![]() He and his sons Diego and Fernando then pursued a long series of court cases against the Castilian crown, known as “pleitos colombinos,” claiming that the crown had violated its contractual obligations to Columbus and his heirs. Later, Columbus was arrested and removed from office in 1500. In addition, he would be entitled to one-eighth of the profits from each company in the new states. ![]() He would be entitled to 10% of all income from the new lands for life. He had the right to appoint three men, one of whom was chosen by the sovereigns, for each office in the new lands. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella promised Columbus that if he was successful, he would be promoted to admiral and appointed governor of all new lands to which he could lay claim. However, to prevent Columbus from implementing his ideas elsewhere and possibly keeping all his options open, the Catholic kings granted him an annual payment of 12,000 maravedas and in 1489 presented him with a letter requesting all cities under their rule to provide him with free room and board.Īfter constant lobbying at the Spanish court and two years of negotiations, he finally succeeded in January 1492. A year later, scientists in Spain, like their counterparts in Portugal, retorted that Columbus had grossly underestimated the distance to Asia and declared the idea impractical. On May 1, 1486, Columbus presented his plans to Queen Isabella, who in turn forwarded them to a committee. The Spanish CrownĬhristopher Columbus sought an audience with the monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, who had united several kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula through marriage and joint rule. He also sent his brother Bartholomew to Henry VII in England to see if the English crown could finance his expedition, but again without success. After the eastern sea route to Asia was opened, King John obviously had no more interest in Columbus’ far-fetched project.Ĭolumbus traveled from Portugal to Genoa and Venice, but received no support. This meeting also remained unsuccessful, partly because Bartolomeo Dias returned to Portugal soon after with news of the successful circumnavigation of the southern tip of Africa. In 1488, Columbus again approached the Portuguese authorities, which led to John II again inviting him to an audience. ![]() They generally believed that Columbus’ estimated distance of 3,860 km was actually too low. The king presented Columbus’ proposal to his experts, who rejected it. Columbus also demanded that he be made “Grand Admiral of the Ocean,” governor of all the lands he would discover, and that he receive one-tenth of all the revenues from those lands. He suggested to the king that he equip three sturdy ships and give Columbus a year to sail across the Atlantic, find a western route to the east, and then return. In 1485 Columbus presented his plans to the Portuguese King John II. With this support, Christopher Columbus was finally able to discover America and put the existence of a very important nation on the world map. When Christopher Columbus set out on his voyage from Spain in the 15th century, he received the important support of three ships and their crews, known today as the ships of Christopher Columbus. At a time when ships were the only fast means of transportation for travel around the world, Christopher Columbus’ ships changed the entire concept of travel by ship. Christopher Columbus discovered a sailing route to the Americas, a continent then unknown in the Old World, though at the time he believed he had discovered a route to the Far East.Ĭhristopher Columbus was the discoverer of America, but Christopher Columbus’ ships are also undoubtedly worthy of recognition. Based on the work of historians and biographers, it is believed that in his early childhood, Christopher mastered mathematics effortlessly, could express himself in several languages, and had a talent for speaking.Ĭolumbus led the first European expeditions to the Caribbean and Central and South America, initiating the permanent European colonization of the Americas. Classes were held indoors and the children were taught by visiting teachers. Besides Christoph, there were four other children in the family – three younger brothers and a sister. His mother, Susanna Fontanarossa, was the daughter of a weaver and a simple housewife. Columbus’ father, Domenico Colombo, was a shepherd and wool weaver, wine and cheese merchant. There is very little reliable information about the origin of Columbus or even the exact date of birth of the future navigator. ![]() Christopher Columbus (Octo– May 20, 1506) was an Italian explorer, navigator and colonist who made four voyages across the Atlantic under the patronage of the Catholic Kings of Spain.
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