by Milton Johanides

Created on: October 12, 2009

The fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks in 1453 shook Europe to its core and altered the power balance of 15thcentury trading. Europe rushed to find alternative, less dangerous, trade routes to the east. It was to this end that a young, adventurous Genoese gentleman put together his plans for a voyage westwards, hoping to arrive at the east coast of South Asia. Christopher Columbus was without doubt a courageous individual, brilliant navigator, resolute in his goals. But in those pre-Copernicus years, with Classical astronomy still the main authority, navigation was in its infancy and easily miscalculated. He underestimated the distances he was to travel and under normal circumstances should have starved to death with his crew. But normal circumstances were not Columbus' currency. He escaped death many times, managing to sail the breadth of the Atlantic (or "Ocean Sea" as it was known then) and return safely to Spain on four occasions. Through his knowledge of the circular wind currents that operate in the Atlantic, a stroke of genius in those days, he was able to speed up his return journeys and arrive home before his provisions ran out. Without that special luck, his story might have been a very different one.

Following rejections from Italy, his country of birth, and from Portugal, his country of residence, his proposals for travelling across the "Ocean Sea" eventually found favour in Spain, but even then, not until King Ferdinand II of Aragon persuaded his bride, Queen Isabella I of Castile, to issue the commission against the advice of the Spanish astronomers of the day. England had also been approached for sponsorship and Henry VII was ready to agree, but his agreement arrived too late.

Columbus set sail on August 3rd, 1492, with three vessels, and on October 12th landed on an island of the Bahamas, which he named San Salvador. It is not known which island this relates to today, but till now October 12th is known and celebrated throughout America as Columbus Day. He returned three more times over the next ten years, each trip discovering new islands, establishing colonies, building churches, and continuing to cheat death. All the time he believed that he was exploring the east coast of Asia, a belief he maintained till his death.

Columbus was a Christian and saw his explorations as an opportunity for making converts, but there was much in the story of his governorship of the new islands, which later got him into trouble. He could not contain a

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>