Bogdana karadocheva biography of christopher columbus

As more Italians began to immigrate to the United States and settle in major cities during the 19 th century, they were subject to religious and ethnic discrimination. This included a mass lynching of 11 Sicilian immigrants in in New Orleans. Just one year after this horrific event, President Benjamin Harrison called for the first national observance of Columbus Day on October 12,to mark the th anniversary of his arrival in the Americas.

Italian-Americans saw this honorary act for Columbus as a way of gaining acceptance. Colorado became the first state to officially observe Columbus Day in and, within five years, 14 other states followed. Thanks to a joint resolution of Congress, the day officially became a federal holiday in during the administration of Franklin D. InCongress declared the holiday would fall on the second Monday in October each year.

As ofapproximately 29 states no longer celebrate Columbus Dayand around cities have renamed it or replaced with the alternative Indigenous Peoples Day. One of the most notable cities to move away from celebrating Columbus Day in recent years is the state capital of Columbus, Ohio, which is named after the explorer. In Julythe city also removed a plus-foot metal statue of Columbus from the front of City Hall.

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Was Christopher Columbus a Hero or Villain? Amelia Earhart. Charles Lindbergh. Barron Trump. Melania Trump. In his early twenties, he relocated to Lisbon, Portugal, where he honed his navigational skills and learned about the latest advancements in cartography and navigation from other experienced sailors. This period was crucial for Columbus, as he became acquainted with the different theories regarding the globe's dimensions and various routes to Asia.

By immersing himself in this vibrant maritime culture, Columbus laid the groundwork for his ambitious plans to find a westward route to the East Indies, setting the stage for his historic voyages in later years. Christopher Columbus began his maritime career as a teenager, participating in several trading voyages across the Mediterranean and Aegean seas.

In his twenties, he settled in Lisbon, where he married Filipa Perestrelo and fathered a son, Diego. During this time, Columbus developed his expertise in sailing and navigation, gaining valuable experience that would later inform his transatlantic expeditions. His adventurous spirit led him to attempt a daring voyage across the Atlantic, motivated by his desire to find a westward route to Asia, which he believed would provide quicker access to the lucrative spice markets of the East.

Columbus's quest for a new maritime route faced significant challenges; his first major Atlantic expedition in was nearly fatal when his ship was attacked by French privateers. Undeterred, Columbus continued to refine his navigational techniques and studied ocean currents that could facilitate his planned voyage. After years of lobbying, he finally gained the support of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain, who agreed to sponsor his journey.

Christopher Columbus, an Italian explorer known for his ambitious voyages, achieved remarkable successes in his quest for a new route to Asia. His expedition marked a pivotal moment in history, as he became the first European to make contact with the Americas. His landfall in the Bahamas not only opened the door to further exploration but also signaled the start of European colonization in the New World.

Columbus' voyages prompted significant exchanges of culture and goods, now referred to as the Columbian Exchange, fundamentally altering global trade and interaction. However, Columbus faced numerous challenges during and after his expeditions. Despite his initial acclaim, his governance of the settlements he established was marred by poor leadership and harsh treatment of Indigenous peoples, resulting in conflict and resistance.

He was invited to return there, and he wrote in his copy of Imago Mundi that he was in Lisbon in December when Bartholomew Dias returned after discovering the Cape of Good Hope. With the route to India around Africa thus open to him, the King of Portugal lost interest in Columbus's idea. Columbus probably supported himself by selling books and charts in Seville.

Although unsuccessful also in France, Bartholomew was retained at Fontainbleau as a chartmaker by the King's sister, Anne de Beaujeuuntil he learned of his brother's discovery. Christopher suffered genuine distress after the unfavorable report of the Commission. Determined to go to France, he traveled first to La Rabida. His proposals were considered again, and referred to the Royal Council of Castile.

Immediately after Columbus marched in the triumphal procession entering Granada on Jan. Queen Isabella's Decision. Columbus was recalled and had another interview with Isabella. She won her husband's approval. Santangel argued that the enterprise required little risk while offering great possibilities. Probably the character of Columbus won for him the support of the Queen and of many able men.

The First Voyage. They departed the Canary Islands on September 9. With favorable weather and winds, they were beyond the position where land was expected on October 10, and the crew complained. Columbus promised to turn back if land was not sighted in 2 or 3 days. San Salvador Island was discovered on Oct. After exploring northeastern Cuba, Columbus crossed the Windward Passage to the north shore of Hispaniola, where the Santa Maria was wrecked on Christmas morning.

Forty men were left in a fort on shore called "Navidad. Heading northeast, Columbus weathered severe storms, stopped in the Azores, and was driven into Lisbon. News of the discovery spread rapidly in Spain and Italy, slowly elsewhere. Columbus visited the court at Barcelona, was ordered to prepare another expedition, and was confirmed in the title Admiral of the Ocean Sea.

While recognizing his discovery, many educated men doubted that he had reached the Indies in 33 days from the Canaries. Second Voyage. The second departure was on Oct. A high mountainous island sighted Sunday, November 3 was named Dominica. Columbus was shocked by the discovery that all of the garrison were dead, and influenced by the necessity of returning ships to Spain, he hastily chose for the new town of "Isabela" a site that lacked natural advantages.

A better anchorage was available 20 miles east at Puerto Plata. Throughout the first voyage crews had been healthy, but hard work, exposure to mosquitos, rain, and strange diets made men ill soon after work began at Isabela. Medicaments were exhausted; the doctor worn out. Columbus was not an experienced administrator; his errors were repeated, however, by the English in Virginia a century later, and by other colonizers.

Columbus explored part of the southern coast of Cuba in May, circled Jamaica, and returned along the southern coast of Hispaniola, reaching Isabela on Sept. His brother Bartholomew had arrived, and there was a letter from the sovereigns suggesting that he return to Spain to advise them. Although suffering from arthritis, Columbus remained while discontent increased in the colony.

He sailed March 10, and reached Cadiz June 11, Third Voyage. Departure was from the Cape Verde Islands July 4, Sighting Trinidad July 31, the admiral entered the Gulf of Paria, where he recognized that the volume of fresh water proved that the land to the South and West was part of a continent. Worried about conditions in Hispaniola, Columbus failed to seek the pearl fisheries after learning of them and seeing some pearls.

Instead he left the coast near Margarita Island, bogdana karadocheva biography of christopher columbus for the colony. With the hope of improving matters, the admiral asked for a chief justice from Spain. Francisco de Bobadilla arrived while Christopher and Bartholomew were absent from Santo Domingo City; he listened to the malcontents and sent the brothers home in chains without hearing them.

The sovereigns released Columbus, but King Ferdinand was preoccupied with diplomacy and did not study the colonial problem. Fourth Voyage. This departure was from the Canaries May 26, Reaching Martinique June 15, the admiral headed for Santo Domingo with the hope of exchanging his flagship for a better vessel. Columbus recognized that a hurricane was imminent, asked for shelter in the Ozama River, suggested that all vessels be held in port until the storm passed.

Disregarding the warning, 25 ships sailed; 20 ships and men were lost. Denied shelter, the admiral rode out the storm at sea. He then spent nine months exploring the coast of Central America from Honduras to a point about miles east of Porto Bello. He suffered from malaria, and bad weather, tropical rain, sickness, and difficulties with the natives affected all hands.

Shipworms damaged the hulls of his vessels, and he was forced to run them aground in Saint Ann's Bay, Jamaica. Bartholomew and the admiral's younger son, Ferdinand, were on this voyage. Nearly half the men mutinied, and mistreated the natives, and the latter almost ceased to supply food. Columbus knew that a total eclipse of the moon was expected on the night of Feb.

Summoning the native chiefs to a conference, the admiral told them that the God of the Christians would make a sign with the moon to show his disapproval of their failure to supply food to the stranded white men. The eclipse was persuasive. Rescued June 29, he reached Spain Nov. His remains rest in the cathedral of Santo Domingo City.

Achievements of Columbus. In the most famous voyages of modern history Columbus set an example for Europe, raising standards as a seaman, as a navigator, and as an explorer. Before the development of celestial navigation he demonstrated a degree of skill in " dead reckoning " that would be highly creditable to the best navigators of the s.

He exhibited outstanding practical seamanship in fair weather and during storms. Although he had spent only a few years in the Caribbean area, his observations of weather conditions enabled him to predict an impending hurricane. He gave Spain an empire and extended Christian civilization. As an administrator he made mistakes, but few men have done better under similar primitive conditions in colonization.

Bibliography: j. Boston ; ed. Boston — 89 — Raccolta di documenti e studi pubblicati dalla R. Commissione Colombiana, 14 v. Rome — New York — Boston ; Christopher Columbus, Mariner Boston ; ed. Barcelona Studi Colombiana, 3 v. Genoa Madrid Columbus was the eldest son of Domenico Colombo and Susanna Fontanarossa. Although there has been some bogdana karadocheva biography of christopher columbus about the site of his birth, several documents in the State Archives at Genoa confirm that city as his place of origin.

Although a letter from Toscanelli to Ferdinando Martini has survived in a copy made by Columbus, there is no evidence of any direct correspondence between Columbus and Toscanelli. The principal theoretical assumptions drawn from classical sources Aristotle, Strabo, Pliny the ElderSeneca. Vincent to eastern Asia from degrees to degrees, adding 28 degrees for the discoveries of Marco Polo and 30 degrees for his estimated distance from the east coast of China to the east coast of Japan.

He also saved another 9 degrees of westing by starting his ocean crossing from the outermost of the Canary Islands. This left only 68 degrees of ocean to cross before reaching Japan, yet Columbus reduced this figure as well. In other words, his figures placed Japan in relation to Spain about where the West Indies actually are. His observations on magnetic declination, its variation, and the daily movement of the lodestar around the pole reveal that he was a very competent navigator.

We know only that in July he was in Genoa, about to depart for Lisbon. Once established in Madeira, he sailed with the Portuguese as far as Mina Elmina, on the Gulf of Guineathus obtaining valuable maritime experience. There appears to be little basis for the traditional notion that Columbus submitted his plan for a voyage of discovery to the Portuguese king.

John IIwho rejected it. In or Columbus moved to Spain, but little is known of his activities there. Although Dias had reached the southern tip of Africa and opened a new sea route to Asia, his voyage of 6, miles still left him far short of China. Doubtless this circumstance encouraged Columbus to place even greater reliance on his own views. Nevertheless, Columbus was compelled to wait for favorable political and economic conditions in Spain, to which he had returned by ; on 17 April of that year he received the title of almirante mayor del mar oceano and was granted the viceroyalty and governorship of any lands he might discover.

He touched land on 12 October on a little island in the Bahamas that was called Guanahani by the natives. The mission soon aborted, and he turned his attention to the large island of Babeque Great Inagua Islandwhere the natives had assured him gold was to be found. Moving west, Columbus touched the northwestern tip of Haiti, established a settlement on its north shore, and traded with the natives, who, he was sure, would lead him to gold.

Unfortunately, the Santa Maria was lost through carelessness on Christmas night, and Columbus was obliged to postpone his departure for Spain. Severe storms nearly ended the return voyage, but he reached Palos on 13 March, after stopping in Lisbon to confer with the Portuguese king. Through remarkable diplomatic skill Columbus managed to overcome the difficulty.

Six months later a new expedition was outfitted with fourteen caravels and about 1, men. The voyage began on 25 September and again proceeded toward the islands on the southern edge of the Caribbean SeaColumbus discovered the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico on his way to Haiti. At Hispaniola he found that all forty-eight men he had left at Villa de la Navidad were dead — their greed had moved the once friendly natives to murder.

Columbus set sail again, discovering Jamaica May and skirting the southern coast of Cuba. Returning to Haiti shortly afterward, he found the colony in confusion. Before Aguado reached Haiti, however, Columbus returned to Spain 11 Juneleaving his brother Bartolomeo in charge. Despite this vote of confidence, Columbus, prestige had diminished.

Disappointment was only too evident in Spain, where great hopes had been frustrated by the low level of profit that the distant posts had yielded. In order to outfit a third voyage, Columbus had to sign on convicts, and the fleet was reduced to eight caravels fitted out by Amerigo Vespucci on behalf of the house of Berardi. Taking three caravels, Columbus followed a more southerly route than those previously adopted and reached Trinidad on 31 July.

Subsequently he sailed across the mouth of the Orinoco, thus fully meriting recognition—often mistakenly denied him—as the discoverer of the American continent. Rebellion and intrigue had left the colony in such wretched condition that Columbus felt unable to settle matters without harsh disciplinary action and the interference of the Spanish government.

The Spanish court immediately sent Francisco de Bobadilla to act as royal commissioner. He reached Santo Domingo on 23 August and was shocked to find that Columbus was making frequent use of the gallows. He put Columbus in chains and sent him back to Spain November with his brothers Bartolomeo and Diego. Despite his disgrace, the Spanish sovereigns received Columbus and granted him permission for a fourth voyage, although they stripped him of his governorship of Hispaniola.

Nevertheless, Columbus, taking his brother Bartolomeo and his thirteen-year-old son, Fernando, sailed from Seville with a fleet of four caravels on 3 Aprilstill in search of a passage to the Indian Ocean. He stopped briefly at Santo Domingo to replace a damaged caravel; but Nicolas de Ovando, his successor as governor, refused his request for aid and denied him permission to land.

Setting off again, Columbus sailed south of Jamaica and reached the Gulf of Darien. His discovery there of a Mayan canoe persuaded him that he was on the brink of finding a civilization more advanced than that of the natives previously encountered; and he sailed further south, convinced that he would soon reach the long-sought passage to India.

He discovered Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa RicaPanama, and Colombia, from which hostile natives and malaria forced him to retreat. Columbus took refuge in Jamaica, his vessels unseaworthy and his crew on the verge of mutiny. Two of his officers, Diego Mendez and Bartolomeo Fieschi, outfitted a canoe and courageously paddled the miles to Santo Domingo.

It was nearly a year before they were granted permission by Ovando to outfit a ship, which rescued Columbus and his men on 28 June Returning to Spain broken and ill, Columbus died ignorant of the extent of his discoveries. Columbus is credited with a number of writings, which are listed in J. Histoire critique de la grande entreprise de Christophe Colomb, 2 vols.

Paris, I 18, 21,; and II, 6, There is still no adequate critical ed. The authorship and history of these two sources has long been debated. Henri Harrisse revealed many inconsistencies and contradictions in the Historie and concluded that it could not have been written by Fernando Columbus. His argument has been largely discredited, and Alberto Magnaghi has shown in the compilation of the Historie the responsibility of an anonymous author, probably Luis Colon, a descendant of Columbus who was exiled to Oran by Charles V.

He also was reputed to have made an equally fanciful voyage to lceland and beyond in One must be wary in using these sources, for dates and personages often are confused. The Columbian bibliography is constantly growing. Keeping pace with the critical study of the many complex questions that arise from tradition and from a facile appeal to innovative views that are not always adequate to the complexity and seriousness of the problems treated.

The following. Spotorno, Codice diplomatico Colomboamericano Genoa, ; M. Paris, ; H. Fernand Colomb. Essai critique Paris, ; Christophe Colomb, son origine. Commissione colombiana. Rome, ; H. Hernando Colon. Noted for novelty of research and for the use of innovational and thorough criticism are the writings of Alberto Magnaghi, which led to a more accurate presentation of Columbus as man, sailor and discoverer.

Classe di scienze morali. Boston,in 2 eds. Morison, ed. Christopher Columbus. Columbus made four voyages to the Caribbean and South America between and As governor of Hispaniola an island in the Caribbeanhe oversaw the establishment of the first European settlements in the Americas. Columbus later brought over other Europeans, an act that resulted in devastating consequences to the people he called "Indians.

Beginning with Columbus's brutal rule, the Native Americans of Hispaniola were soon virtually exterminated. Although he made great strides in Spain's effort to colonize the New World, Columbus was taken from Hispaniola in chains and under arrest, his career and reputation permanently damaged. Christopher Columbus was born in the city of Genoa, Italy, in His family, who made and traded woolen fabrics, had lived in Genoa for at bogdana karadocheva biography of christopher columbus three generations.

From a young age, Columbus worked as a sailor on merchant and war ships in the Mediterranean Sea. In he went to Lisbon, Portugal, where he learned mathematics and astronomy study of the starssubjects that are vital for navigation. He made several voyages, including one to Iceland an island between the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans.

In he married and settled on Madeira an island off the northwest coast of Africawhere his son Diego was born. In he had another son, Fernando, with his Spanish mistress, Beatriz Enriquez. In the early s Columbus began to seek a sponsor for an expedition to Asia. He wanted to prove his theory that it would be faster and easier to get to Asia by sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean instead of going around Africa and into the Indian Ocean.

For several years Columbus proposed his idea to the king of Portugal, but he was turned down. Not to be discouraged, Columbus went to try his luck in Spain. He first met with Queen Isabella I in Finally, in AprilIsabella and her husband, King Ferdinand V, signed an agreement with Columbus in which they agreed to pay for his voyage. According to this deal, Columbus would be named admiral, become the governor of any lands he discovered, and receive a tax-free ten percent share of any riches found in the new lands.

The ships made good progress across the Atlantic, but as the weeks passed the crew wondered if they would ever reach land. According to Columbus's calculations, they already should have reached their destination. By October 10, the men began to turn mutinous rebelliousdemanding that the ships turn back toward Spain. But the next day some sailors saw signs of land: branches with green leaves and flowers floating in the water.

Early the following morning a lookout a sailor who keeps watch atop a ship mast on the Pinta sighted white cliffs in the moonlight and shouted, "Tierra! They had found a small island in the present-day Bahamas a group of islands southeast of Florida. Not knowing where they were, Columbus incorrectly assumed he had reached Asia, or the "Indies.

When the Tainos told Columbus about a larger island to the south, he thought it must be part of China or Japan. Actually it was the island we now call Cuba. After leaving the BahamasColumbus spent a month sailing along the coast of Cuba in search of gold. Today Hispaniola is comprised of the countries of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. While sailing along the coast Columbus met an important Native American chief who was wearing gold ornaments that he gladly traded for European goods.

On Christmas Eve, Columbus invited the chief and his people to come aboard the Santa Maria for a holiday celebration. When the party was over, everyone fell asleep and the Santa Maria hit a coral reef. The ship was damaged beyond repair. The Native Americans helped the Spanish sailors unload most of the goods from the ship and carry them to shore.

Columbus then founded the first European settlement in the Americas on that site, a small bay where the Haitian bogdana karadocheva biography of christopher columbus of Limonade-Bord-de-Mer now stands. He named the settlement La Navidad "the birth" in honor of the fact that the colony was founded on Christmas Day. When Columbus left La Navidad a few weeks later to return to Spain, twenty-one of his men remained at the settlement.

Thus began the Spanish colonization of the Americas. When Columbus returned to Spain, he had no trouble winning support for a second voyage. After all, he had "discovered" previously unknown lands and had also brought evidence of gold and other riches. This time he was given seventeen ships that held more than one thousand colonists. But when they reached La Navidad in Novemberthe settlement lay in ruins, and unburied Spaniard bodies were everywhere.

Either the Native Americans had turned against the Europeans, or the Spaniards had fought among themselves. No one had survived to tell the story. Abandoning the site, Columbus took his new colonists seventy-five miles east, where he built a settlement called Isabela. He wasted no time in searching for the gold that would enrich Spain and secure his position and power.

Only four days after landing at Isabela, Columbus sent one of his officers, Alonso de Ojeda, to look for gold. Ojeda found a small amount of the precious mineral in the mountains. Meanwhile, as Columbus was exploring nearby islands, a curious incident occurred. At one point Columbus gathered all his men together and made them swear that they had been sailing along the mainland of Asia, not the coast of an island.

He was still convinced—or was trying to convince himself—that he had found the "Indies. In this time, the greatest outrages and slaughterings of people were perpetrated, whole villages being depopulated. New York : Knopf, When Columbus returned to Isabela in late Septemberhe found tensions growing between the Native Americans and the Spaniards.

The colonists were severely mistreating the Native Americans—taking them as slaves, beating them, and stealing from them. By this time the Native Americans were fighting back, and they organized an army to drive the Europeans off the island. The Spanish took harsh steps to subdue the Native Americans, including an attack led by Columbus and his brother Bartholomew in March The Native Americans, who were no match for the Spanish army of soldiers, were completely defeated.

During the next few years the Native people of Hispaniola were rapidly driven toward extinction. The Spaniards governed harshly in Hispaniola. Columbus instituted a tribute system, which required every Native American over the age of fourteen to deliver a certain amount of gold to the Spanish every three months. Those who did not pay the tribute would receive severe punishment such as having their hands cut off.

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