Christopher Columbus' Voyage

Christopher Columbus - Birth

Aug 25, 1451

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus was born between August 25th to October 31st n. 1451 in Genoa [Italy], the exact date of his birth has not been recorded. Little is known about his early life. He begins his career as a sailor in the Portuguese merchant marine. After surviving a shipwreck off Cape Saint Vincent at the southwestern point of Portugal in 1476, he bases himself in Lisbon, Portugal.

West Africa

1482

Columbus trades along the coasts of West Africa between 1482 to 1484 and makes at least one voyage to the Portuguese fortress of São Jorge da Mina (now Elmina, Ghana), gaining knowledge of Portuguese navigation and the Atlantic wind systems along the way.

Support of Asia

1484

In 1484, Columbus begins to seek support for an attempt to reach Asia by sailing westward over what was presumed to be open sea. He is motivated by a powerful desire to spread Christianity and to achieve personal wealth and glory. After King John II of Portugal rejects his request for ships and men, Columbus seeks royal patronage from Spain.

Preperation for the first Voyage

1492

492 the Ottoman Empire and other Islamic states had effectively closed off the land and sea routes along the Silk Road. European nations now sought new routes to Asia to obtain gold, spices, herbs and medicines. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain saw in Columbus’s plans a way to defeat Portugal and other rival nations in the quest for access to India and China. Such a plan hoped that it would bring back the recapture of Jerusalem and Christianity among the Asian people.

First Voyage

Aug 3, 1492

On August 3, 1492, Columbus set sail from Spain with three ships, the Niña, Pinta and Santa María. His navigational genius headed southward to the Canary Islands rather than due west, where other ships had stalled. On January 16, 1493, he began the return trip to Spain with the Niña and Pinta, carrying gold, captives, and spices. The cargo was enough to convince King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to finance a second expedition.

Bahama Islands

Oct 12, 1492

He then crossed the Atlantic and on October 12 and made landfall in what are now the Bahama Islands. The new admiral was convinced he had reached China and Japan. Columbus then explored Cuba and Hispaniola and built a stockade on Hispaniola at the new city La Navidad.

Second voyage

Sep 23, 1493

Columbus left Cadiz, Spain, on September 25, 1493, with seventeen ships. When he reached Hispaniola, Columbus discovered that Taino natives had destroyed the stockade at La Navidad. This action began a pattern of Indigenous resistance and European retaliation that ended in the conquest of Hispaniola. Columbus departed for Spain on March 10, 1496, and left his brothers Bartholomew and Diego in charge on Hispaniola.

Treaty of Tordesillas

Jun 7, 1494

Spain and Portugal signed the Treaty of Tordesillas, on June 7, 1494, dividing the Western Hemisphere between them. Columbus asked to do a third voyage, but they were at war with France, because of this they could only finance six ships. Columbus started back for Hispaniola on May 30, 1498.

Third Voyage

May 30, 1498

On this expedition Columbus explored Trinidad, the Gulf of Paria, Venezuela, and the mouth of the Grande River. He realized that he had encountered another continent, South America, but failed to find treasures or a strait to India. Columbus and his brothers antagonized both the indigenous chiefs and the Spanish settlers. The Spanish chief justice sent the three men back to Spain in chains.

Fourth Voyage

May 9, 1502

Columbus embarked on his final voyage on May 9, 1502. Although plagued by illness, Columbus insisted on leading the expedition, believing his voyages were divinely inspired. Denied entry into Hispaniola, he sailed south to explore Jamaica, southern Cuba, Honduras, the Mosquito Coast of Nicaragua, and parts of Panama. Columbus returned to Spain on November 7, 1504, only to learn that Queen Isabella was dying. Columbus would not make another Atlantic voyage.

Christopher Columbus gone forever

May 20, 1506

He died in Valladolid, Spain, on May 20, 1506, insisting to the end that he had reached East Asia. All 4 voyages