A Brief History of Columbus： The Four Voyages

Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer who accidentally landed in the Americas, and whose journeys marked the beginning of centuries of transatlantic colonization. The explorer Christopher Columbus made four trips across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain. He was determined to find a direct water route west from Europe to Asia, but he never did. Instead, he arrived in the Americas. Though he did not really discover the New World, millions of people already lived there, his journeys marked the beginning of centuries of transatlantic conquest and colonization. During the rule of the Mongol Empire over Asia, Europeans were allowed to travel safely over land along the Silk Road, through South and East Asia, and China. This was the source of valuable goods such as spices and silk. However, when the Ottoman Turks took control in 1453, the land route to Asia became much more difficult and dangerous. There was a need for explorers to find a sea passage to Asia. The world, which to Columbus and other Europeans was known as the Christian world, included Europe, Africa, and Asia. Power and wealth were very much connected to the access to trade along the Silk Road, which brought many items and knowledge from China and the rest of Asia. Europeans had made the journey along the Silk Road for centuries, but wanted a quicker route to the Spice Islands, China and Japan. In 1470, an astronomer suggested to the King of Portugal that sailing west would be a quicker way to reach those important locations. However, this idea was rejected. Under the leadership of King John II of Portugal, a route was planned to sail to the tip of Africa around the Cape of Good Hope and on to Asia. Then, in 1488, this was achieved. Columbus had aspirations of sailing west across the ocean in search of the sea passage to Asia, however, with the new route established around the tip of Africa, Columbus's proposals to sail west were rejected. Although Columbus's ideas were initially rejected, the ruling Catholic monarchs were eager to gain a competitive edge over other European countries in the search for trade with the Indies, so what was at first considered to be impossible by the rulers, they were now thinking of funding this far-fetched idea. In 1485, Columbus approached King John II of Portugal, but his proposal was rejected. He then appealed but was again turned down mainly in part due to the newly found route around the tip of Africa. He then traveled to Genoa and Venice but again found no supporters of his plan to sail west. Meanwhile, Columbus's brother traveled to England to gain support from the English crown, but this was also unsuccessful. Columbus then asked to meet with the monarch of Spain. He presented his plan to Queen Isabella, but they said the plan was impractical due to the distances involved. However, Queen Isabella was worried another country would fund his expedition, so the Spanish rulers gave him the funding and ordered all cities and towns within their domain to provide him with food and lodging for free. Finally, after nearly two years of negotiations, they finally agreed and Columbus would soon set sail on his expedition, which would mark the beginning of the European exploration and colonization of the American continents. On August 3, 1492, Columbus departed on his expedition with three ships. His first stop took him to the Canary Islands, where he restocked the provisions and made repairs to the ships. Then they set sail again for what turned out to be a five-week voyage across the ocean. His crew began to doubt the mission, and finally, after a long and arduous trip they spotted a flock of birds. Then, on October 21, 1492, they spotted land. The crew, obviously, was ecstatic. Columbus first landed in the Bahamas, although it is unknown which island he first set foot on. The indigenous people he first encountered, the Lucayan, Taino, and Arawak, were peaceful and friendly. Columbus first called these people, Iños, which is Spanish for Indians. Columbus took a few of the Arawak prisoners thinking they could lead him to gold. Columbus then explored the northeast coast of Cuba, where he landed on October 28. Columbus continued on toward the northern coast of Hispaniola, where he arrived on December 5. There, the Santa Maria ran aground on Christmas Day, and had to be abandoned. To impress the native people, Columbus used the Santa Maria as target practice for his powerful cannons. Before setting off, Columbus left 39 of his men behind and founded the settlement known as La Navidad in present-day Haiti. Columbus took more natives prisoner and continued his exploration. What was the final stop of Columbus's first voyage, he encountered the warlike Saguayos, the only natives who fought violently during his first Columbus and his men clashed with the Saguayos, and then he kidnapped about 20 of these people to take them back to Spain, however, only 7 of them arrived in Spain alive. Columbus headed for Spain, but a storm separated him from the Pinta, and forced the Nina to stop at the island of Santa Maria and the Azores. After a brief stop, Columbus set sail once again for Spain but was forced to land at the port in Lisbon. After spending about a week in Lisbon, Columbus set sail for Spain and finally arrived on March 14, 1493. Word of his finding new lands rapidly spread throughout Europe. Columbus departed on his second voyage on September 24, 1493, with a fleet of 17 ships and 1,200 men and the supplies to establish permanent colonies in the new world. The passengers included priests, farmers, and soldiers, who would later be the new colonists. These impressive numbers showed the intention to colonize these newly found lands. Also, there was a dedicated mission to convert the natives to Christianity. The fleet stopped at the Canary Islands, and then followed a more southerly route than the previous journey. Columbus sailed through the Lesser Antilles and named several of the islands including Montserrat, Antigua, Nevis, St. Kitts, St. Martin and St. Croix. Columbus also named the Virgin Islands. He then landed in Puerto Rico which is named San Juan Bautista, after St. John the Baptist. Columbus returned to Hispaniola on November 22, 1493 to visit the fort of La Navidad which was established during his first voyage. However, the settlement was in ruins, and 11 of the 39 men left behind had been killed by the natives. Columbus then sailed to the northern coast Cuba, and then back to the northern coast of Hispaniola, building a new settlement called La Isabela. Columbus then set sail for his return trip to Spain. The main objective of Columbus's third voyage was to prove that there was indeed a large continent, as King John II has previously suggested. King John theorized the existence of a large continent because of records that indicated canoes had been found full of merchandise that had set sail from West Africa. Columbus departed on May 30, 1498 with six ships. Three ships from the expedition sailed directly for Hispaniola to resupply the settlement. Columbus set sail to explore the regions south of the Caribbean islands. He had hoped to find Columbus first set sail for the island of Porto Santo, which was part of Portugal. This was the native homeland of his wife. Then, he sailed for Madeira and spent time there before moving on to the Canary Islands and Cape Verde. Columbus and his ships finally landed in South America, in Trinidad on July 31. They then sailed along the southern coast finally anchoring near Soldado Rock. Columbus explored the area around Paria Peninsula, and, upon noticing the massive abundance of fresh water that flowed into the Atlantic Ocean, he theorized that this landmass was much, much larger than an island. At this point in the voyage, Columbus's health began deteriorating, so they set sail for Hispaniola on August 19. Columbus found many of the Spanish settlers rebelling against his rule because they were promised riches, which, at this point had yet to be found. Eventually, Columbus had many of these men hanged for disobedience. Columbus's fourth and final voyage was mainly to search for the Strait of Malacca to the Indian Ocean. This time, his brother, and his 13-year-old son Fernando, accompanied him. They departed on May 11, 1502. He first sailed to Arzoa on the Moroccan coast to rescue Portuguese soldiers who had been taken hostage by the Moors. On June 15, they landed on Martinique, however, a hurricane was brewing, so he continued on to Hispaniola. He arrived on June 29, but the new governor denied him from docking and refused to listen to his storm prediction. Instead, while Columbus's ships sheltered at the mouth of the Rio Jena, the first Spanish treasure fleet, controlled by the new governor, sailed into the hurricane. Columbus's ships survived with only minor damage, while 29 of the 30 ships in the governor's fleet were lost in the storm. Five hundred lives and an immense cargo of gold were lost at sea. After making a brief stop in Jamaica, Columbus went on to Central America, arriving at a small island of the Bay Islands, near Honduras. He spent two months exploring the coasts near Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, before arriving in Almirante Bay in Panama. On October 16, while in Panama, Columbus learned from the indigenous people of large amounts of gold, and a strait to another ocean, but was warned by local leaders to not go past a certain point down the river. After spending a lot of time exploring, in the year 1503, he established a garrison at the mouth of the Belén River. On April 6, one of the ships became stranded in the river. Right around the same time, the garrison was attacked by an indigenous tribe, and the other ships were damaged. Shipworms also damaged the ships in tropical waters. Columbus departed for Hispaniola on April 16, heading north. On May 10, he spotted the Cayman Islands. His ships next suffered more damage in a storm off the coast of Cuba. At this point, his ships were unable to travel any further. On June 25, 1503, they were beached in Sands Bay, in Jamaica. For about one year, Columbus and his men were stranded in Jamaica. Some of Columbus's men received help from the natives and traveled by canoe to get help from Hispaniola. The governor of Hispaniola hated Columbus and prevented any expedition to rescue him and his men. During his time in Jamaica, Columbus was in dire need of food and water for his men. Columbus, desperate to gain the respect of the natives, used his knowledge of astronomical charts to predict the lunar eclipse on February 29, 1504. The natives were in awe of this, and were more than eager to help Columbus with provisions. Finally, on June 29, 1504, two ships came to pick Columbus up from Jamaica. He arrived back in Spain on November 7. When he returned to Spain in 1504 after his last voyage, Columbus was 53, and in poor health. He suffered from what was once diagnosed as gout or arthritis, but was mostly likely Reiter's syndrome. Columbus lived the last year of his life unhappily while waiting for his official recognition and money, which was promised to him. Then, on May 20, 1506, the great Italian explorer Christopher Columbus died. Christopher Columbus did not discover the Americas, nor was he even the first European to visit the New World. However, his journey began centuries of exploration and exploitation on the American continents. The consequences of his explorations were severe for the native populations of the areas he and the conquistadors conquered. Disease and environmental changes resulted in the destruction of a massive number of the native population over time.