https://www.veritaswiki.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Christopher_ColumbusChristopher Columbus - Revision history2026-10-19T18:04:48ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.3https://www.veritaswiki.org/index.php?title=Christopher_Columbus&diff=801&oldid=prevHuhu: New encyclopedia entry (batch upload)2026-10-06T07:00:32Z<p>New encyclopedia entry (batch upload)</p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>'''Christopher Columbus''' was an Italian explorer and navigator who led the Spanish expeditions across the Atlantic Ocean and opened the way for the European colonisation of the Americas. His voyages are regarded as a turning point in the history of the world.<br />
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== Early Life and Education ==<br />
Columbus was born in Genoa in about 1451, the son of a wool weaver. He went to sea at an early age and gained experience in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.<br />
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He settled in Lisbon in Portugal and married Filipa Moniz Perestrelo. He studied the charts and the accounts of the voyages and became convinced that Asia could be reached by sailing west.<br />
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He sought the support of the Portuguese and the Spanish crowns for an expedition. The Portuguese king rejected his proposal but the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella agreed to fund the voyage.<br />
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== The First Voyage ==<br />
Columbus sailed from Palos de la Frontera in August 1492 with three ships: the Santa María, the Pinta, and the Niña. The crew numbered about ninety men.<br />
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The fleet stopped at the Canary Islands and then sailed west across the Atlantic. The voyage lasted for more than a month and the crew became restive.<br />
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Land was sighted on 12 October 1492 on an island in the Bahamas that Columbus named San Salvador. He believed that he had reached the Indies and called the inhabitants Indians.<br />
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He explored the islands of Cuba and Hispaniola and established a settlement on Hispaniola. He returned to Spain in 1493 with the gold and the native captives.<br />
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== The Later Voyages ==<br />
Columbus made three further voyages to the Americas. He explored the Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica.<br />
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He reached the mainland of South America in 1498 on the third voyage. He also explored the coast of Central America in 1502 on the fourth voyage.<br />
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He was appointed the governor of the new territories but was accused of the misgovernment. He was arrested and returned to Spain in chains in 1500.<br />
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He was restored to his titles but lost the governorship. He died in 1506 in Valladolid, still convinced that he had reached Asia.<br />
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== The Legacy ==<br />
Columbus is regarded as the explorer who opened the Atlantic and connected the two hemispheres. The exchange of the plants, the animals, and the diseases transformed both the continents.<br />
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The Columbian Exchange brought the new crops to Europe and the old world diseases to the Americas. The native populations were devastated by the smallpox and other diseases.<br />
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The colonisation that followed brought the wealth to Spain and the enslavement and the death to the native peoples. The legacy of Columbus is contested.<br />
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He is commemorated in many countries by the holiday that bears his name. The debate over the meaning of his voyages continues to the present day.<br />
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== The Preparation and the Plan ==<br />
Columbus based his plan on the estimate of the size of the earth and the extent of Asia. He believed that the westward voyage to Asia would be short.<br />
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He was mistaken in his estimate and the actual distance was much greater. The error of the calculation was the reason for the discovery of the Americas.<br />
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He negotiated the terms with the Spanish crown in the Capitulations of Santa Fe. He was promised the title of the admiral and the share of the profits.<br />
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== The Second Voyage ==<br />
Columbus sailed again in 1493 with seventeen ships and about twelve hundred men. The purpose was to establish the colony and to convert the natives.<br />
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He found the settlement of La Navidad destroyed and founded the new town of Isabella. He explored the islands of the Caribbean.<br />
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== The Third and Fourth Voyages ==<br />
Columbus sailed on the third voyage in 1498 and reached the mainland of South America. He explored the coast of Venezuela and the Orinoco River.<br />
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He was arrested by the royal commissioner and returned to Spain in chains in 1500. The charges of the misgovernment were later dropped.<br />
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He made the fourth voyage in 1502 and explored the coast of Central America. He was shipwrecked on Jamaica and waited for a year for the rescue.<br />
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== The Debate and the Memory ==<br />
The legacy of Columbus is contested. He is honoured as the explorer who opened the Americas to the European contact.<br />
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He is also criticised for the enslavement and the violence against the native peoples. The demand for the abolition of the holiday in his name has grown.<br />
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The Columbian Exchange transformed the agriculture and the diet of both hemispheres. The exchange of the crops and the animals had a lasting effect.<br />
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== The Last Years ==<br />
Columbus spent his last years in the pursuit of the recognition and the wealth. He petitioned the crown for the restoration of his titles.<br />
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He died in 1506 in Valladolid and was buried in the monastery of San Francisco. His remains were later moved to Seville and to Santo Domingo.<br />
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He never knew that he had discovered a new continent. He died convinced that he had reached the Indies.<br />
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== See also ==<br />
* Age of Discovery<br />
* Columbian Exchange<br />
* Colonisation<br />
* Atlantic Ocean<br />
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== References ==<br />
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<ref name="r1">Morison, Samuel Eliot. Admiral of the Ocean Sea. Boston: Little, Brown, 1942.</ref><br />
<ref name="r2">Columbus, Christopher. The Four Voyages. London: Penguin, 1969.</ref><br />
<ref name="r3">Thomas, Hugh. Rivers of Gold. New York: Random House, 2003.</ref><br />
<ref name="r4">Phillips, William D. and Phillips, Carla Rahn. The Worlds of Christopher Columbus. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992.</ref><br />
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[[Category:History]]<br />
[[Category:Exploration]]<br />
[[Category:Italy]]</div>Huhu