born
1451-1506
where
genoa, italy
young
sailed mediterranean on merchant ships, also along african + european atlantic coasts
shipwreck
shipwrecked on portugese coast and when he came ashore made is way to sagres, lived in sagres for 9 years
earth
earth was round, believed could reach far east by sailing west across atlantic
who's works did he read
marco polo + ptolemy + toscanelli's map.
map toscanelli
made columbas believe that cathay and ciapngu were only 4500 km west of europe, map was wrong it was ac 10,000km and didn't show large continent in the way
asking rulers
he asked rulers of france england portugal to sponsor his voyage to west + they all said no.
ruler that said yes
king ferdinand and queen isabella of spain said yes
what did they give him
three ships, two caravels, and a nao
ship names
nina + pinta + santa maria
permission
to recruit a crew from the port of palos.
in return
columbus would claim any land he discovered for spain
how many men did he recruit
80
voyage departure date
3 august 1492
what happened on the voyage
after a few weeks, no land, concerned, but columbus made a fake logbook to show they travelled less than they thought, also threatened men with hanging if the mutinied
what happened in the voyage 2
after 4 weeks, no land, forced to promise to turn back if nothing in the next few days
date they saw land
12 october 1492, 69 days
named the place
san salvador
about
people were indians, the new world
in san salvador
spent two months exploring islands around san salvador in bahamas, trying to find the great wealth he expected
return to spain year
early 1493
return to spain items
native slaves, exotic fruit, maize, parrots, gold
return to new world
returned three more times, continued to search for china, settlers went with him began to farm sugar
natives
columbus mistreated the natives + selling + torturing them
removed as governor year
1499
why removed
because people complained to their king + queen that he had poor leadership + brutality