Who was Christopher Columbus ?

Columbus was a believer in the spherical nature of the world (some Christians still held the view that the world was flat).

An ambitious man, Christopher Columbus hoped to find a Western trade route to the lucrative spice markets in Asia. Rather than sailing East, he hoped that sailing west would lead to countries like Japan and China.

His first voyage into the Atlantic Ocean in 1476 nearly cost him his life as the commercial fleet he was sailing with was attacked by French privateers off the coast of Portugal.

To gain the necessary funding and support for his journeys, he approached the Catholic Monarchs of Spain. As part of his offer, he said that he hoped to be able to spread Christianity to ‘heathen lands’ in the east.

His ship was burned and Columbus had to swim to the Portuguese shore. He made his way to Lisbon, Portugal, where he eventually settled and married Felipa Perestrello.

Columbus’ first voyage was completed in 1492. He had intended to sail to Japan, but ended up in the Bahamas, which he named San Salvador.

The couple had one son, Diego, around 1480. His wife died soon after, and Columbus moved to Spain.

Columbus made a total of four journeys, where he sailed extensively around the Caribbean islands of Cuba, Jamaica, the Bahamas and also to the mainland, to places such as Panama.

He had a second son, Fernando, who was born out of wedlock in 1488 with Beatriz Enriquez de Arana.

Columbus was not the first person to reach America. Previous successful voyages included a Norse expedition led by Leif Ericson. However, Columbus was the first to travel to America and establish permanent settlements. Columbus’ voyages and reports, over the next 400 years encouraged all the major European powers to seek to colonise parts of America.

After participating in several other expeditions to Africa, Columbus gained knowledge of the Atlantic currents flowing east and west from the Canary Islands.

As part of the deal, the Spanish monarchy appointed Columbus Viceroy and Governor of the Indies in the island of Hispaniola. He also delegated the governorship to his brothers.

The Asian islands near China and India were fabled for their spices and gold, making them an attractive destination for Europeans.

in 1500, on the orders of the Spanish monarchy, Columbus was arrested and placed in chains. There were allegations of incompetence, misrule and barbaric practices in the governorship of the new colonies.

Since Muslim domination of the trade routes through the Middle East made travel eastward difficult, Columbus devised a route to sail west across the Atlantic to reach Asia, believing it would be quicker and safer.

After several weeks in jail, Columbus and his brothers were released, but Columbus was not allowed to be governor of Hispaniola anymore.

He estimated the earth to be a sphere and the distance between the Canary Islands and Japan to be about 2,300 miles.

Columbus died in 1506, aged 54 from a heart attack related to reactive arthritis. Undoubtedly, the rigours of travelling across the seas weighed upon Columbus’ health. Towards the end of his life, he was frequently in pain from his journeys.

He estimated the earth to be a sphere and the distance between the Canary Islands and Japan to be about 2,300 miles.

Columbus is venerated by many European Americans as the man who helped put America on the map. Columbus Day is observed on 12 October in Spain and across the Americas.

Many contemporary nautical experts disagreed. They adhered to the (now known to be accurate) second-century BC estimate of the Earth's circumference at 25,000 miles,

which made the actual distance between the Canary Islands and Japan about 12,200 statute miles.

Despite their disagreement with Columbus on matters of distance, they concurred that a westward voyage from Europe would be an uninterrupted water route.

Columbus proposed a three-ship voyage of discovery across the Atlantic first to the Portuguese king,

Others take a more critical view of Columbus, arguing that his “discovery” was not really a discovery if the land was already populated and that through his actions the ensuing European colonisations led to the mistreatment and genocide of the native American people who already lived there.