How Columbus Discovered America. Discovery of America Who and in what year discovered

Who first discovered America? After several hundred years after the official discovery, the issue turned out to be relevant again.
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It turns out that America, like the earth, was "discovered together."

Official version. Christopher Columbus

According to the classical version, Christopher Columbus was the first to set foot on the lands of the American continent, in the Spanish version - Cristobal Colon. He reached America under the flag of the Spanish crown on the ships "Santa Maria" (flagship), "Nina" and "Pinta" by chance, in search of rich India, or rather, a safe way there.

In August 1492, Columbus' flotilla sailed from the Andalusian town of Palos de la Frontera, and on October 13, Columbus set foot on the island he called San Salvador (today Guanahani, Lucaya archipelago, Bahamas). Then he decided that these were the poor provinces of China, and continued on his way, discovering more and more new lands.

A series of tragic events - the temporary loss of the "Pinta", the reefs that imprisoned the "Santa Maria", the need to replenish supplies and so on make her return. In addition, he sailed home as a hero to change the world: the news of the “discovery of Western India” forced Portugal and Spain to literally divide new lands.
Sebastiano del Piombo "Portrait of a man (Christopher Columbus)"
Columbus made four expeditions to the "Western Indies". However, what he was looking for - gold and spices, he did not find. Knowing the dissatisfaction of the Spanish court and the possible deprivation of all exclusive rights, during the second expedition, Columbus forces all the sailors from the team to take an oath (with an oath and signature) that the open land is Asia.

This document, dated June 12, 1494, is one of the few surviving and belongs to Seville, the Spanish city, to which the discoveries of Columbus gave a golden age, making Seville the main trading port of the Spanish Empire.

Lucky American Discoverer

He is really Happy - Leif Eriksson Happy, fearless Viking, the hero of the Greenlanders Saga and the Saga of Eric the Red, who set foot on the land of North America five centuries earlier than the Spaniards.

Eriksson continued and multiplied the achievements of his father, Eric the Red, who turned the icy Greenland into an inhabited island. Circumstances prompted him to do this: once his father (Leif's grandfather) was expelled from Norway to Iceland for murders. Then Eric repeated the sad fate: again, for the murders, he was expelled from Iceland, and he swam to the island, which he saw from the Icelandic coast in clear weather.
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That island was Greenland - this is how Eric later called the new harsh homeland, posing to scientists an amusing puzzle that has not been solved to this day. Why is the island, more than 80% of which is occupied by a glacier, the "Green Land"? Perhaps the climate was milder then, or perhaps Eric had the sense of humor of a noble troll.

When Leif grew up, the hereditary passion for long journeys and conquests captured him too. And the journey was inspired by the story of Bjarni Herjulfson, who once saw a mysterious land in the west ...

Leif equips the ship and presumably sets off in the year 1000. Erickson's discoveries were Baffin Island, the coast of Newfoundland and the Labrador Peninsula, however, these are the versions of scientists, because Eric himself gave the lands other names. He was the first European to discover America.

Ericsson and his discovery are not forgotten. October 9th is Ericsson Day in the United States every year. In 1887, a monument to Ericsson was erected in Boston. In Reykjavik, a monument was erected to him with an inscription on the pedestal: "Discoverer of America." There are sculptural images of the discoverer in Seattle and St. Paul. The legendary Viking has become the hero of modern films, games, manga, rock music and literature.

… Other

There are other discoverers whose stories are little confirmed. Odin is a brave Irishman, the holy father Brendan the Navigator of Clonfert, nicknamed so for his tireless search for overseas Eden.

Wikimedia Commons / Colin Park ()
In 530 (presumably) he once again sent an expedition to the west. During it, the team landed on a huge fish, mistaking it for an island, and kindled a fire. The fish woke up and rushed into the depths of the sea. The travelers miraculously escaped and nevertheless reached some kind of island of the Blessed ...

What is true in this story, what is fiction, we do not know. But Columbus, for example, also looked for Paradise on that side, which is located on a cone-shaped outgrowth of the Earth. From somewhere in the culture of Europeans appeared the myth of a paradise land to the west of them?

It is likely that there were other discoverers whose names history has not preserved. Or securely hidden for the time being.

In 1492, Columbus crossed the Atlantic under sail, and for a long time was considered the first European to set foot in the New World. Then came the evidence of the Vikings, led by Leif Ericson, who predated Columbus by five centuries. Early archaeological uncertainties sparked controversy over the primacy of the discovery of the Americas. Authors have emerged claiming that the Chinese general Zheng He was only a few years ahead of Columbus. Not a European, but since he arrived in the New World by water, and not by a bridge over the Bering Strait, let him take part in the competition. Then, someone discovered petroglyphs in West Virginia that pointed to a sixth-century Irish navigator, St. Brendan (St. Brendan). Possibly St. Did Brendan beat everyone in the discovery of America? In the end, the Muslims joined the competition of the Spanish, Vikings, Irish and Chinese when researchers found evidence that Muslims from West Africa discovered the New World even earlier.

Someone else is claiming their primacy in the discovery of America (as, indeed, in other discoveries too). Today we will consider only the listed five. They can't all be first. Who was the first to discover America? And among those who lost the championship, has everyone been there?

Now no one doubts the veracity of the story of Columbus. He landed in the Bahamas in 1492 and, although he believed he had reached India, he saw a large continent blocking his progress. During his three expeditions over 12 years, Columbus explored the Caribbean, part of South America and the shores of Central America. In the footsteps of Columbus, colonists and other explorers arrived. It was after the discovery of Columbus that the connection between America and Europe was established. Consider now other contenders for the championship in chronological order from the date of the landing of Columbus.

Muslims do not state a specific date for the discovery of America. They express an opinion about the likelihood of Europeans visiting the continent long before Columbus. Piri Reis was an Ottoman navigator and cartographer who died in 1553. His name means Captain Peary and is best known in connection with a map drawn in 1513. Alternative historians mention the Piri Reis map as an incredibly accurate depiction of the Earth's surface, beyond the knowledge of Columbus. Consequently, the Turks traveled all over the world, including America, Brazil, and even Antarctica. All modern claims about the primacy of Muslim sailors in the discovery of America are based on the Piri Reis map.

There is no doubt about the historical significance of the Piri Reis map, but most of the sensational claims based on it are incorrect. The map doesn't reverse history, it fits with what we know. Notes by Piri Reis himself on the margins of the map say that this is a generalized edition that he made on the basis of two dozen existing maps compiled by the seafaring nations of Europe and Asia. Including ancient Greek maps of the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean, Arabic maps of India, Portuguese maps of Pakistan and China, maps of Columbus describing the Caribbean and the eastern coast of America. The Piri Reis map is far from the accuracy and completeness of the content on which they are trying to rely. Significant differences are obvious at first glance. The lack of comments on the source material led Piri Reis to make mistakes. Peary annexed Brazil to Antarctica. Perhaps it was an attempt to show the "Lands Undiscovered", or perhaps an attempt to squeeze an unfolded South America into one sheet. The Portuguese navigators who followed Henry the Navigator carefully explored the western coast of Africa and crossed the Atlantic to Columbus. Columbus studied navigation in Portugal. Portuguese sailors followed on the heels of Columbus when he reached the New World. Information about the western shores of the Americas, from Newfoundland to Argentina, was collected fairly quickly. In the first decade of the 16th century, there were enough resources to map Piri Reis.

In short, it is not necessary to speak of the journey of the Muslims to the shores of America to explain the origin of the Peri Reis map. In addition, there is no documentary or archaeological evidence of such an event. We give the version of the Muslim discovery of America 0.5 trust points out of 5 possible.

Zheng He was a prominent Chinese Admiral of the 15th century and died 18 years before Columbus was born. Many legends are associated with this name and his travels. It is well known and documented that he traveled south and west from China, reaching the coast of Africa. But there is no evidence that Zheng decided to cross the Atlantic and reach the shores of America. New information emerged in 2006 when Chinese lawyer Liu Gang discovered a 1763 map copied from an original dated 1418 called the Overall Map of the Geography of all Under Heaven. The map, showing America in all its glory, confirmed that Zheng He's cartographers were ahead of Columbus in discovering the New World by coming from the other side.

Unfortunately, the map was not very significant. No one takes it seriously as it is a copy of a well-known French map from the 1600s. On the map, California is an island and has description errors. The title is a common error from modern simplified language, but is not an error for a user of traditional Chinese during the Qing Dynasty.

Louis Ganges turned out to be his own enemy in this undertaking. In 2009, he published the book The Code of the Ancient Map to promote the map itself. In the book, he goes back 400 years, announcing the discovery of another Chinese map of the world, dated 1093. This "card" is even sadder. Louis shows photographs of Zhang Kuangzheng's tomb from 1093, showing peeling paint and plaster. He changed his interpretation of the map, due to damage to the drawing, to a pitiful version. The discoverer Zheng He scores one trust score out of five, while Louie has a deficit of 15.

Leif Ericsson was the son of Erik the Red, a Viking who landed in Greenland. Leif followed in the footsteps of his powerful father and founded the colony of Vinland. Most of Leif's deeds are known from two sagas: the Greenlander Saga and the Erik the Red Saga. The protagonist of the saga is a person, not historical facts. The manner of presenting the sagas is narrative in the style of "I came and I say." The main place of action in the sagas is the settlement of Vinland, the time of the story is about 1000 years.

Fortunately, the legend of Leif Eriksson received more significant confirmation. In 1960, archaeologists discovered the ruins at the northern tip of Newfoundland. Jellyfish Grotto (L'Anse aux Meadows or Jellyfish Cove) and some other Norwegian settlements have been discovered. These are more than excellent historical finds. The method of construction, design, materials undoubtedly confirm the everyday traditions of the Norwegians. We do not know for certain whether there was a connection between Vinland and L'Anse aux Meadows, or whether Leif Eriksson was there. But there is confidence in the coincidence of the heyday of the Norwegian settlement and the period of the appearance of the saga.

Since we have a Norse settlement in hand, which reinforces the Vikings' long sea crossings and corresponds to a period of about 1000 years, Leif Eriksson gets a 4.5 credibility score, and the Vikings overall 5 out of 5 possible.

St. Brendan the Navigator was a legendary 6th century monk who sailed around the British Isles in leather boats. He is only mentioned in two sources: The Journey of Saint Brendan and The Life of Brendan. The story tells about the island of the Blessed or St. Brendan. Presumably off the coast of Africa, but both Brendan and his island live only in legend.

Unfortunately, this statement is followed by a long list of problems. Serious archaeologists do not undertake to decipher the rock paintings. They are too far from the texts. The prevailing opinion is that these are scratches from the sharpening of tools by the ancient aborigines. The footprints on the rock were discovered by amateurs, filled in with ash for contrast, and photographed. Barry Fell, a retired marine biologist, only saw the dashes in the photo and never looked at the original. The Ogham transcription experts disagreed with Barry Fell's findings and refused to examine the inscriptions. It is not known what finds await us, but today no one seriously considers the petroglyphs of West Virginia. St. Brendan receives a 0 out of 5 trust points and petroglyphs 0.5 points until new information becomes available.

Summing up, we have a winner. The Vikings, under the auspices of Leif Eriksson, or maybe in his presence, discovered America earlier than other Europeans. The Portuguese, Spaniards, Irish and Turks appeared on these shores much later. Zheng He would not have received the championship even if he had arrived before the Vikings. Since the New World is sufficiently populated by immigrants from Asia through the Bering Strait, it would still be several tens of thousands of years late for the holiday.

Translation Vladimir Maksimenko 2013

October 12, 1492 is a significant date in world history, because it was on this day that the expedition of Christopher Columbus reached the island of San Salvador and thereby discovered a new continent - America. We will deal with the main prerequisites for such an “incident”, highlighting some facts, analyze the course of the expedition itself and briefly summarize its results for the states of that time.

Basic prerequisites

It is not entirely correct to talk about the prerequisites for the discovery of America in isolation from the context of other great geographical discoveries: in addition to the Columbus expedition, many attempts were made to reach new lands by sea. There are three main factors that are crucial for the formation of such aspirations in many states and travelers:

• Not so long ago, Byzantium fell under the onslaught of the Ottoman Turks, which was the birth of the Ottoman Empire. Since the latter was located in the east of the Mediterranean and in Asia Minor, all trade relations ("Silk Road") with the countries of the east were terminated.
• Spices, which were purchased in India and Indochina, as well as many other goods, were extremely important for European states.
• In the 14th century, learned geographers misunderstood the size of the Earth. It was believed that all land was limited to the continents of Eurasia and Africa; they also thought that the distance between the western point of Europe and the eastern point of Asia was no more than a few thousand kilometers.

Expedition progress

The beginning of the expedition is considered to be August 3, 1492 when: it was on this day that three ships (“Santa Maria”, “Pinta”, “Nina”) began their journey from the Spanish city of Palos de la Frontera. The first documented event was the appearance of aquatic algae on the way, which occurred on September 16th. We mention this fact for a reason: during the passage through the body of water with algae, the Sargasso Sea was discovered. The next event occurred on October 7, 1492, when the course was seriously changed: it seemed to the crew that the ships had passed Japan. Therefore, the expedition headed southwest.

Soon - on October 12 - from the ships they saw one of the famous Bahamas, which received the name San Salvador - a kind of symbolic tribute to the image of Jesus Christ. According to available information, the land was spotted by the sailor of the caravel "Pinta" Rodrigo de Triana, who never managed to receive the reward promised by the King of Spain afterwards.

It is worth noting that the duration of the Bahamas archipelago is more than a thousand kilometers: it “stretches” from Florida to Haiti and includes about three thousand islands of different sizes. On October 13, Columbus decided to land, during which he planted the Castilian banner; in fact, it was an official "taking over": a corresponding document was even drawn up.

For two weeks, the expedition moved south, during which islands such as Cuba and Haiti were discovered. Since the geographical representations of the 15th century were seriously different from modern ones, Columbus considered these lands to be East Asia. Subsequently, the open territories received the corresponding name - "West Indies".

The next important incident happened already in December - on the 26th, the ship "Santa Maria" was not lucky enough to get on the reefs. Due to the help of the natives - the indigenous people - the sailors managed to cope with the scourge: guns, supplies, and valuable cargo were removed. The wreckage of the ship became the basis for the creation of a fort, which became the first settlement of Europeans on the new continent. Its name is known to many - "Navidad".

The next major date is March 15, 1493, when the expedition returned to their homeland. It is worth noting that Columbus took with him the natives ("Indians"), a certain amount of gold and plants outlandish for Europeans, among which were potatoes, tobacco and corn. Subsequently, three more expeditions were carried out, which we will not describe in detail; we only note that their result was the discovery of the islands of Jamaica, Dominica, Puerto Rico, as well as the territories of Honduras, Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

moment of awareness

It should be noted that at the time of the return of the expedition, many did not realize the significance of the discovery made. Columbus himself was vehemently disappointed: the natives did not make a special impression on him, and no wealth was found during the expedition. Soon - in 1494 - the so-called. Treaty of Tordesillas, which divided the open territories between Portugal and Spain. At that time, it was unknown that the entire western part of the American continent thus passed into the possession of the latter. Soon after the return of Columbus, many travelers headed towards open lands, but the realization of what had happened did not come immediately.

In itself, the name "America" ​​appeared only in 1507: this is how cartographers named the continent in honor of Amerigo Vespucci. The latter is also a famous discoverer: it was he who first suggested that the discovered lands were not India at all, but the so-called. "New World". He sent reports in 1502 and 1504.

Results

Obviously, the results of the discovery of a new continent were stunning: the situation in the world has fundamentally changed. Active development of new lands began, the development of shipbuilding was spurred on. It is natural that for some time international relations were significantly strengthened, but soon the new territories became the cause of numerous conflicts.

Another important point is cardinal changes in the economy. There was a so-called. "revolution" of prices, due to the flow of various metals (gold, silver and some others). World trade has strengthened significantly, and a huge number of new products have appeared.

Naturally, certain areas of science and technology began to develop more rapidly. Moreover, the discovery of America was reflected even in culture: Europeans learned about a fundamentally different structure of society, which was reflected in the works of Thomas More.

Wake up anyone in the middle of the night with the question: “Who discovered America first?”, And without hesitation, they will immediately give you the correct answer, calling the name of Christopher Columbus. This is for everyone known fact, which, it would seem, no one disputes. But was Columbus the first European to set foot on a new land? Not at all. Question one: "So who?". But Columbus was called for a reason discoverer.

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How did Columbus discover

In what century did such significant changes for the world take place? The official date for the discovery of a new continent called the Americas is 1499, 15th century. At that time, speculation began to appear among the inhabitants of Europe that the earth was round. They began to think about the possibility of navigation on the Atlantic Ocean and the opening of the western route straight to the shores of Asia.

The story of how Columbus discovered America is very funny. It so happened that he randomly stumbled upon the New World, holding the way to distant India.

Christopher was an avid sailor, from a young age who managed to visit all known at that time. Carefully studying a huge number of geographical maps, Columbus planned to sail to India through the Atlantic without passing through Africa.

He, like many scientists of that time, naively believed that, having gone straight from Western Europe to the East, he would reach the shores of such Asian countries as China and India. No one could even imagine what was in his way all of a sudden. new lands will appear.

It is the day when Columbus reached the shores of the new mainland and is considered beginning of American history.

Continents discovered by Columbus

Christopher is considered the one who discovered North America. But in parallel with it, after the news of the New World spread to all countries, in the struggle for the development of the northern territories the British entered.

In total, the navigator made four expeditions. The continents that Columbus discovered: the island of Haiti or, as the traveler himself called it, Lesser Spain, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Antigua and many other territories of North America. From 1498 to 1504, during his last expeditions, the navigator already mastered lands of south america, where he reached the shores of not only Venezuela, but also Brazil. A little later, the expedition reached Central America, where the coastlines of Nicaragua and Honduras were developed, all the way to Panama.

Who else mastered America

Formally, many navigators opened America to the world in different ways. History counts many names associated with the development of the lands of the New World. The Columbus case continued:

• Alexander Mackenzie;
• William Buffin;
• Henry Hudson;
• John Davis.

Thanks to these navigators, the entire continent was explored and mastered, including Pacific coast.

Also, another discoverer of America is considered a no less famous person - Amerigo Vespucci. The Portuguese navigator went on expeditions and explored the coast of Brazil.

It was he who first suggested that Christopher Columbus sailed far not to China and India, but to previously unknown. His conjectures were confirmed by Fernand Magellan, after making the first trip around the world.

It is believed that the mainland was named precisely in honor of Vespucci, contrary to all the logic of what is happening. And today the New World is known to everyone under the name of America, and not in any other way. So who really discovered America?

Pre-Columbian expeditions to the Americas

In the legends and beliefs of the Scandinavian peoples, one can often stumble upon the mention of distant lands called Vinland located near Greenland. Historians believe that it was the Vikings who discovered America and became the first Europeans to set foot on the lands of the New World, and in their legends, Vinland is nothing more than Newfoundland.

Everyone knows how Columbus discovered America, but in fact Christopher was far away not the first navigator who visited this continent. Leif Erickson, who named one of the parts of the new continent as Vinland, cannot be called the discoverer either.

Who is considered first? Historians dare to believe that he was a merchant from distant Scandinavia - Bjarni Herjulfsson, which is mentioned in the Greenlanders' Saga. According to this literary work, in 985. he moved towards Greenland to meet his father, but lost his way due to a strong storm.

Before the discovery of America, the merchant had to sail at random, since he had not seen the lands of Greenland before and did not know a specific course. He soon reached the level shores of an unknown island covered with forests. Such a description did not fit Greenland at all, which surprised him greatly. Bjarni decided not to land and turn back.

Soon he sailed to Greenland, where he told this story to Leif Erickson, the son of the discoverer of Greenland. Exactly he became the first of the vikings who tried their luck to enter to the lands of America before Columbus, which he called Vinland.

Forced search for new lands

Important! Greenland is not the most pleasant country to live in. It is poor in resources, with a harsh climate. The possibility of resettlement at that time seemed like a pipe dream for the Vikings.

Stories about fertile lands covered with dense forests only spurred them on. Erickson gathered a small team for himself and set off on a journey in search of new territories. Leif became the one who discovered North America.

The first uncharted places they stumbled upon were rocky and mountainous. In their description today, historians see nothing more than baffin land. The subsequent coasts turned out to be low-lying, with green forests and long sandy beaches. This historians were very reminded of the description coast of the Labrador Peninsula in Canada.

On the new lands, wood was mined, which is so hard to find in Greenland. Subsequently, the Vikings founded the first two settlements in the New World, and all these territories were called Vinland.

The scientist who was nicknamed the "second Columbus"

The famous German geographer, naturalist and traveler - all this is one great man, whose name is Alexander Humboldt.

This great scientist opened America to others on the scientific side, having spent many years on research, and he was not alone. About what kind of partner he needed, Humbaldt did not hesitate for a long time and immediately made his choice in favor of Bonpland.

Humboldt and French botanist in 1799. went to scientific expedition to South America and Mexico, which lasted for five years. This journey brought scientists worldwide fame, and Humboldt himself was called the "second Columbus".

It is believed that in 1796 The scientist set himself the following tasks:

• explore little-studied areas of the globe;
• systematize all the information received;
• taking into account the results of research by other scientists, a comprehensive description of the structure of the universe.

All tasks, of course, were successfully completed. After the discovery of America as a continent, no one dared to conduct such research. Therefore, he decides to go to the least explored area - the West Indies, which allows him to achieve tremendous results. Humboldt created the first geographical maps discovered America almost simultaneously, but in world history the name of Christopher Columbus will always be the first in the list of those who mastered the territories of the New World.

In school textbooks around the world, you can find information that Columbus crossed the Atlantic and was the one who discovered America first. The only thing that can not be doubted is that he really overcame a long route across the ocean. In addition, Columbus landed on the continent only in 1498. This was the third expedition of the navigator. During the first trip, he could only get to the Bahamas and the Antilles.

Theories and hypotheses about who discovered America

The very term "discovery" in relation to the whole part of the world requires clarification, since America was not deserted. Indigenous tribes have lived on the mainland for over 15,000 years. Columbus opened the door for Western civilization to colonize the continent, nothing more. So did Columbus discover America or did he not?

The first who could actually get on their ships to the continent were the Phoenicians and Egyptians. There is no evidence to support this theory. A more convincing version is the Romans' voyage across the Atlantic. Some ships of the mighty empire were not inferior to the frigates of the XVIII century.

The only evidence that the Romans really were in America is only part of the statuette, a small terracotta head of a bearded man. It was discovered by archaeologists in the Tuluca Valley, 65 km from Mexico City. Thanks to new technologies, scientists were able to calculate: the find dates back to 200 BC. e. At this time, in ancient Rome, similar things were made in large quantities.

Viking sea voyages

Scandinavian navigators really were on the American continent, which is beyond doubt among modern scientists. The discovery of America is attributed to them. Much has been written about this in the Norwegian and Danish sagas. This is confirmed by many archaeological finds. There is a generally accepted theory about how exactly the Normans got to the continent.

In 986, Bjarn Herulfson traveled to Greenland via Iceland. A victim of strong winds and thick fog, Bjarn lost his way. For a long time, his crew swam almost blind, until a new land appeared before them. Heryulfson did not dare to leave the drakkars and set foot on land and ordered to go further along the coastline. A few days later he again saw the wooded coast, but Bjarne continued to sail north until he reached Greenland.

Stories about this journey interested the navigator Eirik the Red. The Scandinavian colonists needed a tree, so the story of the land covered with forests was very interesting for them, as it could solve some of their problems. In 1004, Eirik set off with a small team along the route of Kherulfson. The Vikings landed in America in several places. After wintering, they returned to Greenland with a large load of wood. And in what year did Columbus discover America to all Western civilization? This happened only after 500 years. Impressive, isn't it?

Amerigo Vespucci and Christopher Columbus

From the very beginning of the Columbus expedition, the discovery of America was perceived as a shortcut to India. That is why the indigenous inhabitants of the new continent were called Indians. Four countries actively participated in the seizure of new lands:

1. Spain.
2. England.
3. Portugal.
4. Holland.

Gold was exported from North and South America, new settlements were built here. The name "America" ​​comes from the name of the famous traveler Amerigo Vespucci (pictured). The Medici trading house in Seville, which Vespucci was in charge of, took part in equipping the second and third expeditions of Columbus. It was at this time that Amerigo met the navigator.

After a joint voyage with Columbus, Vespucci was engaged in compiling maps and globes, using materials from Spanish expeditions. The idea to perpetuate the name of the great explorer Amerigo Vespucci came from the famous cartographer Martin Waldseemüller. He published a book where the new part of the world was called America.

Later world maps also used this name for new continents. Thus, the name of the Italian merchant remained forever on the geographical map, despite the fact that many scientists protested against it.