Christopher Columbus (1451-20 May 1506) was an Italian explorer, navigator, and colonizer who was employed by Spain during the 1490s and 1500s. Columbus completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean, establishing permanent settlements on the island of Hispaniola after discovering the Bahamas and other Antilles islands in 1492. While Columbus was not the first European explorer to arrive in the Americas, his discovery of several Caribbean islands led to Spain's conquest of the two continents.
Biography[]
Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, Republic of Genoa in 1451, and he worked as a business agent and trader for the House of Spinola during the 1470s and 1480s, travelling to West Africa from 1482 to 1485 as a merchant for the Centurione family. Columbus learned Latin, Portuguese, and Spanish, and he sought to become an explorer. In January 1492, Columbus successfully convinced King Fernando II of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile to fund a voyage to the Indian Subcontinent, and they promised to make Columbus Admiral of the Ocean Sea and the viceroy of any new lands that he discovered; he would also be given 10% of all of those lands' revenues. On 3 August 1492, Columbus and his expedition departed from Palos de la Frontera, sailing aboard the caravels Nina and Pinta and the carrack Santa Maria. Instead of heading for India, however, the Spanish instead crossed the Atlantic Ocean into the unexplored Americas, unaware of their destination. On 12 October 1492, Columbus' men landed in the Bahamas, which they named "San Salvador". The Lucayans were peaceful and friendly, but Columbus had many natives arrested and forced them to show him where the gold for their gold earrings came from. On 28 October, Columbus landed on the island of Cuba, and then on Hispaniola on 5 December. On 13 January 1493, after a fight with the Ciguayos of northeast Hispaniola, the Spanish and a few native slaves began to sail back to Spain; only around seven or eight of the 10-25 native slaves survived the voyage. Columbus and his crew landed in Portugal on 4 March 1493, and word of his discoveries spread across Europe. Columbus was appointed Governor of the West Indies by the King and Queen, who celebrated his discovery and decided to colonize the Americas.
On 24 September 1493, Columbus, 17 ships, and 1,200 settlers departed on a second voyage to the New World, with priests, farmers, soldiers, and a few free Africans being among the explorers. On 3 November 1493, Columbus discovered the island of Dominica, and he discovered many of the islands of the Lesser Antilles. That same month, he landed on the island of Puerto Rico, naming it San Juan Bautista; the name of the colony would later become the name of its capital, San Juan. He returned to Spain in early 1498, having established a few more settlements.
Columbus' third voyage occurred on 30 May 1498, when he left Salucar, Spain with six ships. On 31 July 1498, he discovered the island of Trinidad, and he touched the South American mainland at the Paria Peninsula in Venezuela on 12 August 1498. Columbus had an unwelcome reception on Hispaniola, where the people rebelled against his rule due to their being misled about the riches of the island. In 1500, the crown responded by having him removed from his post as governor and transported him back to Spain in chains.
In 1502, however, the crown allowed for him to make another voyage to the New World. On 11 May 1502, he left Cadiz with his flagship Santa Maria and three escort ships, and he attempted to dock at Santo Domingo in Hispaniola on 29 Jun eas a hurricane brewed. Governor Francisco de Bobadilla refused to listen to his storm prediction, and Columbus was forced to dock at the mouth of the Rio Jaina. Columbus' ships survived the storm, while the hurricane destroyed 29 of the 30 ships in Spain's first treasure fleet, killing 500 people (including Bobadilla) and surrendering an immense cargo of gold to the sea. From July to December 1502, Columbus visited the coast of Central America, exploring Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. On 25 June 1503, his ships were beached at St. Anne's Bay in Jamaica, and he and his men remained stranded on the island for a year. On 7 November 1504, Columbus and his men returned to Salucar, Spain, and he died in Valladolid in 1506 at the age of 54.