Christopher Columbus: The Discovery of America

Posted on Aug 31, 2024 in History

Christopher Columbus

For centuries, philosophers and scientists had assured that the earth was flat like a disc and was limited by a sea that stretched infernally west, beyond Cape Finisterre to the Strait of Gibraltar. That extreme western ocean, they argued, was not navigable, and anyone who ventured into its waters never returned. It was also said that sailors could be devoured by the many monsters that populated it.

Columbus was not the first to believe that the Earth was round, for in his time, many already held this view. In all European ports, semi-legendary stories told of men who had crossed this great sea and found the other side. So it should not be impossible to follow their example and reach the eastern edge of Asia by sea, as Marco Polo had done by land. That was the purpose of Columbus, who did not suspect that between Europe and China and Japan was nothing less than a continent missed by all. This ignorance led to him starring in the single most important achievement in the history of mankind: the discovery of America. However, he died without being conscious of it.

Early Life and Travels

Giovanni Colombo and Susanna Fontanarossa were the parents of Christopher, born in Genoa in 1451. News of his youth is scarce and of doubtful credit since they come mostly from the History of Columbus, written by his son Hernando, which mixes true facts with fantastic episodes. It seems certain that he worked in the studio of his father, a weaver by trade, until he went to sea when he was not yet eighteen.

Since Genoa was an important city-state of great seafaring tradition, Christopher had no trouble following his vocation or learning the arts of navigation and cartography, which he did in a self-taught manner. There are documents of numerous first trips of Columbus, among which are one to Iceland, several cruises in the Aegean, and several commercial expeditions to Flanders and Portugal. It was just off the Portuguese coast where the ship he was part of the crew of was attacked by a French vessel and foundered. The youth was picked up by fishermen and taken to Lisbon, where the first episode of his odyssey was to brew. The year was 1476, and the Portuguese capital was the ideal place for every man who dreamed of the sea. There he set up as a commissioner of the Genoese merchants and married Felipa Moniz de Perestrello, the daughter of an important figure in the Portuguese court, which opened several major doors for him.

The Idea of a Western Passage

Influenced by reading the accounts of Marco Polo, Columbus conceived the idea of reaching the fabled lands of the East by sea, no doubt believing that the Earth was round. In 1484, though he had never sailed more than a sailor, he presented himself to John II, king of Portugal, claiming to be able to carry out his seemingly crazy idea. The king was kind to him; he was awarded the rank of captain and made to pass the matter to an expert. Contrary to what has been admitted, John II ended up accepting the project but forbade Columbus from sailing westward in the latitude of the Canary Islands, which was reserved for Castile by the Treaty of Alcaçobas, and suggested that the trip be made by a northern route, which Columbus did not accept. In addition, Portuguese prospects of opening a trade route to the East by South Africa made the expedition planned by the Genoese take a backseat. However, Columbus was not willing to give up his idea or the glory that this was certain to provide.

Timeline of Christopher Columbus