This weebly was created by Natalie Law, 8.4 for her humanities exploration task. Jun 1, 2012.
Summary of Christopher Columbus's Life:
Christopher Columbus was born 31st October, 1451 in Genoa, Italy and died May 21, 1506, during the European Renaissance.
On his first trip, he left shore at Palos on August 3rd 1492, Columbus had three ships: The Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. After weeks of being on sea with his men weak with sickness and starvation, they finally reached the Guanhani Islands, which Columbus named San Salvador and claimed this Island for King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. There, he met the local Arawaks, which thought these men sailed down from the sky. They were amazed at the men's beards and clothes, but they gifted these sailors with presents, parrots and food. Columbus thought this was a spice island near India and he actually died believing so, leading to him calling everyone he saw there "Indians". He explored several other Caribbean Islands before leaving back to Spain. Queen Isabella was happy with what Columbus had brought back: parrots, pearl, gold and "six Indians".She made him ruler of the lands he found.
On his second trip during 1493 to 1496, Columbus sailed along Hispaniola and length of southern Cuba. This time, he had 17 ships and over 1000 men. This was meant to be a large scale colonization and exploration project, and Columbus still believed that the lands were uncharted ones near Japan or China. Columbus was requested to expanded the settlement on Hispaniola, convert the natives to Christians, establish a trading post and continue to explore for China or Japan.Even though the journey was filled with incidents and mishaps (on his first voyage, one of his boats sank and he left behind 39 men in the post of Navidad. He realized that his people had angered the natives by raping local women. The natives killed all men.Columbus consulted his native chieftain ally Guacanagari, who laid the blame on Caonabo, a rival chief. Columbus routed Caonabo and took many of these people as slaves.)this was when Columbus founded Isabella, the first European City in the new world. Columbus did not want to return to Spain empty handed so he brought back slaves, though Queen Isabella declared that these people could not be enslaved as they were subject of the Spanish Crown. The practice continued but many of these people were ordered to be brought back.
On his third trip in 1498, Columbus traveled to Trinidad and Venezuela. Here, he finally reached the mainland of South America. However, he was replaced as viceroy ( a ruler exercising authority on behalf of the supreme ruler in a colony) of the Indies because he had poor administrating skills. After this trip, when he was bring supplies from Hispaniola, he was arrested. The colony he had founded there turned against him for his ineffective adminstrating skills, and he was sent back into Spain in chains. However, he was freed after a few weeks.
On his fourth and final trip in 1502, Mexico, Honduras and Panama (Central America) and Santiago. This trip was nearly a failure by any standards: Many of the men died, many of the ships sank and the passage to the east was not found. However, he had encountered with many native tribes, for example the Mayans and they reinforced the trade of gold and food, observing how maize was planted. The crew stayed at Jamaica for a year because they were running out of supplies, and through the good relationship maintained with the natives, they survived. Returning back to Spain, Columbus's beloved Queen Isabella was dying, and he himself was getting older and weaker by day. He died in 1506.
On his first trip, he left shore at Palos on August 3rd 1492, Columbus had three ships: The Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. After weeks of being on sea with his men weak with sickness and starvation, they finally reached the Guanhani Islands, which Columbus named San Salvador and claimed this Island for King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. There, he met the local Arawaks, which thought these men sailed down from the sky. They were amazed at the men's beards and clothes, but they gifted these sailors with presents, parrots and food. Columbus thought this was a spice island near India and he actually died believing so, leading to him calling everyone he saw there "Indians". He explored several other Caribbean Islands before leaving back to Spain. Queen Isabella was happy with what Columbus had brought back: parrots, pearl, gold and "six Indians".She made him ruler of the lands he found.
On his second trip during 1493 to 1496, Columbus sailed along Hispaniola and length of southern Cuba. This time, he had 17 ships and over 1000 men. This was meant to be a large scale colonization and exploration project, and Columbus still believed that the lands were uncharted ones near Japan or China. Columbus was requested to expanded the settlement on Hispaniola, convert the natives to Christians, establish a trading post and continue to explore for China or Japan.Even though the journey was filled with incidents and mishaps (on his first voyage, one of his boats sank and he left behind 39 men in the post of Navidad. He realized that his people had angered the natives by raping local women. The natives killed all men.Columbus consulted his native chieftain ally Guacanagari, who laid the blame on Caonabo, a rival chief. Columbus routed Caonabo and took many of these people as slaves.)this was when Columbus founded Isabella, the first European City in the new world. Columbus did not want to return to Spain empty handed so he brought back slaves, though Queen Isabella declared that these people could not be enslaved as they were subject of the Spanish Crown. The practice continued but many of these people were ordered to be brought back.
On his third trip in 1498, Columbus traveled to Trinidad and Venezuela. Here, he finally reached the mainland of South America. However, he was replaced as viceroy ( a ruler exercising authority on behalf of the supreme ruler in a colony) of the Indies because he had poor administrating skills. After this trip, when he was bring supplies from Hispaniola, he was arrested. The colony he had founded there turned against him for his ineffective adminstrating skills, and he was sent back into Spain in chains. However, he was freed after a few weeks.
On his fourth and final trip in 1502, Mexico, Honduras and Panama (Central America) and Santiago. This trip was nearly a failure by any standards: Many of the men died, many of the ships sank and the passage to the east was not found. However, he had encountered with many native tribes, for example the Mayans and they reinforced the trade of gold and food, observing how maize was planted. The crew stayed at Jamaica for a year because they were running out of supplies, and through the good relationship maintained with the natives, they survived. Returning back to Spain, Columbus's beloved Queen Isabella was dying, and he himself was getting older and weaker by day. He died in 1506.