The Voyages of Christopher Columbus

Answer 1

Christopher Columbus was born sometime between August 25 and October 21, 1451 in a part of Italy known as Genoa. His father was named Domenico and his mother was named Susanna. He had three brothers. In his early years, he helped his father run his cheese stand until he began to take apprenticeships when he was around 14. In 1476, he was part of an armed convoy that traveled to Northern Europe. Around 1479, Columbus married Filipa, the daughter of a Spanish governor. Soon after, they had a son, Diego.

Columbus did not begin the voyage that made him famous until August 3, 1492. He left the port of Palos de la Frontera in Spain. After two years of petitions, Columbus obtained funding from Queen Isabella of Spain. He wanted to find a western route to the Orient. When he set sail, he had three ships – the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. Within three days, the Pinta’s rudder was disabled but the ships made it to the Canary Islands on August 9 where they repaired the ship. The ships sailed westward again on September 2.

On October 12, the ship’s crew spotted land and made their way towards it. They landed at what Columbus called San Salvador, which is now the Bahamas. They then explored the coast of present day Cuba. On November 22nd, the captain of the Pinta abandoned Columbus and headed back towards Spain. The Nina and the Santa Maria arrived at Hispanola on December 5 but the Santa Maria grounded on a reef and Columbus was forced to leave 40 men behind when he departed on January 2, 1493, heading for home. He was briefly reunited with the Pinta until a storm hit. Fortunately, both ships made it back to Spain safely.

Columbus’ second voyage began on October 13 when he departed from Hierro in the Canary Islands and returned for his men. He arrived there on November 22nd only to discover all the men killed by natives. Columbus set sail again on December 8 and he located an island which he named La Isabela, establishing a colony there. Failing to reach China, Columbus was forced to return to Hispaniola on August 20, 1494, where he spent eight months as governor before returning to Portugal on June 8.

The third voyage of Columbus began on May 30, 1498. He departed from Seville, Spain with six ships, made it to the Canary Islands on June 19 and sailed west from Cape Verdes on July 4. On July 31, he spotted a new island and named it Trinidad. While exploring the Gulf of Paria, Columbus fell ill and he returned to Hispaniola on August 19. A revolt had taken place while he was gone. Though he attempted to restore peace, he was eventually arrested by a royal commissioner to the colony. Columbus returned to Spain as prisoner in October of 1500. He was eventually released but his reputation had been severely tarnished.

The final voyage began with a sickly Columbus setting sail on May 11, 1502. He arrived in Santa Domingo in June but was forced to sail to Honduras when he was denied entry. He discovered present-day Panama and named the region Veragua. After leaving, Columbus returned in January of 1503 before setting sail again. On June 25, he was forced to beach his ships due to damages and he wasn’t rescued until June 29, 1504. He was returned home on November 7 on a small caravel.

After his incredible sailing career, Columbus became very religious. On May 20, 1506, at around 55, Columbus died in Valladolid, Spain, a wealthy man. Many believe he died because of a heart attack caused by a form of arthritis known as Reiter’s Syndrome. Columbus was originally buried in Valladolid, Spain. Later, his body was moved to Seville. Then, after his son died, Diego’s widow moved their bodies to Santa Domingo. The Spanish moved his body again in 1795 to Havana, Cuba so that French conquerors couldn’t get it. The body was later returned to Seville. At least that’s what everyone thought until recent DNA tests proved that the body in Seville was that of Diego. Amazingly, Columbus had never left Santa Domingo.

• Columbus Navigation Homepage
• Guide To Christopher Columbus
• Columbus And The Spanish Empire
• Images Of Columbus
• The Second Voyage
• Columbus' Ships
• Columbus: Man And Myth
• Columbus' World
• Columbus Biography And Facts
• Columbus' Voyage Of Discovery

Columbus is credited with being the first man to discover America and his exploits are well-known throughout the world. If you plan to go on a holiday to Santo Domingo in Spain, make it a point to take an escorted tour of the Christopher Columbus Tomb Museum.