to help get riches and concur new lands.   In the end, the legacy of Columbus is still controversial, as he is remembered as a daring explorer yet with actions that devastated the indigenous population. It was his discovery and action that shaped the history of America.  

Written by: Ramisha Rahman

Reference: Britannica, Christopher Biography    

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