Christopher Columbus is a medieval navigator who discovered Sargassovo and Caribbean, Antilles, Bahamas and the American continent for Europeans, the first of famous travelers swam across Atlantic Ocean.

According to various testimonies, Christopher Columbus was born in 1451 in Genoa, in what is now Corsica. Six Italian and Spanish cities claim the right to be called his homeland. About the childhood and youth of the navigator, practically nothing is reliably known, just as the origin of the Columbus family is vague.

Some researchers call Columbus Italian, others believe that his parents were baptized Jews, Marranos. This assumption explains the incredible level of education for those times, which was received by Christopher, who came from the family of an ordinary weaver and housewife.

According to some historians and biographers, Columbus studied at home until the age of 14, while he had brilliant knowledge of mathematics, knew several languages, including Latin. The boy had three younger brothers and a sister, and they were all taught by visiting teachers. One of the brothers, Giovanni, died in childhood, Bianchella's sister grew up and got married, and Bartolomeo and Giacomo accompanied Columbus on his travels.

Most likely, the Columbus were helped by their fellow believers, wealthy Genoese financiers from the Marranos. With their help, a young man from a poor family got to the University of Padua.

As an educated person, Columbus was familiar with the teachings of the ancient Greek philosophers and thinkers who portrayed the Earth as a ball, not a flat pancake, as was believed in the Middle Ages. However, such thoughts, as well as Jewish origins during the Inquisition, which raged in Europe, had to be carefully hidden.

At Columbus University, he became friends with students and teachers. One of his close friends was the astronomer Toscanelli. According to his calculations, it turned out that to the cherished India, full of untold riches, it is much closer to sail in the west, and not in the east, skirting Africa. Later, Christopher made his own calculations, which, being incorrect, confirmed Toscanelli's hypothesis. Thus was born the dream of western travel, and Columbus devoted his whole life to her.

Even before entering the university as a fourteen-year-old teenager, Christopher Columbus experienced the hardships of sea voyages. The father arranged for his son on one of the trading schooners to teach the art of navigation, trading skills, and from that moment the biography of Columbus the navigator started.

Columbus made his first voyages as a cabin boy Mediterranean Sea where trade and economic routes between Europe and Asia crossed. At the same time, European merchants knew about the riches and gold placers of Asia and India from the words of the Arabs, who resold them wonderful silks and spices from these countries.

The young man listened to extraordinary stories from the mouths of oriental merchants and was inflamed with a dream to reach the shores of India in order to find her treasures and get rich.

Expeditions

In the 70s of the 15th century, Columbus married Felipe Moniz from a wealthy Italian-Portuguese family. The father-in-law of Christopher, who settled in Lisbon and went to sea under the Portuguese flag, was also a navigator. After death he left nautical charts, diaries and other documents inherited by Columbus. According to them, the traveler continued his study of geography, while studying the works of Piccolomini, Pierre de Ailly,.

Christopher Columbus took part in the so-called northern expedition, in which his path passed through British Isles and Iceland. Presumably, there the navigator heard the Scandinavian sagas and stories about the Vikings, Erik the Red and Leiva Eriksson, who reached the coast of the "mainland", crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

The route that made it possible to get to India by the western route was compiled by Columbus as early as 1475. He presented an ambitious plan to conquer a new land to the court of Genoese merchants, but did not meet with support.

A few years later, in 1483, Christopher makes a similar proposal to the Portuguese king João II. The king convened an academic council, which reviewed the Genoese's project and found his calculations incorrect. Frustrated but cheerful, Columbus left Portugal and moved to Castile.

In 1485, the navigator asked for an audience with the Spanish monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella of Castile. The couple received him favorably, listened to Columbus, who seduced them with the treasures of India, and, like the Portuguese ruler, summoned the scientists to a council. The commission did not support the navigator, since the possibility of a western route implied the sphericity of the Earth, which was contrary to the teachings of the church. Columbus was almost declared a heretic, but the king and queen took mercy and decided to postpone the final decision until the end of the war with the Moors.

Columbus, motivated not so much by the thirst for discovery as by the desire to get rich, diligently hiding the details of the planned journey, sent messages to the English and French monarchs. Charles and Henry did not respond to the letters, being too busy with domestic politics, but the Portuguese king sent the navigator an invitation to continue discussing the expedition.

When Christopher announced this in Spain, Ferdinand and Isabella agreed to equip a squadron of ships to find a western route to India, although the impoverished Spanish treasury did not have the funds for this enterprise. The monarchs promised Columbus a title of nobility, the rank of admiral and viceroy of all the lands that he was to discover, and he had to borrow money from Andalusian bankers and merchants.

Columbus's four expeditions

1. The first expedition of Christopher Columbus took place in the years 1492-1493. On three ships, the Pinta caravels (property of Martin Alonso Pinson) and Niña and the four-masted sailing ship Santa Maria, the navigator passed through the Canary Islands, crossed the Atlantic Ocean, opening the Sargasso Sea along the way, and reached Bahamas... On October 12, 1492, Columbus set foot on the island of Saman, which he named San Salvador. This date is considered the day of the discovery of America.
2. Columbus' second expedition took place in the years 1493-1496. In this campaign, the Lesser Antilles, Dominica, Haiti, Cuba, Jamaica were discovered.
3. The third expedition dates back to the period from 1498 to 1500. A flotilla of six ships reached the islands of Trinidad and Margarita, initiating the discovery of South America, and culminating in Haiti.
4. During the fourth expedition, Christopher Columbus sailed to Martinique, visited the Gulf of Honduras and surveyed the Central American coast along the Caribbean Sea.

Discovery of America

The process of discovering the New World stretched out for many years. The most amazing thing is that Columbus, being a convinced pioneer and experienced navigator, until the end of his days believed that he had opened the way to Asia. He considered the Bahamas, discovered in the first expedition, to be a part of Japan, after which wonderful China was to be discovered, and after it - the cherished India.

What did Columbus discover and why did the new continent get the name of another traveler? The list of discoveries made by the great traveler and navigator includes San Salvador, Cuba and Haiti, belonging to the Bahamian archipelago, the Sargasso Sea.

Seventeen ships set off on the second expedition, led by the flagship Maria Galante. This type of vessel with a displacement of two hundred tons and other ships carried not only sailors, but also colonizers, livestock, and supplies. All this time, Columbus was convinced that he had discovered Western India... At the same time, the Antilles, Dominica and Guadeloupe were discovered.

The third expedition brought Columbus' ships to the continent, but the navigator was disappointed: he never found India with its gold placers. Columbus returned from this trip in shackles, accused of false denunciation. Before entering the port, the shackles were removed from him, but the navigator lost the promised titles and titles.

The last journey of Christopher Columbus ended with a wreck off the coast of Jamaica and a serious illness of the leader of the campaign. He returned home sick, unhappy and broken by setbacks. Amerigo Vespucci was a close associate and follower of Columbus, who undertook four trips to New World... An entire continent is named after him, and a country in South America is named after Columbus, who never reached India.

Personal life

According to the biographers of Christopher Columbus, the first of whom was his own son, the navigator was married twice. The first marriage with Felipe Moniz was legal. The wife gave birth to a son Diego. In 1488, Columbus had a second son, Fernando, from an affair with a woman named Beatriz Henriquez de Arana.

The navigator took equal care of both sons, and even took the youngest with him on the expedition when the boy was thirteen years old. Fernando was the first to write a biography famous traveler.

Christopher Columbus with his wife Felipe Moniz

Subsequently, both sons of Columbus became influential people and took high positions. Diego was the fourth Viceroy New Spain and Admiral of India, and his descendants were titled Marquises of Jamaica and Dukes of Veragua.

Fernando Columbus, who became a writer and scientist, enjoyed the favor of the Spanish emperor, lived in a marble palace and had an annual income of up to 200,000 francs. These titles and riches went to the descendants of Columbus in recognition of his services to the crown by the Spanish monarchs.

Death

After the discovery of America from the last expedition, Columbus returned to Spain as a terminally ill, aged man. In 1506, the discoverer of the New World died in poverty in a small house in Valladolid. Columbus spent his savings to pay debts to the members of the last expedition.

Tomb of Christopher Columbus

Soon after the death of Christopher Columbus, the first ships began to arrive from America, loaded with gold, which the navigator had dreamed of so much. Many historians agree that Columbus knew that he had discovered not Asia or India, but a new, unexplored continent, but did not want to share with anyone the glory and treasures, which were only one step away.

The appearance of the enterprising discoverer of America is also known from photos in history books. Several films were shot about Columbus, the last one was a film co-produced by France, England, Spain and the USA "1492: The Conquest of Paradise". Monuments to this great man were erected in Barcelona and Granada, and his ashes were transported from Seville to Haiti.

Christopher Columbus is the discoverer of South and Central America. Columbus expeditions.

Christopher Columbus biography

1 expedition. Discovery of America by Columbus in 1492

• The first expedition Christopher Columbus assembled from three ships - "Santa Maria" (three-masted flagship 25 m long, with a displacement of 120 tons, the captain of the Columbus ship), the "Pinta" caravel (captain - Martin Alonso Pinson) and "Niña" (captain - Vicente Yanes Pinson) with a displacement of 55 tons and 87 people of the expedition personnel.
  The flotilla left Palos on August 3, 1492, from Canary Islands turned west, crossed the Atlantic Ocean, opening the Sargasso Sea and reached an island in the Bahamas (the first to see American land was the sailor of the "Pinta" Rodrigo de Triana October 12, 1492). Columbus landed on the shore, which the locals call Guanahani, hoisted a banner on it, announced open land property of the Spanish king and formally took possession of the island. The island is named after him San Salvador.
  For a long time (1940 -1982), Watling Island was considered San Salvador. However, our contemporary American geographer George Judge processed all the collected materials on a computer in 1986 and came to the conclusion: the first American land seen by Columbus was Samana Island (120 km southeast of Watling).
  On October 14-24, Columbus approached several more Bahamas, and on October 28 - December 5, he opened part of the northeastern coast of Cuba. December 6 reached the island of Haiti and moved along the northern coast. On the night of December 25, the flagship Santa Maria landed on the reef, but the crew escaped. For the first time in the history of navigation, by order of Columbus, Indian hammocks were adapted for sailor bunks.
  Columbus on "Niña" on March 15, 1493 returned to Castile. From America, Columbus brought seven captive American natives, who were nicknamed Indians in Europe, as well as a little gold and plants and fruits unseen in the Old World, including an annual plant corn (in Haiti it is called maize), tomatoes, peppers, tobacco (“ dry leaves, which were especially appreciated by the locals "), pineapples, cocoa and potatoes (because of their beautiful pink and white flowers). The political resonance of Columbus's voyage was the "papal meridian": the head of the Catholic Church established a demarcation line in the Atlantic, indicating different directions for the rivals of Spain and Portugal for discovering new lands.

  The first landing of Christopher Columbus on the shores of the New World: in San Salvador, Wisconsin, October 12, 1492.
  Author of the painting: Spanish artist Tolin Puebla, Theophilus Dioscoro Dioscoro Teofilo Puebla Tolin (1831-1901)
  Publisher: American firm Currier and Ives (prints, lithographs, popular prints), published 1892.

  
  

2 expedition of Christopher Columbus (1493 - 1496)

• The second expedition (1493-96), led by Admiral Columbus, in the position of viceroy of the newly discovered lands, consisted of 17 ships with a crew of 1.5-2.5 thousand people. On November 3-15, 1493, Columbus discovered the islands of Dominica, Guadeloupe and about 20 Lesser Antilles, on November 19 the island of Puerto Rico. In March 1494, in search of gold, he made a military campaign deep into the island of Haiti, in the summer he opened the southeastern and south coast Cuba, Juventud Islands and Jamaica. For 40 days, Columbus examined South coast Haiti, the conquest of which he continued in 1495. But in the spring of 1496 he sailed home, completing his second voyage on June 11 in Castile. Columbus announced the opening of a new route to Asia. The colonization of new lands by free settlers, which began soon, cost the Spanish crown very dearly, and Columbus proposed to populate the islands with criminals, halving their sentence. With fire and sword, plundering and destroying the country of ancient culture, the military detachments of Cortes marched through the land of the Aztecs - Mexico, the troops of Pizarro - across the land of the Incas - Peru.

3 expedition of Christopher Columbus (1498 - 1499)

• The third expedition (1498-99) consisted of six ships, three of which Columbus himself led across the Atlantic. On July 31, 1498, he discovered the island of Trinidad, entered the Gulf of Paria, discovered the mouth of the western branch of the Orinoco Delta and the Paria Peninsula, initiating the discovery of South America. Out into the Caribbean, he approached the Araya Peninsula, discovered Margarita Island on August 15, and arrived in Haiti on August 31. In 1500, on a denunciation, Christopher Columbus was arrested and, shackled (which he then kept all his life), was sent to Castile, where he was awaited by release.

4 expedition of Christopher Columbus (1502 - 1504)

Columbus discovered America on October 12, 1492

", BGCOLOR," #ffffff ", FONTCOLOR," # 333333 ", BORDERCOLOR," Silver ", WIDTH," 100% ", FADEIN, 100, FADEOUT, 100)"> So, October 12, 1492 the ships of the expedition, carefully, so as not to run into the reefs, approached the new land. We dropped the anchors. We have prepared everything you need. And with God's help, October 13, 1492 and the leadership of the expedition in the person of the Pinson brothers, Juana de la Cosa, notary Rodrigo de Escoveda, plenipotentiary inspector of the crown Rodrigo Sánchez de Segovia (who were dragged across all the seas especially for such an occasion) and a group of comrades were the first to go ashore.

October 13, 1492 Columbus first set foot on the shores of the new land

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On behalf of and on behalf of the king and queen, Christopher Columbus took possession of the land discovered by him. A notarial deed with all the required formalities was drawn up on the spot about this. Actually, it was at this moment that Columbus became Viceroy, for he had his own territory! Having hoisted the Castilian flag on the shore, the delegation went to see the local sights. And after a short time there were also “guides” - local residents.

Columbus named the first island he discovered "San Salvador"

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I wonder what is left detailed descriptions the exact place of the landing of Columbus, according to which one could confidently say which of the Bahamas was the first to feel the pleasant weight of the Castilian shoes on himself. Therefore, several scraps of sushi from the Bahamian garland are competing for the right to be the first. Columbus named the island for himself San - Salvador (Salvation).

After spending a few days exploring the island and establishing contacts with the locals arawakami as they called themselves, Columbus began to suspect that he had not found exactly what he was looking for. The islanders were in the Stone Age by their level of development - they did not know metals. Didn't know the wheel. We did not use pack and riding animals. Their language was not similar to any of the eastern languages, in which the interpreter of the expedition tried to explain himself to them Luis de Torres... However, at first, Columbus was not embarrassed. It could be assumed that his ships went to some remote from big land island. More embarrassing that no spices grew on the island. And most importantly, there was no gold.

However, according to the sources, local residents had some pieces of gold, and Columbus began to ask where it came from and where, they say, got it? What the savages pointed in the direction of the south-west - there, they say, there is big land, other people live there and here they have ... ", BGCOLOR," #ffffff ", FONTCOLOR," # 333333 ", BORDERCOLOR," Silver ", WIDTH," 100% ", FADEIN, 100, FADEOUT, 100)"> All this nonsense, wandering from book to book, from site to site, with the addition of fictitious details, is not worth a broken banana. If the natives San - Salvadora and there was gold, then why would they need it? What is its value to them? Is it processed or in the form of nuggets? The Columbians, of course, could show the natives their gold wares. But what could the aborigines compare them with? Some questions ...

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Having looked for gold in the ground on the island and did not find it, the forwarders decided to continue looking - as luck would have it. After stumbling around the Bahamas for two weeks, the Admiral's expedition landed on the northeastern coast of Cuba on October 28, 1492. They equipped the landing force, scoured the coast for quite a long time, sent reconnaissance deep into the territory. But even here it was not what he was looking for. No gold. No spices. No palaces. No Great Khan.

I think that the Admiral was not accidentally unlucky with all this. After all, he came to new land to take, take away, grab, and not in order to do something good on it. And the ending of his fate in this regard is quite natural. Columbus's team were common invaders, bandits, slave traders, and assassins. And Christian morality did not condemn all this. However, there are other places for philosophical discourse on the Internet, and we will return to our travelers.

", BGCOLOR," #ffffff ", FONTCOLOR," # 333333 ", BORDERCOLOR," Silver ", WIDTH," 100% ", FADEIN, 100, FADEOUT, 100)"> Believing that he is in the poorest part of China, Columbus decides to turn east, where, according to one version, the rich country of Sipangu / Japan / could be located, according to another (according to the hint local residents) - exactly to the east of Cuba was located big Island, on which there was a lot of gold. The ships sailed east along the northern coast of Cuba.

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It is impossible to say exactly how and when the members of the expedition first tried tobacco, but a record of this historical event appears in Columbus's logbook on November 15. There is a version that the word tobacco not the plant itself was called, but the tube through which the Indians inhaled the smoke. But it was this that became a household name for the potion itself.

Where did the Pinta disappear to?

On November 20, 1492, the Pinta suddenly disappeared. She simply disappeared from sight, apparently left at night. The most walking version is its captain, Martin Alonso Pinson, the second man on the expedition, who, it seems, was burning with megalomania and a thirst for profit, broke away from his comrades in order to be the first to find gold. Or other values. And the first to jerk back, for he also knew something about navigation. Most likely, it was so.

December 6, 1492 Columbus discovered the island of Haiti - Hispaniola

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The remaining two ships continued their journey east and two weeks later, on December 6, 1492, the travelers discovered the current island of Haiti, which Columbus called Hispaniola / little spain/, although the island was three times larger than Sicily!

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Columbus discovered an island near the northern coast of Hispaniola, which he named Tortuga/Turtle/. This island later became the most famous nest in the Caribbean, has been described many times in novels and has retained the name given by Columbus to this day.

For another two weeks, "Niña" and "Santa Maria" slowly moved along the winding coast of Haiti, all the while trying to establish contact with the local population for the presence of precious metals.", BGCOLOR," #ffffff ", FONTCOLOR," # 333333 ", BORDERCOLOR," Silver ", WIDTH," 100% ", FADEIN, 100, FADEOUT, 100)">In one of the bays where the ships stopped, they managed to find out from the local population that further to the east is the territory of the powerful leader Guacanagari, and in the depths of the island lies a territory called Cibao, where there is a lot of this gold like shoe polish at a shoe polish factory. The admiral, of course, immediately thought that Cibao That's what it is Sipango, decided to reach the territory of the leader by sea and then penetrate deep into the country. But then the unexpected happened. On the night of December 25, 1492, "Santa Maria" sat on the reefs.

The mystery of death ""

The crash of "Santa Maria" still causes an ambiguous assessment among Columbian scholars, because the circumstances of the catastrophe inspired and inspire suspicion. Why did they walk along the coast at night, where there could always be pitfalls? Why was the cabin boy at the helm?Maybe it was beneficial for someone to land the flagship of the expedition aground? But to whom?

1. To the owner of the ship Juan de la Cosa? Perhaps he expected to get insurance for him? So he really received then from the kings compensation for the lost property, which indirectly confirms this guess.

2. To the Admiral himself. It is possible that he too. Let's try to reason. Realizing that he had discovered not what he was looking for, Columbus felt the futility of further searches for Japan and China. If they were somewhere close, there would be indirect signs of their proximity - exchange goods from local tribes, possibly a wheel, metal products. But none of this happened. But Columbus has already become the Viceroy of all these lands. And the land turned out to be considerable! It was imperative to return here with exploration expeditions. Leaving some of the people here is an additional argument for equipping the next expedition. Besides, Columbus might well have suspected that Martin A. Pinson hadn't gone missing on the Pinta by accident. He could rush back to be the first to report to the kings about the new lands and get all the preferences. "Santa Maria" in this race for Columbus would be a burden. And there was a reason for refusing further searches for Japan and the Great Khan - they say, with one ship where ... This, of course, is all speculation ...

The third and most likely version is that the team just got drunk on Christmas Day. Valorous Conquistadors began to fill the throats already the night before and were simply unable to get behind the wheel to get behind the wheel... Catholic Christmas is celebrated on the night of December 24-25. It gets dark early in southern latitudes, and it is allowed to break the fast after fasting when the first star appears in the sky. That's the whole truth about the wreck of "Santa Maria".

Fort "Navidad" - nfirst Spanish settlement in America

From the wreckage of the flagship, it was decided to build a fortified settlement on the shore and leave a significant part of the team in it - only 39 souls. This colonists reluctantly The admiral promised to return for sure next year. ", BGCOLOR," #ffffff ", FONTCOLOR," # 333333 ", BORDERCOLOR," Silver ", WIDTH," 100% ", FADEIN, 100, FADEOUT, 100)">
On the third day of Christmas, the travelers began building the fortress. It was decided to call it “ Navidad ”(Navidad in Spanish - Christmas), and for the construction of this stronghold, the remains of "Santa Maria" were used. The colonists were left with a significant supply of provisions, wine, firearms and a boat. The admiral touchingly said goodbye to those who remained to spend the winter on the new land, ordered them not to remember him dashingly to live in harmony with each other and with their neighbors. Alas, he saw them alive for the last time. January 2, 1493 the last remaining caravel of the first expedition of Christopher Columbus "Ninya" set off on its way back.

Return of the prodigal "Pinta". In full sail!

On Sunday, January 6, 1493 of the year, from the mainmast of "Ninya" was seen "Pinta". A very strange accident ... Soon the Admiral met with the captain of the missing caravel, M. A. Pinson, who declared that he had separated from the flotilla against his will (?!?). No one will be able to establish what actually happened there, but both commanders understood that in their position a bad world is better than a good quarrel and did not sort things out until the end. The ships "rummaged" a little more in Haiti in the last hope of finding something, replenished supplies andJanuary 16, 1493 full sail, taking a steep north on coursenor-nord-ost(or in our opinion to the north-north-east). Columbus began to return to Castile.

Travelers of the Great Era Geographic Discovery

Russian travelers and pioneers

We all know that Columbus discovered America. On September 12, Americans at the state level celebrate America's Discovery Day or Columbus Day. On this day in 1492, a Spanish navigator with his expedition landed for the first time on the North American coast (today it is San Salvador, located in the Bahamas archipelago).

In the past few decades, not only assumptions have been made, but various facts have been presented that refute the information known to everyone about the discovery of America by Columbus. Among the discoverers, researchers see several candidates and believe that the discovery of a new "promised land" took place several centuries before Columbus.

So who discovered America first ?

Challengers for the discovery of America

Sailing to the West across the Atlantic, Columbus was sure that he had opened a new route to India and China, so he did not even think about the discovery of new lands. However, according to some testimonies, he followed the path that others swam long before his birth.

Fantastic versions

There are several different versions about the discoverers of American lands, some of which can be attributed more to the fantastic.

It is believed that:

1. America was discovered by the Atlanteans, who, after the death of Atlantis, moved to the American mainland.
2. The first ancient Americans were the inhabitants of the mysterious land of Mu.
3. The ancestors of the American Indians came from the "seven tribes of Israel", i.e. had Jewish roots.

Plausible theories

It is possible that there are other unusual versions that seem delusional at first glance, but in such assumptions, according to scientists, there is a grain of truth. According to the existing theory of the settlement of the American continent, the first settlers sailed to these lands on ice floes through the Bering Strait.

Vikings

Scientists who have studied the issue of the discovery of America claim that the Vikings were the first travelers to repeatedly visit American lands over the course of several centuries. In support of their theory, scientists cite Scandinavian folk sagas and legends, which tell about fearless travelers and their sea voyages, as well as archaeological excavations carried out on American lands at the site of ancient Viking settlements.

One of these Scandinavian travelers was the Greenlandic ruler and navigator Leif Erikson the Happy. According to some reports, it was he who visited the American mainland five hundred years before Columbus. How did Leif know there was more land beyond the Atlantic Ocean? Around the end of the first millennium (980-990), Leif heard from his compatriot Biani Herjulfsson that there were beautiful landforms covered with mist over the ocean. The fearless Scandinavian did not leave the thought of finding these lands, so he went in search of them, conquering the northern seething waters of the Atlantic.

On their way to the shores of America, the Vikings discovered and mapped new lands - Markland (modern Labrador Island), Vinland (possibly Newfoundland) and Hellulange (presumably Baffin's Land). Having discovered them, the Vikings founded settlements here, having received a fierce rebuff from the indigenous inhabitants of the American coast and abandoning the idea of ​​settling in new lands.

Ancient peoples

Despite popular legends about sea ​​travel Leif the Happy, he is also not the actual discoverer of America. Then who discovered America first ? After all, according to legend, Leif learned about distant lands from other sailors. Consequently, before him, someone had already successfully visited the new continent and was able to safely return back.

The peoples of Polynesia have legends about the Aboriginal Polynesians visiting America.

In addition, it is believed that the Chukchi also visited American lands, establishing a trade channel and exchanging whalebone and furs with the inhabitants of the coastal regions of North America. It is this version that the researchers do not doubt, because there is archaeological evidence, which so far, alas, cannot be dated. However, as it is not possible to establish who was the first to take the first trip.

Egyptians, Romans, Africans, Chinese and other ancient peoples

Investigating the question of the discovery of America, supporters of various versions provide unreliable and sometimes false information about the visit of the New World by ancient peoples - the Egyptians, Romans, Greeks and Phoenicians. Some adherents of such theories, including the famous seafarers Thor Heyerdahl and Tim Severin, believe that the African and Chinese were the pioneers of America. They base their assumptions on the similarity of cultures of distant ethnic groups, such as, for example, the Greeks and the Aztecs. In addition, architectural similarities are compared. Egyptian pyramids and the Mayan pyramids, the presence of maize in the territory West Africa and also figurines depicting people of African appearance, which were found among the American Indians. All these arguments suggest that representatives of ancient civilizations of the Old World could visit America.

False discoveries

Such fantastic versions can be cited endlessly. True fantasy who discovered America first , begins with the legend that the first Europeans in America were not Vikings at all.

According to legend, the first Europeans to set foot on the American coast were the Irish, more specifically - it was the navigator monk Saint Brendan of Clonfert. Hoping to find the biblical Eden across the sea, in about 530 he went west in search of Paradise, equipping a ship. According to legend, Brendan managed to reach a certain Island of the Blessed, which was quite suitable for the description of the coast of America. Returning to Europe, the monk tells in detail about this land. No one can reliably say whether the island was American land, but in the mid-70s. of the last century, the British traveler, writer and scientist Tim Severin passed along his path, who crossed the Atlantic on a wooden Scandinavian boat (kurrah) covered with a bull's skin, proving that theoretically the journey of a monk could take place. The only thing that stops researchers from admitting the fact of the discovery of America by the Irish is a long period of time, during which the legend could be adorned beyond recognition with invented "facts".

According to another version, America was discovered in 1390 by the wealthy Venetian aristocrats Nicolo and Antonio Zeno, whose descendants published a small book about the discovery of some islands. Having learned of the existence of fertile lands to the west, the Zeno brothers, along with the Earl of Orkney, Heinrich Sinclair, went in search of them. Having reached an unknown coast (presumably Estotiland or modern Newfoundland), the travelers founded a settlement there. Despite the details of the travel description, from which you can learn about the battles with local islanders and cannibals from Fr. Drojo, there is no archaeological evidence of the presence of the Venetians in America yet. Otherwise, the “palm” would have passed to them.

In addition to Europeans, Malians also want to be "enrolled" in the pioneers of America. According to one version, in 1312 the sultan of the Mali empire Abu Bakr, having equipped an expedition, went west in search of "land overseas", found America and stayed there, because he never returned from his journey. However, archaeologists do not confirm this version.

In ancient Chinese letters there is a statement that the Chinese visited American lands long before the journey of the Irish monk Brendan. In 499, the Buddhist monk Hu Shen described his journey to the amazing and beautiful country of Fusan, which, according to his calculations, was located about 10 thousand km east of China. His notes describe in detail political system, the nature and customs of an unknown country, but these descriptions are more suitable for the descriptions of medieval Japan.

Who Discovered America First?

It so happened historically that it was Christopher Columbus who first discovered America. Why, having reliable archaeological finds and historical facts historians do not recognize other discoverers without attaching serious importance to their travels? Precisely because as a result of these expeditions, the conquest and colonization of American lands did not occur, as the Spaniards did. After all, before them, all travelers did not establish their rule, or did not consider these lands to be an extension of their own lands, like the Chukchi.

It's just that America has always been open to everyone, and anyone could open it, even without knowing that they are discovering new lands. Only the Spaniards were the first to declare their discovery to the world, making American lands their colonies. Therefore, Americans celebrate the Day of the Discovery of America exactly when Christopher Columbus discovered it and are not looking for an answer to the question " Who discovered America first ? ". After all, whoever did it, it was thanks to Columbus, old world I learned that there is a new free world, where immigrants from Europe rushed. And until now, this worldwide emigration does not stop, and the "Promised Land" continues to beckon everyone, promising freedom, new life and well-being.

The history of the discovery of America is quite amazing. These events took place at the end of the 15th century due to the rapid development of navigation and shipping in Europe. In many ways, we can say that the discovery of the American continent happened quite by accident and the motives were very commonplace - the search for gold, wealth, large trading cities.

In the 15th century, ancient tribes lived on the territory of modern America, who were very good-natured and hospitable. In Europe, in those days, the states were already quite developed and modern. Each country tried to expand its sphere of influence, to find new sources of replenishment of the state treasury. At the end of the 15th century, trade flourished, the development of new colonies.

Who discovered America?

In the 15th century, ancient tribes lived on the territory of modern America, who were very good-natured and hospitable. In Europe, even then, the states were quite developed and modern. Each country tried to expand its sphere of influence, to find new sources of replenishment of the state treasury.

When you ask any adult and child who discovered America, we will hear about Columbus. It was Christopher Columbus who gave impetus to the active search and development of new lands.

Christopher Columbus is the great Spanish navigator. There is little information about where he was born and spent his childhood and they are contradictory. It is known that being young, Christopher was fond of cartography. He was married to the daughter of a navigator. In 1470, the geographer and astronomer Toscanelli informed Columbus of his suggestions that the journey to India was shorter by sailing west. Apparently then Columbus began to hatch his idea of short way to India, at the same time, according to his calculations, it was necessary to sail through the Canary Islands, and there already Japan would be close.
Since 1475, Columbus has been making attempts to implement the idea and make an expedition. The purpose of the expedition is to find a new one trade route to India across the Atlantic Ocean. To do this, he turned to the government and merchants of Genoa, but he was not supported. The second attempt to find funding for the expedition was the Portuguese king João II, but even here, after a long study of the project, he was refused.

The last time with his project, he came to the Spanish king. At the beginning, his project was considered for a long time, even several meetings, commissions were held, this lasted for several years. His idea was supported by bishops and Catholic kings. But Columbus received the final support for his project after the victory of Spain in the city of Granada, which was freed from the Arab presence.

The expedition was organized on the condition that Columbus, if successful, will receive not only the gifts and riches of new lands, but will also receive, in addition to the status of a nobleman, the title: Admiral of the Sea-Ocean and Viceroy of all lands, which he will discover. For Spain, a successful expedition promised not only the development of new lands, but also the opportunity to trade with India directly, since according to the agreement concluded with Portugal, Spanish ships were prohibited from entering the waters of the west coast of Africa.

When and how did Columbus discover America?

Historians consider the year 1942 to be the year of America's discovery, although this is a rather rough estimate. While discovering new lands and islands, Columbus did not even imagine that this was another continent, which would later be called the "New World". The traveler undertook 4 expeditions. He came to new and new lands, believing that these are the lands of "Western India". For a long time, everyone in Europe thought so. However, another traveler Vasco da Gama declared Columbus a deceiver, since it was Gamma who found the direct path to India and brought gifts and spices from there.

What kind of America did Christopher Columbus discover? We can say that thanks to his expeditions since 1492, Columbus discovered both North and South America. To be more precise, the islands were discovered, which are now considered either South or North America.

Who Discovered America First?

Although historically it is believed that it was Columbus who discovered America, in fact this is not entirely true.

There is evidence that the "New World" was previously visited by the Scandinavians (Leif Eriksson in 1000, Thorfinn Karlsefni in 1008), this journey became known from the manuscripts "The Saga of Eric the Red" and "The Saga of the Greenlanders". There are other "discoverers of America", but the scientific community does not take them seriously, as there is no reliable data. For example, America was previously visited african traveler from Mali - Abu Bakr II, Scottish nobleman Henry Sinclair, Chinese traveler Zheng He.

Why was America called America?

The first widely known and recorded fact is the visit to this part of the "New World" by the traveler and navigator Amerigo Vespucci. It is noteworthy that it was he who put forward the assumption that this is not India or China, but a completely new, previously unknown continent. It is believed that this is why the name America was assigned to the new land, and not its discoverer, Columbus.

Columbus discovered America

The year when this Spanish navigator discovered a new land is indicated in history as 1492. And by the beginning of the eighteenth century, all other regions of North America had already been discovered and explored, for example, Alaska and regions pacific coast... It must be said that travelers from Russia also made an important contribution to the study of the continent.

Mastering

The history of the discovery of North America is quite interesting: it can even be called accidental. At the end of the fifteenth century, a Spanish navigator with his expedition reached the shores of North America. However, he mistakenly believed that he was in India. From this moment the countdown of the era begins when America was discovered and its development and exploration began. But some researchers consider this date inaccurate, claiming that the discovery of the new continent happened much earlier.

The year Columbus discovered America - 1492 - is not an exact date. It turns out that the Spanish navigator had predecessors, and more than one. In the middle of the tenth century, the Normans got here after they discovered Greenland. True, they did not succeed in colonizing these new lands, since they were repelled by the harsh weather conditions of the north of this continent. In addition, the Normans were also intimidated by the remoteness of the new mainland from Europe.

According to other sources, this continent was discovered by ancient seafarers - the Phoenicians. Some sources call the middle of the first millennium AD the time when America was discovered, and the Chinese are the pioneers. However, this version also lacks clear evidence.

The most reliable information is considered to be about the time when the Vikings discovered America. At the end of the tenth century, the Normans Bjarni Herjulfson and Leif Eriksson found Helluland - "stone", Markland - "forest" and Vinland - "vineyards" land, which contemporaries identify with the Labrador Peninsula.

There is evidence that even before Columbus in the fifteenth century northern continent reached the Bristol and Biscay anglers, who named it the island of Brazil. However, the time periods of these expeditions cannot be called that milestone in history when America was truly discovered, that is, they identified it as a new continent.

Columbus is a true discoverer

And yet, when answering the question of what year America was discovered, experts most often name the fifteenth century, or rather its end. And the first to do this is believed to be Columbus. The time when America was discovered coincided in history with the period when Europeans began to spread ideas about the round shape of the Earth and the possibility of reaching India or China along the western route, that is, across the Atlantic Ocean. At the same time, it was believed that this path is much shorter than the eastern one. Therefore, given the Portuguese monopoly on control of the South Atlantic, obtained by the Alcazovas Agreement of 1479, Spain, always seeking to obtain direct contacts with eastern countries, warmly supported the expedition of the Genoese navigator Columbus in a westerly direction.

The honor of discovery

Christopher Columbus was interested in geography, geometry and astronomy from an early age. From a young age, he took part in sea expeditions, visited almost all the oceans known then. Columbus was married to the daughter of a Portuguese sailor, from whom he inherited many maps and notes from the time of Henry the Navigator. The future discoverer studied them carefully. His plans were to find a sea route to India, but not bypassing Africa, but directly across the Atlantic. Like some scholars - his contemporaries, Columbus believed that, having gone west from Europe, it would be possible to reach the Asian eastern shores - the places where India and China are located. At the same time, he did not even suspect that on the way he would meet a whole continent, hitherto unknown to Europeans. But it happened. And from that time the history of the discovery of America began.

First expedition

For the first time, Columbus' ships sailed from Palos harbor on August 3, 1492. There were three of them. Until the Canary Islands, the expedition proceeded quite calmly: this segment of the route was already known to the sailors. But very soon they found themselves in the endless ocean. Gradually the sailors began to become discouraged and murmured. But Columbus managed to pacify the rebellious, keeping them hopeful. Soon, signs began to come across - harbingers of the proximity of land: unknown birds flew in, tree branches sailed. Finally, after six weeks of sailing, lights appeared at night, and when dawn broke, a green, picturesque island, all covered with vegetation, opened up in front of the sailors. Columbus, having landed on the coast, declared this land the possession of the Spanish crown. The island was named San Salvador, that is, the Savior. It was one of the smaller pieces of land found in the Bahamas or Lucayan archipelago.

The land where there is gold

The natives are peaceful and good-natured savages. Noticing the greed of those who sailed to the gold jewelry that hung in the nose and ears of the aborigines, they told by signs that there is a land in the south that is literally teeming with gold. And Columbus went on. In the same year, he discovered Cuba, which, although he took it for the mainland, more precisely, for east coast Asia, also declared a Spanish colony. From here the expedition, turning east, landed in Haiti. At the same time, along the way, the Spaniards met savages who not only willingly changed their gold jewelry for simple glass beads and other trinkets, but also constantly pointed to the south when they were asked about this precious metal. On which Columbus called Hispaniola, or Little Spain, he built a small fortress.

Return

When the ships docked in Palos harbor, all the inhabitants went ashore to greet them with honors. Columbus and Ferdinand and Isabella were very kindly received. The news of the discovery of the New World spread very quickly, just as quickly those wishing to go there together with the discoverer gathered. Then the Europeans had no idea what America Christopher Columbus discovered.

Second journey

The history of the discovery of North America, which was launched in 1492, continued. From September 1493 to June 1496, the second expedition of the Genoese navigator took place. As a result, the Virgin and Windward Islands were discovered, including Antigua, Dominica, Nevis, Montserrat, St. Christopher, as well as Puerto Rico and Jamaica. The Spaniards firmly settled in the lands of Haiti, making them their base and building the fortress of San Domingo in the southeastern part of it. In 1497, the English entered into a rivalry with them, who were also trying to find the northwestern routes to Asia. For example, the Genoese Cabot discovered the island of Newfoundland under the English flag and, according to some reports, came very close to the North American coast: to the Labrador and Nova Scotia peninsulas. So the British began to lay the foundation for their dominance in the North American region.

Third and fourth expeditions

It began in May 1498 and ended in November 1500. As a result, the island of Trinidad and the Orinoco estuary were discovered. In August 1498, Columbus landed on the coast already on the Paria Peninsula, and in 1499 the Spaniards reached the shores of Guiana and Venezuela, after which - Brazil and the mouth of the Amazon. And during the last - fourth - travel from May 1502 to November 1504, Columbus discovered Central America. His ships sailed along the coast of Honduras and Nicaragua, reached from Costa Rica and Panama up to the Darien Bay.

New mainland

In the same year, another navigator - whose expeditions were under the Portuguese flag, also explored the Brazilian coast. Having reached Cape Cananea, he hypothesized that the lands discovered by Columbus were not China, or even India, but a completely new continent. This idea was confirmed after the first round the world by F. Magellan. However, contrary to logic, the name America was assigned to the new mainland - on behalf of Vespucci.

True, there is some reason to believe that the new continent was named after the Bristol philanthropist Richard of America from England, who financed the second transatlantic voyage in 1497, and Amerigo Vespucci after that took the nickname in honor of the continent named so. In support of this theory, the researchers cite the facts that Cabot reached the coast of Labrador two years earlier, and therefore became the officially registered first European to set foot on American soil.

In the middle of the sixteenth century, Jacques Cartier, a French navigator, reached the shores of Canada, giving this territory its present name.

Other applicants

The exploration of the continent of North America was continued by such navigators as John Davis, Alexander Mackenzie, Henry Hudson and William Baffin. It was thanks to their research that the continent was studied up to the Pacific coast.

However, history knows many other names of seafarers who moored on American soil even before Columbus. These are Hui Shen - a Thai monk who visited this region in the fifth century, Abubakar - the Sultan of Mali, who sailed to the American coast in the fourteenth century, Count of Orkney de Saint-Clair, Chinese explorer Zhee He, Portuguese Juan Corterial, etc.

But, in spite of everything, it is Christopher Columbus who is the person whose discoveries had an unconditional impact on the entire history of mankind.

Fifteen years after the time when the ships of this navigator discovered America, the very first geographic map mainland. Its author was Martin Waldseemüller. Today, it is the property of the United States and is kept in Washington, DC.

The lands were the most common: the founding of cities, the discovery of deposits of gold and wealth. In the 15th century, navigation was actively developing, and expeditions were equipped in search of an unknown continent. What happened on the mainland before the arrival of the Europeans, when Columbus discovered America, and under what circumstances did this happen?

History of the great discovery

By the 15th century European states were distinguished by a high level of development. Each country tried to expand its sphere of influence, looking for additional sources of profit to replenish the treasury. New colonies were formed.

Before the discovery, tribes lived on the continent. The natives were distinguished by their friendly character, which favored the rapid development of the territory.

Christopher Columbus, while still a teenager, discovered such a hobby as cartography. A Spanish navigator once learned from the astronomer and geographer Toscanelli that if you sail westward, you can reach India much faster. It was 1470. And the idea came just in time, as Columbus was looking for another way that would allow him to get to India in a short time. He assumed that it was necessary to make a route through the Canary Islands.

In 1475, the Spaniard organizes an expedition, the purpose of which is to find a fast route by sea to India across the Atlantic Ocean. He reported this to the government asking for support for his idea, but received no help. The second time Columbus wrote to King João II of Portugal, however, he was refused. Then he again turned to the Spanish government. On this occasion, several meetings of the commission were held, which lasted for a year. The final positive decision on funding was made after the victory of the Spanish troops in the city of Granada, liberated from the Arab occupation.

If a new path to India was discovered, Columbus was promised not only wealth, but also a noble title: Admiral of the Sea-Ocean and Viceroy of the lands that he would open. Since Spanish ships were prohibited from entering the waters on west coast Africa, then the government such a step was beneficial in order to conclude a direct trade agreement with India.

What year did Columbus discover America?

1942 is officially recognized as the year of America's discovery in history. Having discovered undeveloped lands, Columbus did not assume that he had discovered a continent that would be called the "New World". In what year the Spaniards discovered America, we can say conditionally, since a total of four campaigns were undertaken. Each time, the navigator found new lands, believing that this is the territory of Western India.

Columbus thought that he was following the wrong route after the Vasco de Gama expedition. The traveler arrived in India and returned at short notice with rich goods, accusing Christopher of deception.

It was later revealed that Columbus discovered the islands and the continental part of North and South America.

Which traveler discovered America earlier?

It is not entirely true to say that Columbus became the discoverer of America. Before that, the Scandinavians landed on the land: in 1000 - Leif Eriksson and in 1008 - Torfinn Karlsefni. This is evidenced by the historical records "The Saga of the Greenlanders" and "The Saga of Eric the Red". There is also other information about travel to the "New World". The traveler Abu Bakr II, a resident of the Celestial Empire Zheng He and a nobleman from Scotland Henry Sinclair arrived from Mali to America.

There is historical evidence that the Normans visited the New World in the 10th century after the discovery of Greenland. However, they failed to master the territory due to difficult weather conditions unsuitable for agriculture. In addition, the journey from Europe was very long.

Visits to the mainland by the navigator Amerigo Vespucci, after whom the continent was named.