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Biography : Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus , after 5 centuries remains a mysterious and controversial figure who has been variously described as one of the greatest mariners in history, a visionary genius, a mystic, a national hero, a failed administrator, a naive entrepreneur, and a ruthless and greedy imperialist. He achieved fame by sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean in search of a sea route to Asia. But he did not accomplish this goal. Instead, he encountered islands in the Caribbean Sea. He received world wide fame after his first voyage in 1492. Columbus, who never abandoned the belief that he had reached Asia, led three more expeditions to the Caribbean. But intrigue and his own administrative failings brought disappointment and political obscurity to his final years. |
Early life
The exact date of Columbus' birth is not known. He was born sometime between Aug. 25 and Oct. 31, 1451, in Genoa, then capital of a self-governing area on the northwest coast of Italy. His father, Domenico Colombo, was a wool weaver. Christopher's mother, Susanna Fontanarossa, was the daughter of a wool weaver. In 1479 he met and married Felipa Perestrello e Moniz, a member of an impoverished noble Portuguese family. Their son, Diego, was born in 1480. He died on May 20, 1506. First he was laid in the Franciscan friary in Valladolid, then taken to the family mausoleum established at the Carthusian monastery of Las Cuevas in Seville and finally, his bones were laid with his own in the Cathedral of Santo Domingo, Hispaniola.
The Beginning
Two wealthy Spanish aristocrats offered to give Columbus some ships. But to do so, they needed the permission of Spain's King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. In 1486, Columbus gained an interview with the monarchs, but they were in no position to finance an expedition. They were also cautious about reopening conflict with Portugal. Spain and Portugal had recently settled their disputes over various islands off Africa. The Treaty of Alcacovas, signed in 1479, had conceded the Canary Islands to Spain and the Madeira and Cape Verde islands and the Azores to Portugal.
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However, the intensely religious monarchs were interested in how Columbus vowed to use the proceeds from his expedition. He promised to use the money to recapture Jerusalem from the Muslims. There, he said, he would rebuild the Jews' holy Temple and bring on a new "Age of the Holy Spirit." His eloquent arguments gained him support among Franciscan friars and Jews, including Jews who had converted to Christianity. Eventually, his proposal was accepted and Columbus was granted a small salary by Queen Isabella and on August 3rd 1492, Columbus left Palos, Spain with three ships.
Continue................His Voyages
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