Christopher Columbus years of life and what he discovered. What did Christopher Columbus discover? Discoveries of Christopher Columbus. Parting words of the august persons of Spain before the departure of the expedition of Columbus

Hi Hi! Today is the time of great geographical discoveries, and I want to talk about Columbus.

Christopher Columbus, whose biography is very fascinating, will help us better imagine the history of the discovery of America.

We will consider all his expeditions to the New World with the most interesting details.

(1451 - 1506) - the great Spanish navigator of Italian origin. He made four transatlantic expeditions to America.

Columbus was born in the Italian Republic of Genoa. His family included three younger brothers (Bartolomeo, Giovanni Pellegrino and Giacomo) and a younger sister (Biancinetta).

In the expeditions of Columbus to the new world after 1492, Bartolomeo and Giacomo took part and they were called in Spanish Bartolome and Diego. Christopher Columbus became a sailor very early and sailed in the Mediterranean on merchant ships in 1474 and 1475. from Genoa to about. Chios.

In May 1476, Columbus, as a clerk of a Genoese trading house, went to Portugal, where he lived for 9 years.

Columbus sailed under the Portuguese flag to Ireland and England, and possibly Iceland. He also visited the Canary Islands and Madeira and traveled along the west coast of Africa to the Portuguese trading post of San Jorjima Mina (modern Ghana).

In Portugal, he married and became a member of a mixed Italian-Portuguese family. He soon suggested that by moving west one could arrive in Asia.

Columbus, around 1483, tried to interest the Portuguese king João II with his plan of an expedition to Asia by the western route. But the king, for unknown reasons, refused Columbus.

Columbus left Portugal in 1485 and decided to try his luck in Spain. Early in 1486, while the royal court was in Alcalá de Henaresi, Columbus received an audience with the king and queen.

Queen Isabella of Castile and her husband, King Ferdinand of Aragon, became interested in the Columbus project.

They assured Columbus that they could support him after the end of the long war to free Granada from the Moors.

While he was waiting for the end of the war, he met a young woman, Beatriz Henriquez de Arana. Despite the fact that they never married, their son Hernando (Fernando) was born in 1488.

During the fourth voyage of Columbus across the Atlantic Ocean, Fernando accompanied him. He later wrote a biography of his father.

During the deposition of Granada in January 1492, he was invited to the court. In May, the monarchs agreed to support Columbus's project and promised to give him the title of nobility and the titles of admiral, viceroy and governor-general of all the continents and islands that he would discover.

Representatives of the Seville merchants gave money to equip the expedition. The sailors of the port city of Palos, at the request of the monarchs, provided two ships for the expedition of Columbus.

These were two caravels: "Pinta" and "Nina". In addition, he chartered a 4-masted sailboat (nao), which was named "Santa Maria".

Columbus, with the help of famous sailor Martin Alonso Pinzón, recruited a crew of 90 men. On August 3, 1492, 3 ships left Palos. First, a small flotilla headed for the Canary Islands.

In September 1492, the Columbus expedition repaired their ships and replenished provisions, after which they left the island of Homer in the Canary archipelago and headed west.

Columbus and other pilots used a navigation system that was based on calculating the direction, time and speed of movement while plotting the course of the ship and fixing its position.

The direction they determined by the compass(more about types of compass), time (about the concept of time) - with the help of an hourglass, and speed - by eye. In the logbook, Columbus kept two systems for calculating distances: one for himself and the other for the crew.

He didn't try to fool the team, contrary to legend. On the contrary, he apparently calculated the course first in units that he had learned in Portugal and Italy, and then translated these figures into measurements that were adopted by Spanish sailors.

The journey proceeded calmly, with fair winds and almost no quarrels on the part of the crew. The watchman on the "Pinta" J. Rodriguez Bermejo, on October 12, at two o'clock, saw a fire ahead. Vessels at dawn, near an island in the archipelago of the Bahamas, anchored.

The Tubilians from the Taino tribe called this island Guanahani, and Columbus renamed it San Salvador. Christopher Columbus called the Tubilians Indians, believing that he was in Asia(more about this part of the world).

The flotilla, with the help of the Indians, continued its journey in the waters of the Bahamas and reached Cuba on October 28.

Columbus all this time was looking for the rich ports of Asia in vain. Without the permission of Columbus, Captain Pinson left Cuba and went in search of new lands on the Pinta in order to establish trade with the Tubilians.

On the two remaining ships, Columbus went to a large island, which he called Hispanyola (translated as "Spanish Island", now Haiti), and explored its northern coast.

The Santa Maria, through the fault of a young shift sailor, ran aground on Christmas morning and crashed. Columbus, on the only ship "Nina", reached the shore and fell asleep for the first time in the New World of the settlement - Fort Navidad, in which he left 39 people.

On January 4, 1493, Columbus prepared to return to Spain on the Nina, and sailed east along the northern coast of Hispaniola. Soon Pinzón joined him, and on January 16, Nina and Pinta set off for Spain.

As proof that he had reached a part of the world previously unknown to Europeans, he took 7 Indians with him. A fair wind after a while drove his ship to the Azores.

The Spaniards reached the coast of Portugal on March 4, and stopped there to rest and repair ships. Columbus paid a courtesy call to King João II and sailed for Spain on March 13. Nina arrived in Palos 2 days later.

Columbus was warmly welcomed by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. In addition to the privileges that they promised him earlier, they gave permission for a larger second expedition.

Christopher Columbus assured them that near the islands he had discovered, there was a rich Asian mainland, where he wanted to establish a colony.

Columbus's plans were supported by Ferdinand and Isabella, they provided him with people and ships to go to Hispaniola. The queen ordered that the Tubilians be converted to the Christian faith.

Columbus easily found 1,200 people who agreed to ride with him as future settlers. On September 25, 1493, a flotilla of 17 ships (including 3 large ships) set off from Cadiz and reached the Canary Islands on October 2, and 10 days later went across the Atlantic Ocean.

Columbus landed on one of the islands of the Caribbean on November 3, and named it Dominica. From there, to the coast of Hispaniola, he sailed along the Lesser Antilles and the Virgin Islands.

To the surprise of those who arrived, it turned out that all 39 people left in Navidad in January were killed (this was mainly due to clashes with the Tubilians).

Columbus, despite this, founded a new settlement, and named it La Isabella in honor of the Queen of Spain (January 1494). The place for the settlement, unfortunately, was chosen unsuccessfully: there was no fresh water nearby, and therefore it was soon abandoned.

In addition to searching for gold and locating the ports of the "Great Khanate of China", Columbus was engaged in the slave trade.

He and his people, armed with arquebuses, along with horses and fighting dogs, passed through the territory of Hispaniola, changing gold, and if they met resistance, they beat off the gold by force and captured the prisoners.

Columbus left his brother Diego to manage Hispaniola. And in the spring of 1494 he made an expedition along the southern coast of Cuba, discovering a number of new islands, including Jamaica.

In Hispaniola, during the absence of Columbus, 3 ships arrived under the command of his brother Bartolome. He found the colony in a state of chaos.

These ships were captured by a group of disappointed colonists who fled to their homeland. In March 1495, Columbus began the conquest of Hispaniola using barbarian methods. During this conquest, thousands of Indians were captured or killed.

The Spanish monarchs were upset by this message, and J. Aguado was sent to check the affairs, who, at the end of 1495, confirmed their worst expectations: among the Indians, the death rate was very high, mainly due to the cruel policy of the colonists.

The number of Europeans, in addition, significantly decreased due to disease and desertion. On March 10, 1496, Columbus went to Spain, and instead of himself on Hispaniola left his brother Bartolome, and on June 11, 1496 arrived in Cadiz.

Isabella and Ferdinand in 1496 no longer hoped that they would be able to quickly benefit from Columbus' projects.

Columbus, despite all the accusations of lack of management ability, managed to convince the monarchs to give permission for third expedition .

He could use 1 nao and 2 caravels to search for new lands, as well as 3 more caravels to bring new colonists and food to Hispaniola.

Near the island of Gomera, the flotilla was divided, which left the mouth of the Guadalquivir on May 30, 1498. The course for Espanyola was taken by 3 ships.

On the other three ships, Columbus went south, reached the Cape Verde Islands, and on July 7 turned west. On July 31, he discovered the island of Trinidad, and then headed northwest to the shores of America.

After that, he discovered a wide delta, some kind of river (in modern Venezuela, the Orinoco River), and realized that there was a huge landmass there.

After surveying the coast in the Orinoco Delta and discovering about. Margherita, Columbus went to Hispaniola, where Bartolome and Diego could not clean up.

Isabella and Ferdinand, concerned about Columbus' reports, sent F. de Bobadillo to investigate the affairs of the colony.

He quickly assessed the situation, and arrested all three brothers of Christopher Columbus, confiscated all their money, shackled them, and sent them to Spain in December 1500.

Immediately after their return, Columbus was called to Granada. The monarchs convinced the Genoese that they never ordered him to be kept in shackles. However, until September 1501, they delayed the consideration of his applications for the renewal of rights.

Ferdinand and Isabella returned all the property and part of the titles to Columbus, but did not leave any power. Also, the monarchs for a long time did not give their consent to a new expedition. They began to create a new structure for managing the colonies, and N. de Ovando was appointed governor of Hispaniola.

In February 1502, Owando sailed for the Caribbean region in 30 ships with a large group of settlers.

new expedition Columbus was allowed to lead only in March 1502. The flotilla of the fourth expedition of Columbus consisted of 4 small caravels.

On May 11, 1502, the admiral, who was 51 years old, and his 13-year-old son Hernando sailed from Cadiz on the flagship.

On May 25, they left the Canary Islands, crossed the Atlantic, and on June 15 reached the island that Columbus named Martinique.

The flotilla reached Hispaniola on June 29, passing along the islands of the Antilles archipelago. Columbus and his companions soon made a new journey, which took place mainly along the coasts of Central America.

The admiral no longer believed that he was in Asia. On the territory of modern Panama lived the Guai Indians, who traded gold with the expedition members, but they opposed all the methods of the Europeans to establish a settlement.

Guayami forced the Spaniards in May 1503 to leave the coast of Central America. One of the ships sank in the sea, and the remaining three ships barely kept afloat.

Columbus left another ship, and then went to Jamaica, near the coast of which, the ships ran aground.

Columbus spent a whole year in Jamaica until a ship from Hispaniola rescued him at the end of June 1504. Only in November 1504, Columbus was able to return to Spain.

On May 21, 1506, Columbus died in the Spanish city of Valladolidi. He died never knowing that he was the discoverer of the New World.

In 1513, his coffin was transferred to Seville, and then, around 1542, it was reburied in the cathedral of the city of Santo Domingo (now the Dominican Republic).

Yes, the process of discovery and development of the New World by the colonists was so interesting and difficult. And Christopher Columbus helped us get acquainted with this, whose biography told us everything🙂

He was immortalized by his expeditions, during which he was the first European traveler to enter the Caribbean Sea and the first person to cross the Atlantic Ocean. And, of course, the honor of discovering America also belongs to him, although the continent was not named after him. In total, the traveler undertook 4 expeditions organized by order of the Spanish kings.

First expedition. It was attended by three ships and 100 crew members. The ships sailed in August 1492. Columbus' original target was Japan (then known as "Chipangu"), not India, as many believe. During the voyage, the ships entered the Caribbean Sea, the Bahamas, Haiti, as well as several islands that later belonged to Cuba were discovered. During this particular expedition, the foot of a European first set foot on the land of South America. Nevertheless, all open lands were considered East Asia - the outskirts of India, China or Japan, which is why these territories were called the West Indies for a very long time.

Second trip. This expedition was truly grandiose - 17 ships and more than 1500 crew members left Spain on September 25, 1493. Since the purpose of the voyage was to organize a permanent colony, the team included not only sailors, but also priests, nobles, courtiers, officials. They brought cattle, seeds and vines with them. The result was the conquest of Hispaniola and the beginning of the extermination of the natives. Columbus also managed to pave the most convenient route to the West Indies, discover the Virgin and Lesser Antilles, Jamaica and Puerto Rico. The southern coast of Cuba was carefully explored. At the same time, all participants were sure that they were in Western India.

Third voyage. At this time, Columbus was limited in funds for the expedition, so the flotilla consisted of 6 small ships, on which there were approximately 300 crew members, some of whom were prisoners. The ships left Spain at the end of May 1498. Columbus' goal this time was gold, which he hoped to find near the equator. On reaching the Canary Islands, he sent half of the ships to Hispaniola, he himself led the remaining three to the Cape Verde Islands, and then to the south-west. So Trinidad was discovered, and soon after that Columbus was forced to return to Hispaniola due to illness. At this time, the colonists raised a rebellion in Hispaniola, which ended with the introduction of enslavement of the Indians for the colonists. After he opened the way to India, the Spanish king abolished Columbus' monopoly on the lands of Hispaniola and declared that they were the property of the Spanish crown.

Fourth voyage. Columbus made a new attempt to prove that the path from the lands he discovered to South Asia exists, on May 9, 1502. The expedition included 5 ships. It was possible to open the island of Martinique, as well as reach the coast of Central America. Columbus also proved that it was impossible to get into the South Sea (which the Indians told him about) through the Atlantic Ocean. In 1503, Columbus was forced to land in Jamaica, from where he and the surviving members of the expedition were taken only at the end of June 1504 by a ship equipped at the expense of the navigator himself.

Once Christopher Columbus uttered a sacramental phrase: "The world is small", which became, in fact, the leitmotif of his whole life. In a little more than 50 years of his life, this greatest navigator managed to make as many discoveries and bring untold wealth to the whole of Europe, as it is impossible to do even in a few centuries. Whatever he did, and as soon as the navigator did not beg the Catholic kings, in order to achieve his main life goal - to make an expedition to the shores of the New World. In total, during his life, Columbus managed to make four voyages to the shores of America.

Columbus made his first sea voyage in 1492-1493. So, three ships under the names "Santa Maria", "Nina" and "Pinta", the total crew of which was 90 people, set sail in 1492, on August 3, from the port in Palos. The route was laid as follows: after the Canary Islands, the expedition went west across the Atlantic Ocean, as a result of which the Sargasso Sea was discovered, and then landed on one of the islands belonging to the Bahamas archipelago. Columbus christened it San Salvador, and it happened on October 12 in 1492, which is considered the official date of the discovery of America. Remarkably, for a long time there was an opinion that San Salvador is the current Watling. However, in 1986, the geographer J. Judge, an American, made a computer model of the expedition, which showed that Columbus was the first to see Samana Island, located at a distance of 120 km southeast of Watling Island.

From October 14 to October 24 of the same year, Columbus explored other Bahamas, but from October 28 to December 5, he discovered the territories of the northeast of the Cuban coast. December 6 was marked by a landing on the island of Haiti, after which the expedition proceeded along the northern coast. However, on the night of December 24-25, the Santa Maria collided with a reef, but the flagship crew managed to escape, and the expedition was forced to turn to the coast of Spain.

March 15, 1493 "Nina", the crew of which was led by Columbus, and "Pinta" return to Castile. The navigator brings with him trophies, among which are the natives, whom the Europeans called the Indians, gold, unfamiliar vegetation, vegetables and fruits, and the plumage of some birds. Remarkably, Columbus was the first to use Indian hammocks instead of sailor bunks. The first expedition caused such a powerful response that the so-called "papal meridian" was laid, which determined in which direction Spain would open new lands, and in which direction - Portugal.

The second expedition took longer than the first - from September 25, 1493 to June 11, 1496, and it started from Cadiz. This time, 17 ships entered the flotilla, and their crew, according to various sources, numbered from 1.5 to 2.5 thousand people, including colonists who decided to try their luck on open lands. In addition to, in fact, people, the ships were loaded with livestock, seeds and seedlings, tools - everything that was necessary to create a public settlement. During this expedition, the colonists conquered Hispaniola, laid the city of Santo Domingo. The journey was marked by the discovery of the Virgin and Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico and Jamaica, in addition, the expedition continued to explore Cuba. Remarkably, Columbus continued to be sure that he was exploring western India, but not the territories of the new continent.

The third expedition started on May 30, 1498. This time it consisted of 6 ships with 300 crew members. It was marked by the discovery of the island of Trinidad, the exploration of the Orinoco Delta and several other lands. On August 20, 1499, Christopher Columbus returned to Hispaniola, where things were going badly. Remarkably, in 1498, Vasco de Gama discovered the real India, from where he returned with irrefutable evidence - spices, and Columbus was declared a deceiver. So, in 1499, Columbus was deprived of the monopoly right to discover new territories, he himself was arrested and taken to Castile. He was saved from imprisonment only by the patronage of major financiers who had influence on the royal couple.

The fourth and last voyage of Columbus

The last expedition was undertaken on May 9, 1502. This time the traveler was exploring the mainland of Central America, namely: Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua. By the way, this expedition was marked by the first acquaintance with the Mayan tribe. The purpose of this voyage was to search for the South Sea, that is, the Pacific Ocean, but the attempts were unsuccessful, and Columbus had to return to Castile in October 1504.

In general, the importance of the expeditions of Columbus cannot be overestimated, but his contemporaries treated them very negligently, realizing their value only after half a century after the death of the navigators, when ships began to bring huge amounts of gold and silver from Peru and Mexico. For reference, the royal treasury, when recalculated, spent only 10 kg of gold on the equipment of the first voyage, but she received many times more - 3 million kilograms of the treasured yellow metal.

«- Okay, take care of it! There are many memories associated with this suitcase.
- What memories? No trip...
- About all the trips we never took…»
Jack and Jill: Suitcase Love

Nowadays, everyone is hearing that the discovery of America belongs to a gentleman named Christopher Columbus. This is where the school program to cover such a grandiose event usually ends, and those who are interested have to independently search for the necessary information in the library and the Internet. At this moment, the most interesting thing comes: a person learns that with Columbus' visit to America, not everything is so simple. There is evidence that he was not at all the first there, that many years before his first steps along the shores of the New World, Scandinavian Vikings, Biscay fishermen and other travelers were already frolicking there.

Today we will try to go through all the stages of the discovery of America, which are known to us from reliable sources, and to establish who was the first to officially set foot on the coast of a new continent and declared it the New World.

Columbus expedition, 1492

The end of the 15th century, there are still many unexplored places on Earth where no human has ever set foot. Obsessed with great plans to conquer everything and everything, the Spaniards decide to create a Great Expedition to the Canary Islands, consisting of three high-speed caravels, one of which was the Santa Maria, a ship whose admiral was Christopher Columbus. Ahead of him were months of travel and one of the main achievements in the history of mankind. On August 3, 1492, the ship weighed anchor and set sail.

Admiral of all seas and oceans

In the spring of 1492, a few months before the expedition, Christopher Columbus, or, as the Spaniards called him, Don Cristoval Colon, was in an audience with the royal couple who ruled Spain. Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon invited the explorer to conclude an agreement according to which Christopher Columbus is recognized as the admiral of all seas and oceans, as well as a high-ranking governor of all lands and islands that he can discover during the journey. It would be unforgivable to refuse such an offer.

An additional incentive in the proposal of the kings was the fact that one-tenth of all the wealth, treasures and goods that Columbus manages to exchange or find in new lands, the traveler can take for himself, while the remaining nine-tenths will go to the royal treasury. It was a truly generous offer that could have made Columbus one of the richest men in Europe.

Along with the title and wealth, Don Cristoval Colon was offered guarantees that his title would be hereditary forever. He will also be able to retain his privileges for life in the unexplored lands of India discovered by him in advance. All participants in the journey were convinced that, setting sail to the West, Columbus would reach the eastern shores of India, but a surprise awaited them.

« The admiral decided to count the fractions of the way less than actually passed, in the event that the voyage turned out to be long, so that people would not be overcome by fear and confusion»

The true goals of Christopher Columbus

Despite all the royal promises, the true motives and ideas of Columbus about the Earth of that time remain the subject of controversy to this day. Historians recognize the significant contribution of the great traveler to the history of mankind and his influence on the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries. However, this does not change the fact that Columbus was driven more by mercantile interests than by an exploratory spirit.

A generous offer from the royal couple, as well as opportunities to discover new trade routes and the untold riches of the East, were much more interesting than perishing in the middle of a storm or dying of an unknown disease on unfamiliar shores. It was the thirst for money that became the main incentive for the accomplishment of the most striking geographical discoveries by travelers of those times.

However, if Columbus was prudent, then he also had no mind. Many modern historians assume that the discoverer knew in advance where he would sail. That there is no India beyond the Atlantic Ocean, there is a New Land, boundless and uninhabited. There were even rumors that Columbus had a certain map, on which the researchers noted not only the already discovered islands in the Atlantic Ocean, but also the east coast of the mainland, which would later be called South America.

IN In 1474, the Florentine scientist Paolo dal Pozzo Toscanelli, who devoted his life to astronomy, geography and mathematics, sent a letter to the Portuguese king in which he drew conclusions about the geography of our planet, given that it is a ball. Toscanelli argued that in this way India could be reached much faster by sailing across the Atlantic Ocean. There is evidence that Columbus somehow obtained this letter, or a copy of it, with an attached map showing new lands. However, no one has been able to prove it..

Conspiracy theories surrounding the discovery of America

Like any other high-profile scientific discovery, the Columbus voyage quickly acquired its conspiracy theories from detractors and simply because of a lack of information. We do not have the opportunity to check the events that took place in the 15th century, so conjectures and theories will continue to exist. These include the rumors that Columbus himself was looking for an opportunity to travel to the West, because he knew that there was a New Land, so he tried to persuade the kings to equip an expedition for him.

According to some theories, Columbus simply went along the "beaten path" from other navigators who discovered this route long before him. Indeed, to make such a desperate journey across the unfriendly Atlantic Ocean for the ships of those times seemed, if possible, then deadly.

Despite the fact that the majority of historians are of the opinion that it was Columbus who discovered America, there are many people, including respected ones in the scientific community, who suggest that the mainland was discovered long before the historic journey of Columbus in 1492. One of the main proponents of this theory was an Englishman named Gavin Menzies, who once wrote a book called 1421, or the Year China Discovered the World.

The public loves conspiracy theories, which is why Menzies's book has caused unrest among the masses. At the same time, the scientific community is in no hurry to take seriously everything said in this book.

« Thursday, 11 October. They sailed west-southwest. For all the time of the voyage, there had never been such excitement at sea. We saw "pardelas" and green reeds near the ship itself. People from the caravel "Pinta" noticed a reed and a branch and fished out a hewn, possibly iron, stick and a piece of reed, and other herbs that would be born on the earth, and one plank. People on the caravel "Ninya" saw other signs of the earth and a twig dotted with wild rose berries. Everyone was inspired and delighted to see these signs.»

Diary of the First Voyage, Christopher Columbus

The Great Journey of the Chinese

Despite the fact that the names of almost all great travelers are of European origin, the desire to explore the world was inherent in everyone on Earth.

In the spring of 1421, when the famous Christopher Columbus had not even been born yet, in one of the Chinese cities called Tangu, the ships of the fleet of the Great Emperor were preparing to sail. The venerable Zheng He became the commander of the flotilla. More than a hundred huge unique ships went to the open sea. None of the powers in the world had similar ships: they were real autonomous floating giants that could calmly survive any bad weather on the high seas.

At that time, the great festival of the Forbidden City was held in China, after which the emperor instructed his admiral Zheng He to act as a kind of taxi driver, and disperse high-ranking guests to their homes, who arrived from all over the world. When the admiral completed the task, the emperor ordered him not to rush to return home, but instead look "to the ends of the earth" and collect tribute from all the barbarians that they meet on the way, and also wrap them in Confucianism in order to make them civilized people.

This journey of the Golden Fleet was the largest of all undertaken by China. For three years, sailors explored our planet, and in his book, Gavin Menzies suggested that it was the Chinese travelers who were able to draw up an approximate map of the globe, plotting all six continents on it, and also bypassed all the oceans.

Obsessed with his idea to dispel the influence of Columbus, Menzies for many years collected the facts of the Great China Journey bit by bit, which have remained to us since those times. His task was made more difficult by the fact that all of Zheng He's diaries and ship logs had been destroyed or lost.

Some of Menzies' efforts were successful. For example, he established the fact that the wreckage of giant Chinese ships, the so-called "junks", were found off the coast of almost all continents. Despite the fact that historians prefer to believe that the wreckage of the junks could have been brought to Australia and America by the current, the research of Gavin Menzies cannot be ignored in the framework of modern history. Also, archaeologists have found Chinese maps, on which all the continents, including America, were plotted. Menzies is sure that these maps are much older than Columbus himself.

Amerigo Vespucci and the famous confusion

At school, we were often told that even though Christopher Columbus discovered America, it got its name in honor of another explorer. The fact is that Columbus never figured out where he sailed. Until recently, the researcher was sure that these were the eastern shores of India and the Eurasian continent.

The traveler's research was inspired by the Italian Amerigo Vespucci, who a few years later shared his thoughts on the discovery of Columbus with his mentor Francesco del Medici. In them, he suggested that the new lands that Columbus spoke about in Spain are not the eastern part of India, and this is a completely new mainland. These letters, as well as Vespucci's thoughts on other travels, were published in a large collection in 1507, which for some reason was called "The New World and New Countries Discovered by Amerigo Vespucci of Florence."

The significance of the discovery of America by Columbus was lost in the writings, and in the same year, the German cartographer Waldseemüller, based on the letters of Vespucci, proposed naming the new part of the world America in honor of the name Amerigo. All this he reflected in his book "Introduction to Cosmography". It is noteworthy that although Vespucci wrote about Columbus, Waldseemüller did not attach any importance to this.

The public liked the style of the young German scientist, and a few years later, in 1520, during a scientific meeting of the greatest minds of those times, the name America was put on the general geographical map of the planet.

Since then, the controversy has not subsided. If Columbus did not understand that he discovered the New World, and Vespucci did it for him, then can the discovery of the mainland be attributed to the latter?
However, there is evidence that people conditionally discovered new continents long before the travel of the Chinese, Columbus and Vespucci's assumptions.

Ambitious Vikings

At the end of the 10th century, when Europe had not yet thought of dominating the whole world, a large boat with Nords on board set sail from the coast of Iceland. They were commanded by Björni Hjorlfson, a Norwegian stern Viking, who was motivated by a thirst for adventure and profit.

Björni Hjorlfson went to sea to reach Greenland, where a Viking colony had already settled, who traded with Scandinavia. But Hjorlfson lost his way due to a storm, and a few days later arrived at the shores of an unknown land, which were dotted with dense impenetrable forests. Björni decided not to take risks and not land on an unfamiliar shore, but simply sailed along it, remembering everything he saw along the way. A few days later, the Viking still managed to swim to Greenland, where he told about what he had seen.

Hjorlfson's stories inspired another Greenlander, Leif Erickson, the son of the same Erik the Red, who was famous among the Viking peoples for his heroic character. The spirit of adventure led Leif along with his comrades along the route told by Björni. First, their boat sailed to the rocky shore, which is now called Baffin Island. The area here seemed lifeless, everything around was covered with glaciers. Deciding that there was no life and nothing good on this land, the Vikings went on, simultaneously giving the stone land a name - Helluland, the Country of Boulders.

Then the travelers reached the Canadian coast, covered with vegetation and forests. The Vikings also gave this land a name - Markland, Forest Land. The young and eager for profit did not stop there, so they went further south. A few days later they dropped anchor in one of the coastal bays. Having gone ashore, friends found real wild grapes among other vegetation, so they called this area Vinland. Modern historians have found that this bay is now located in Massachusetts.

Returning after a long journey along unfamiliar lands, the Nords did not want to miss the opportunity to settle them, so two years later they equipped a new expedition. Leif's brother, the famous Thorvald, went to the shores of America and anchored in the place of his brother's last anchorage - in Vinland. Here they unexpectedly met local residents - Indians who appeared in the bay on their pirogues. Everyone knows that the Vikings were not timid and were not averse to fighting, so the Norwegians simply killed a few Indians, and captured the rest. On the same night, the Indians came to avenge the murdered brothers, and brought down a hail of arrows on the Viking camp. One of them hit Torvald, and he died a few days later.

In 1003, the Vikings again came to the shores of America, now with serious intentions to settle in the uninhabited lands. Almost two hundred people sailed here on three boats, established relations with the local population and even built a village here. However, the Indians soon sharply changed their attitude towards uninvited guests, and flatly refused to share their lands with them. A bloody war broke out again between people, and traces of the Scandinavians soon completely disappeared from the shores of America.

Columbus Supremacy

Despite all the facts that people visited the shores of America at different times, the discovery of this mainland is attributed to Columbus, because massive colonization began precisely after his visit to this country. People gradually established sea communication between the continents, established trade routes and gradually settled the vast territories of America.

It all started on the day when, on October 13, 1492, the ship of Christopher Columbus "Santa Maria" moored to an unfamiliar shore.

Instruction

The first famous voyage across the Atlantic began on August 3, 1492. On this day, 3 ships - "Santa Maria", "Nina" and "Pinta" - financed by the Spanish crown, led by Captain Christopher Columbus left the port of Palos. But seven and a half months later, the sailors returned in triumph to Spain, discovering the Bahamas, Haiti and Cuba. On this first expedition, Columbus lost the ship "Santa Maria", 43 crew members were left on the island of La Esponola.

The second expedition to the west, led by Columbus, started on September 25, 1493 from the port of Cadiz. A flotilla of 17 ships set sail. According to various sources, from 1500 to 2500 thousand people were involved in it. These were not only sailors and adventurers almost inevitably present in any big enterprise - the future colonists went overseas, firmly intending to link their fate with new lands. The second expedition discovered the Lesser Antilles and the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, visited the southern coast of Cuba, completely conquered Hispaniola and founded the city of Santo Domingo. The sailors returned to their homeland only in June 1496.

The third trip took place 2 years later. The Spanish crown practically did not receive income from new lands, and Columbus could not raise enough money for a new voyage. On May 30, 1498, the expedition started with only 6 ships and about 300 crew members, a significant part of which consisted of criminals - a common practice of that time. Columbus decided to stay closer to the equator, believing that gold could be found here. As a result, he discovered the island of Trinidad and visited the Orinoco. The third campaign ended ingloriously for him. In 1498, the Portuguese Vasco da Gama traveled to India by sea for the first time, circumnavigating Africa. His ships returned loaded with spices, and this made Columbus a deceiver - the lands he discovered were not India at all. In addition, being an excellent navigator, Columbus was a completely useless politician and administrator. Spain sent a new governor to Hispaniola, who arrested Columbus. The expedition ended in 1499, and in 1500 Columbus returned to his homeland in shackles. Only the intervention of influential financiers helped to remove the disgrace.

Columbus' last two-year voyage across the Atlantic began on May 9, 1502. His ships passed along the coast of Central America. But the main goal - opening a passage to the Indian Ocean - was never achieved. The expedition ended in October 1504.

Columbus died in May 1506 without ever recognizing the new continent. Until the end of his life, he considered these lands to be India or China. A few centuries later, Stefan Zweig called the discovery of America a "comedy of errors", and the encyclopedist A. Humboldt "a monument to human injustice." Columbus "went to discover one, found another, but what he found was given the name of the third" - a statement that is quite consistent with the truth.

Of course, if not for Columbus, America would still be open. Today it is known that, for example, the Viking Leif Erikson reached the New World five centuries earlier. But Erickson was not a significant figure for Europe, and his discovery went almost unnoticed. And the news of the discovery of new lands by Columbus spread very quickly and opened up new opportunities for Europeans to expand trade and resettle a rapidly growing population.

In addition, Columbus tried to reach the shores of India moving in a westerly direction, being a staunch supporter of Aristotle's theory of the spherical shape of the Earth, and was sure that the goal was achieved. The paradox is that Columbus made a great discovery when he made a mistake.