Columbus's phrase when he discovered America. South America: the discovery and voyages of Christopher Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci. The significance of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus is undoubtedly one of those people whose deeds had a huge impact on the history of all mankind.

Unfortunately, absolutely accurate data has not been preserved either about the place of Columbus’s birth (although most modern historians agree that it was Italian Genoa), or about the date of his birth (on at the moment The most probable year of birth of Columbus is considered to be 1451). Information about Columbus's early life is also very contradictory - according to some sources, until about the age of twenty he helped his father, who was a weaver; according to others, by this age he was already an experienced sailor who had made more than one voyage on Portuguese ships.

For some time, Columbus lived in Portugal, where in 1479 he married the daughter of Bartolomeo Perestrelo, a Portuguese explorer whose work may have interested Columbus in the possibility of discovering new lands.

For a long time, Columbus, who was well versed in maps himself, studied the works of Paolo Toscanelli, a famous cartographer at that time. Columbus believed Toscanelli's theory about the possibility of a sea route to India through Atlantic Ocean quite reasonable.

The first person Columbus approached with a proposal to organize an expedition in 1484 was the Portuguese King João II. At first interested in Columbus’s project and entrusting its study to a specially created council, in the end he nevertheless refused Columbus; Perhaps the reason for this was Columbus’s exorbitant claims to various material benefits, which promised the discovery of new lands, or perhaps Portugal’s established control on the west coast of Africa was quite enough.

The Spanish rulers, to whom Columbus, upset by the refusal of Juan II, turned, also reacted coolly to the navigator’s idea - the long war for Granada required large cash injections from the Spanish treasury.

Columbus had to wait several years before he managed to convince the Spanish royal couple to approve his expedition. Obviously, he chose the time very well to approach them again with his proposal - the end of the Reconquista allowed the royal court of Spain to take a fresh look at Columbus's ideas.

At that time, Spain was in a difficult situation. A previously concluded treaty with Portugal prohibited Spanish (and all other ships) from sailing in the area of ​​the western coast of Africa, thus excluding the possibility of reaching the shores of India by circumnavigating the African continent. The state treasury was depleted, and the opportunity to establish profitable trade with India was very useful for Spain.

The Spanish Church was also a supporter of the discovery of new lands in order to further spread the religion.

One can only guess what feelings drove Columbus to discover new lands - a passion for new discoveries, some religious motives, or a banal desire to ensure a comfortable existence for himself, especially considering the fact that on April 17, 1492, Columbus and the Spanish king and queen signed the Treaty of Santa Claus. Fe, according to which Columbus not only received the title of nobility, but also, if the expedition was successful, received the titles of admiral of the seas and viceroy and governor of new lands, as well as a very substantial part of the potential profits that could provide the Spanish court with his (Columbus) discoveries.

The Spanish treasury, impoverished during the Reconquista, was unable to finance it, and Columbus was forced to turn to private investors for help. Despite their participation in preparations for the expedition, there was only enough money for three not new ships, the condition of which was not at all ideal, and the crew partly consisted of people who had broken the law, who were promised freedom in exchange for participation in Columbus’s expedition.

Finally, on August 3, 1492, these three ships - the flagship Santa Maria, Pinta and Niña - left the port and set off to discover new lands.

Having replenished supplies of food and fresh water in the Canary Islands, the expedition moved on.

The crew members, tired of the long and fruitless voyage, repeatedly tried to force the navigator to turn back, and Columbus had to more than once pacify such sentiments on the ship (at times threatening to turn into a real riot) with the help of persuasion and additional promises of various material benefits.

As one of Columbus's tricks, it is worth noting the second logbook, in which he shortened the distance traveled by the ship in order to calm his crew a little.

Finally, on October 12, “Earth!” was heard from the Pinta’s mast, and soon the ships dropped anchor at one of Antilles. Columbus declared this island, Guanahani, the property of Spain and gave it a new name - San Salvador.

The indigenous inhabitants of the island greeted the newcomers friendly and introduced the sailors to tobacco, as well as various local plants, including tomatoes and potatoes. Since Columbus was sure that he had sailed to India, local residents he called them "Indians".

Continuing his journey, on October 28, Columbus reached the shores of Cuba, and soon Haiti (naming it Hispaniola). Having built Fort Navidad on Hispaniola, in which he left several people, Columbus moved on. His next destination was San Domingo.

Delighted by the discovery of a new route to India (as he believed), Columbus was nevertheless very disappointed, not finding the luxurious cities and untold riches he expected.

Columbus took several local Indians with him to Spain as one of the proofs of the success of his expedition.

Arriving in Spain in 1493, Columbus presented his relatively poor... to the royal court.

But the Spanish monarchs considered the expedition successful and contributed in every possible way to equipping a new one.

On September 25, 1493, Columbus's second expedition, already consisting of 17 ships and about one and a half thousand people, arrived in Isabella, the first Spanish settlement in San Domingo.

Using the labor of local Indians, the Spaniards began work on gold mining. In pursuit of profit, Columbus constantly demanded the Indians to work more and more, which contributed to the aggravation of their already difficult relations.

In 1496, Columbus returned to Spain, leaving his brother Bartolomeo as ruler of Isabella.

Columbus's third expedition took place in May 1498. However, during his absence, the Spaniards remaining in the colony rebelled against the admiral, dividing the land and the Indians among themselves and continuing to work in their own interests, regardless of the interests of the Spanish crown.

Returning Columbus had to negotiate with the rebels, allocating them a plot of land and Indians as slaves. Such a policy, of course, had a negative impact on relations with the Indians.

Columbus's initial plans to trade with the inhabitants of new lands changed dramatically when he realized that, from an economic point of view, it was much more profitable for him to subjugate the Indians than to trade with them. Columbus’s cruelty towards the local Indians, which increased their already great discontent, the too low profits brought by the colonies, as well as suspicions that Columbus was simply hiding the wealth he found in the new lands, led the Spanish rulers to the idea that in order to manage Another person should be appointed as the new lands. The royal inspector Francisco de Bobadilla, who arrived in Hispaniola in 1500, arrested Columbus and sent him to Spain.

But soon the rulers of Spain ordered the release of the famous navigator. Columbus managed to convince them that there was gold and other riches in the lands he discovered, and they just had to look hard for them.

Thus, he was given the opportunity to prove his expectations in the fourth expedition, which took place in 1502. Having explored a fairly large area on the coast of the mainland, Columbus, however, did not move inside the continent and returned to Spain.

The great navigator spent the last years of his life in oblivion. On May 20, 1506, Columbus died, a poor, sick man, still believing that the land he had discovered was India.

In 1517, the Spaniards reached the territory of modern Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula, and began to rapidly conquer the lands of continental America.

Without in any way casting doubt on the great achievement of Christopher Columbus, it is nevertheless worth noting that formally he only discovered islands off the coast of Central America. As for continental America, Columbus visited it only on his third voyage, and on North America and never was at all.

INTERESTING FACTS

While living in Seville, Columbus was friends with Amerigo Vespucci, who lived there at that time.

The Portuguese king João II, who refused to allow Columbus to organize an expedition, nevertheless sent his sailors along the route proposed by Columbus, but due to a strong storm the Portuguese were forced to return home.

There is a proposal that it was Columbus who suggested that the Spanish rulers, in order to save money, populate the lands he discovered with criminals.

What Christopher Columbus did, you will learn from this article.

What did Christopher Columbus discover? Discoveries of Christopher Columbus

The navigator is the most mysterious person of the era of Great Geographical Discoveries and travels. His life is full of mysteries, dark spots, inexplicable coincidences and actions. And all because humanity became interested in the navigator 150 years after his death - important documents had already been lost, and Columbus’s life remained shrouded in speculation and gossip. Plus, Columbus himself hid his origin (for unknown reasons), the motives of his actions and thoughts. The only thing that is known is the year 1451 - the year of his birth and the place of birth - the Genoese Republic.

He made 4 expeditions, which were supplied by the Spanish king:

• The first expedition - 1492-1493.
• Second expedition - 1493-1496.
• Third expedition - 1498 - 1500.
• The fourth expedition - 1502 - 1504.

During four expeditions, the navigator discovered many new territories and two seas - Sargasso and Caribbean.

Lands discovered by Christopher Columbus

It is interesting that all the time the navigator thought that he had discovered India, and beyond it he would find rich Japan and China. But that was not the case. He is responsible for the discovery and exploration of the New World. The islands discovered by Christopher Columbus are the Bahamas and Antilles, Saman, Haiti and Dominica, the Lesser Antilles, Cuba and Trinidad, Jamaica and Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe and Margarita. He is the pioneer of the lands of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, as well as northern shore South America and the Caribbean part of Central America.

Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus

But the most important thing is that during his expedition, Christopher Columbus discovered America. This happened on October 12, 1492, when he landed on the island of San Salvador.

And it all started like this: on August 3, 1492, the expedition of a European navigator consisting of the ships “Santa Maria”, “Nina” and “Pinta” set out on a long journey. In September the Sargasso Sea was discovered. They walked through Germany for three weeks. On October 7, 1492, Columbus's team changed its course to the southwest, believing that they had missed Japan, which they so wanted to discover. After 5 days, the expedition came across an island named San Salvador by Christopher Columbus in honor of the savior Christ. This date, October 12, 1492, is considered the official day of the discovery of America.

A day later, Columbus landed and planted the Castilian banner. Thus, he formally became the owner of the island. Having explored the nearby islands, the navigator sincerely believed that these were the environs of Japan, India and China. First time open lands called the West Indies. Christopher Columbus returned to Spain on March 15, 1493 on the ship Niña. As a gift to King Ferdinand II of Aragon, he brought gold, natives, plants unknown to Europeans - potatoes, corn, tobacco, as well as bird feathers and fruits.

We hope that from this article you learned how the discoveries of Christopher Columbus became famous throughout the world.

«- Okay, take care of him! There are many memories associated with this suitcase.
- What memories? Not a single trip...
- About all the trips we never went on…»
Jack and Jill: Love on Suitcases

Nowadays, everyone knows that the discovery of America belongs to a gentleman named Christopher Columbus. This is where the school program to cover such a grandiose event usually ends, and those interested have to independently search for the necessary information in the library and the Internet. At this moment the most interesting thing comes: a person learns that with Columbus’s visit to America, not everything is so simple. There is evidence that he was not the first there, that many years before his first steps along the shores of the New World, Scandinavian Vikings, Biscay fishermen and other travelers were already frolicking there.

Today we will try to go through all the stages of the discovery of America, which are known to us from reliable sources, and establish who was the first to officially set foot on the shores of the new continent and declare it the New World.

Columbus Expedition, 1492

The end of the 15th century, there are still many unexplored places on Earth where no human has ever set foot. Obsessed with great plans to conquer everything, the Spaniards decided to create the Great Expedition to the Canary Islands, consisting of three high-speed caravels, one of which was the Santa Maria, a ship whose admiral was Christopher Columbus. Ahead of him lay months of travel and one of the main achievements in the history of mankind. On August 3, 1492, the ship weighed anchor and set off.

Admiral of all seas and oceans

In the spring of 1492, a few months before the expedition, Christopher Columbus, or, as the Spaniards called him, Don Cristoval Colon, was in audience with the royal couple who ruled Spain. Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon suggested that the researcher conclude an agreement according to which Christopher Columbus is recognized as the admiral of all seas and oceans, as well as a high-ranking governor of all lands and islands that he can discover during his journey. It would be unforgivable to refuse such an offer.

An additional incentive in the kings' proposal was the fact that one tenth of all the wealth, treasures and goods that Columbus would be able to exchange or find on new lands, the traveler could take for himself, while the remaining nine-tenths would go to the disposal of the royal treasury. This was a truly generous offer that could make Columbus one of the richest men in Europe.

Along with the title and wealth, Don Cristoval Colon was offered guarantees that his title would be inherited forever. He will also be able to retain his privileges for life in the previously unexplored lands of India. All participants in the journey were convinced that, setting sail to the West, Columbus would reach the eastern shores of India, but a surprise awaited them.

« The admiral decided to count fractions of the journey less than they actually took, in the event that the voyage turned out to be long, so that people would not be overcome by fear and confusion»

The True Aims of Christopher Columbus

Despite all the royal promises, Columbus's true motives and ideas about the Earth at that time remain the subject of debate to this day. Historians recognize the significant contribution of the great traveler to the history of mankind and his influence on the era of the Great geographical discoveries. However, this does not negate the fact that Columbus was driven more by mercantile interests than by the spirit of exploration.

A generous offer from the royal couple, as well as the opportunity to discover new trade routes and the untold riches of the East, were of much greater interest than perishing in the middle of a storm or dying from an unknown disease on unfamiliar shores. It was the thirst for money that became the main incentive for travelers of those times to make the most striking geographical discoveries.

However, if Columbus was calculating, he was also smart. Many modern historians suggest that the discoverer knew in advance where he would sail. That there is no India beyond the Atlantic Ocean, there is New land, endless and uninhabited. There were even rumors that Columbus had a certain map on which researchers noted not only the already discovered islands in the Atlantic Ocean, but also east coast continent, which would later be called South America.

IN In 1474, the Florentine scientist Paolo dal Pozzo Toscanelli, who devoted his life to astronomy, geography and mathematics, sent a letter to the Portuguese king in which he drew conclusions about the geography of our planet, given that it is a sphere. Toscanelli argued that in this way India could be reached much faster by sailing across the Atlantic Ocean. There is evidence that Columbus somehow obtained this letter, or a copy of it, with an attached map on which new lands were marked. However, no one has been able to prove this.

Conspiracy theories surrounding the discovery of America

Like any other high-profile scientific discovery, Columbus's voyage quickly acquired its own conspiracy theories from ill-wishers and simply due to a lack of information. We have no way to verify the events that took place in the 15th century, so speculation and theories will continue to exist. These include the rumors that Columbus himself was looking for an opportunity to go on a trip to the West, because he knew that there was a New Land there, so he tried to persuade the kings to equip an expedition for him.

According to some theories, Columbus simply followed the “beaten path” from other navigators who discovered this route long before him. Indeed, to make such a desperate journey across the unfriendly Atlantic Ocean for ships of those times seemed, if possible, then deadly dangerous.

Despite the fact that the majority of historians are of the opinion that it was Columbus who discovered America, there are many people, including respected ones in the scientific community, who suggest that the continent was discovered long before historical journey Columbus in 1492. One of the main proponents of this theory was an Englishman named Gavin Menzies, who once wrote a book called “1421, or the year China discovered the world.”

The public loves conspiracy theories, so Menzies' book caused concern among the masses. At the same time, scientific community is in no hurry to take seriously everything said in this book.

« Thursday, October 11. We sailed west-southwest. During the entire voyage there had never been such rough seas. We saw “pardelas” and green reeds near the ship. People from the Pinta caravel noticed a reed and a branch and caught a stick hewn, possibly with iron, and a fragment of a reed, and other herbs that were born on the ground, and one plank. People on the Niña caravel saw other signs of the earth and a twig strewn with rose hips. Everyone was inspired and happy when they saw these signs.»

Diary of the First Voyage, Christopher Columbus

The Great Journey of the Chinese

Despite the fact that the names of almost all great travelers are of European origin, the desire to explore the world was inherent in everyone on Earth.

In the spring of 1421, when the famous Christopher Columbus had not even been born, in one of Chinese cities Under the name Tangu, the ships of the Great Emperor's fleet were preparing to sail. The commander of the flotilla was the venerable Zheng He. More than a hundred huge unique ships were sent to the open sea. No other power in the world had similar ships: these were real autonomous floating giants that could calmly survive any storms on the high seas.

At that time there was a great holiday in China Forbidden City, after which the emperor instructed his admiral Zheng He to act as a kind of taxi driver and take high-ranking guests to their homes, who arrived from all over the world. When the admiral completed the task, the emperor ordered him not to rush back home, but instead to look “to the ends of the earth” and collect tribute from all the barbarians that he met along the way, and also wrap them in Confucianism in order to make civilized people out of them.

This voyage of the Golden Fleet was the largest ever undertaken by China. For three years, sailors explored our planet, and in his book, Gavin Menzies suggested that it was the Chinese travelers who were able to draw up an approximate map of the globe, putting all six continents on it, and also walked around all the oceans.

Obsessed with his idea of ​​​​dispelling the influence of Columbus, Menzies spent many years collecting the facts of the Great Chinese Voyage, bit by bit, that were left to us from those times. Complicating his task was the fact that all of Zheng He's diaries and ship's logs had been destroyed or lost.

Some of Menzies' efforts were successful. For example, he established the fact that the wreckage of giant Chinese ships, the so-called “junks,” were found off the coast of almost all continents. Despite the fact that historians prefer to believe that junk wrecks could have been carried to Australia and America by currents, the research of Gavin Menzies cannot be ignored within the framework of modern history. Archaeologists also found chinese cards, on which all continents, including America, were mapped. Menzies is confident that these maps are much older than Columbus himself.

Amerigo Vespucci and the famous confusion

At school we were often told that although Christopher Columbus discovered America, it got its name in honor of another explorer. The fact is that Columbus never realized where he had sailed. Until recently, the researcher was sure that this eastern shores India and the Eurasian continent.

The traveler's research was inspired by the Italian Amerigo Vespucci, who a few years later shared his thoughts about the discovery of Columbus with his mentor Francesco del Medici. In them, he suggested that the new lands that Columbus spoke about in Spain are not eastern part India, and this is a completely new continent. These letters, as well as Vespucci's thoughts on other travels, were published in a large collection in 1507, which for some reason was called "The New World and New Countries Discovered by Amerigo Vespucci of Florence."

The significance of Columbus's discovery of America was lost in writing, and in the same year, the German cartographer Waldseemüller, based on Vespucci's letters, proposed calling the new part of the world America in honor of the name Amerigo. He reflected all this in his book “Introduction to Cosmography”. It is noteworthy that although Vespucci wrote about Columbus, Waldseemüller did not attach any importance to this.

The style of the young German scientist was liked by the public, and a few years later, in 1520, during a scientific meeting of the greatest minds of those times, a general geographical map The planet was named America.

Since then, the controversy has not subsided. If Columbus didn't understand what he discovered New World, and Vespucci did this for him, then can the latter be credited with the discovery of the continent?
However, there is evidence that people conventionally discovered new continents long before the voyages of the Chinese, Columbus and Vespucci’s assumptions.

Ambitious Vikings

At the end of the 10th century, when Europe had not yet thought about domination over the whole world, it set sail from the shores of Iceland. big boat with Nords on board. They were commanded by Björni Hjorlfson, a rugged Norwegian Viking who was motivated by a thirst for adventure and profit.

Björni Hjorlfson set out to sea to reach Greenland, where a colony of Vikings had already settled and traded with Scandinavia. But Hjorlfson lost his way due to a storm, and a few days later he arrived at the shores of an unknown land, which were dotted with dense impenetrable forests. Björni decided not to take risks and not to land on an unfamiliar shore, but simply swam along it, simultaneously remembering everything he saw. A few days later, the Viking managed to swim to Greenland, where he told about what he had seen.

Hjorlfson's stories inspired another Greenland settler, Leif Erikson, the son of the same Erik the Red, who was famous among the Viking peoples for his heroic character. The spirit of adventure led Leif and his comrades along the route told by Björni. First, their boat sailed to the rocky shore, which is now called Baffin Island. The area here seemed lifeless, everything around was covered with glaciers. Deciding that there was no life and nothing good on this land, the Vikings moved on, simultaneously giving the stone land a name - Helluland, the Land of Boulders.

Then the travelers reached the Canadian shores, covered with vegetation and forests. The Vikings also gave this land a name - Markland, Forest Land. The young and profit-hungry people did not stop there, so they went further south. A few days later they dropped anchor in one of the coastal bays. Coming ashore, the friends found real wild grapes among other vegetation, so they named this area Vinland. Modern historians have found that this bay is now located in Massachusetts.

Having returned after a long journey along unfamiliar lands, the Nords did not want to miss the opportunity to populate them, so two years later they equipped a new expedition. Leif's brother, the famous Thorvald, went to the shores of America and dropped anchor at the place of his brother's last stop - in Vinland. Here they unexpectedly met local residents - Indians who appeared in the bay on their pirogues. Everyone knows that the Vikings were not timid and were not averse to fighting, so the Norwegians simply killed several Indians and captured the rest. That same night, the Indians came to avenge their slain brethren and rained down arrows on the Viking camp. One of them hit Torvald, and he died a few days later.

In 1003, the Vikings again came to the shores of America, now with serious intentions of settling in uninhabited lands. Almost two hundred people sailed here on three boats, established relations with local population and even built a village here. However, the Indians soon sharply changed their attitude towards uninvited guests, and flatly refused to share their lands with them. A bloody war broke out between people again, and traces of the Scandinavians soon completely disappeared from the shores of America.

America is a part of the world whose official discovery is credited to Columbus, but its history is full of dark spots.

The modern United States plays a key role in political strife and has a serious influence on other countries and the world economy. But the path to such a high level was long and thorny. It all started with the discovery of America.

Christopher Columbus was a Spanish navigator who discovered two new continents for Europeans. He made 4 expeditions, each sent by kings, hoping to find a short trade route with India.

The first expedition consisted of three ships with a total complement of 91 people. She ended up on the island of San Salvador on October 12, 1492.

The second expedition, consisting of 17 ships and 1,500 people, lasted from 1493 to 1496. During this time, Columbus discovered Dominica, Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and about 20 more Lesser Antilles. In June, he already reported to the government about his amazing findings.

The third expedition, which included 6 ships, set off in 1498, and two years later returned to their native shores. Several more lands were discovered, including Trinidad, Margarita, the Araya and Paria peninsulas.

The last expedition, sailing in 1502, included 4 ships. Within two years, the islands of Martinique, Panama, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica were discovered. Columbus was wrecked near Jamaica, and help arrived only a year later. The travelers arrived in their native Castile in November 1504.

Date when America was discovered - Vikings in 1000

Erik the Red was known as a great Viking. His son, Leif Erikson, was the first to set foot on American soil. After spending the winter in its vastness, Erickson and his expedition returned to Greenland. This happened around the year 1000.

Two years later, brother Torvald Erikson, the second son of Erik the Red, founded his settlement on the territory discovered by his brother. Less than a month later, his men were attacked by local Indians, killing Thorvald and forcing the others to return home.

Subsequently, Erik the Red's daughter Freydis and his daughter-in-law Gudrid also tried to conquer new spaces. The latter even managed to trade with the Indians, offering various goods. But the Viking settlement was never able to survive in America for more than 10 years, despite constant attempts.

When did Amerigo Vespucci discover America?

Amerigo Vespucci, after whom, according to some historians, the continents are named, first visited the New World as a navigator. The route of Alonso de Ojeda's expedition was chosen using a map created by Christopher Columbus. Along with him, Amerigo Vespucci took about a hundred slaves who were indigenous to America.

Vespucci visited new territory twice more - in 1501-1502 and from 1503 to 1504. If the Spaniard Christopher wanted to stock up on gold, then the Florentine Amerigo wanted to discover as many new lands as possible in order to gain fame and preserve his name in history.

What does Wikipedia say about the dates of the discovery of America?

The famous Wikipedia talks about the discovery of the American continents in unprecedented detail. In the vastness of the world encyclopedia you can find information about all the expeditions to the New World, about each of the possible discoverers, and the further history of the Indians.

Wikipedia names the date of the discovery of America as October 12, 1492, speaking about Christopher Columbus.

It was he who managed not only to discover new territories, but to capture them on his map. Amerigo Vespucci was able to provide Europeans with a more complete picture of what the continents look like. Although his “complete” map was significantly different from the modern one.

In what year after the discovery did the settlement of America begin?

The settlement of American soil began many thousands of years before its official discovery. It is believed that the ancestors of the Indians were the Eskimos, Inuits, and Aleuts. The Vikings, as you know, also tried to take over the territories of the New World. But they failed - the indigenous people protected it too zealously.

After the discoveries of Columbus and Vespucci, almost 50 years passed before the first European settlements appeared.

In the American city of St. Augustine, the first small Spanish settlement was organized in 1565.

In 1585, the first British colony of Roanoke was created, which was destroyed by the Indians. The next attempt by the British was a colony in Virginia, which appeared in 1607.

And finally, the first colony in New England was the settlement located in Plymouth in 1620. This year is recognized as the official date of colonization of the New World.

Possible discoverers before Christopher Columbus

There are many people on the list of possible discoverers. Historians cannot find reliable facts about this, but there are sources indicating that the information is still correct.

Among the hypothetical discoverers it is worth highlighting:

• Phoenicians - 370 BC;
• ancient Egyptians;
• Hui Shen, who was a Buddhist monk who performed the first, as it turned out, trip around the world- V century;
• Irish monk Brendan, who followed in the footsteps of Shen - 6th century;
• Malay Sultan Abubakar II - 1330;
• Chinese explorer Zheng He - 1420;
• Portuguese Joao Corterial - 1471.

These people had pure intentions, did not seek fame and gold, and therefore did not tell the general public about their discovery. They were not trying to bring evidence or enslave Native Americans.

Perhaps that is why their names are not familiar to most contemporaries, and the more cruel and gold-hungry Christopher Columbus is indicated as the discoverer of the new land.

The fate of the Native Americans

The story of the discovery of America is presented in modern history as a joyful event that laid the foundation for a new nation of “emigrants.” But it also became a nightmare for many Indians, who had to endure unspeakable horrors created by the conquerors.

The Spaniards killed several thousand native Americans and took several hundred into slavery. They made fun of the Indians and killed them with extreme cruelty, not even sparing babies. The “Whites” who arrived on the new lands sprinkled them with blood, reducing the joyful discovery to a bloody massacre.

One of those who observed the fate of the Indians, the priest Bartolome de Las Casas, who arrived with Columbus, tried to protect the Indians, even went to the Spanish court in the hope of their pardon. As a result, the court decided whether it was worth calling the Indians people at all, whether they had a soul.

The negative attitude is explained by the fact that Columbus left his crew to look after the New World and went home. When he returned, he saw all his people dead. As it turned out, the Spaniards became impudent, beating the men and raping the women of the tribe, as well as killing the rebellious. The Indians, who initially considered the “whites” to be gods, quickly realized how things were and began to defend themselves. This is what led to further tragic incidents.

In any case, the discovery of America- an important event, which today is considered one of the loudest in the history of civilization.

The history of the discovery of America is quite amazing. These events took place at the end of the 15th century due to the rapid development of navigation and shipping in Europe. In many ways, we can say that the discovery of the American continent happened completely by accident and the motives were very banal - the search for gold, wealth, large trading cities.

In the 15th century, ancient tribes lived on the territory of modern America who were very good-natured and hospitable. In Europe, in those days, even then the states were quite developed and modern. Each country tried to expand its sphere of influence and find new sources of replenishment of the state treasury. At the end of the 15th century, trade and the development of new colonies flourished.

Who discovered America?

In the 15th century, ancient tribes lived on the territory of modern America who were very good-natured and hospitable. In Europe, even then the states were quite developed and modern. Each country tried to expand its sphere of influence and find new sources of replenishment of the state treasury.

When you ask any adult or child who discovered America, we will hear about Columbus. It was Christopher Columbus who gave impetus to the active search and development of new lands.

Christopher Columbus is the great Spanish navigator. Information about where he was born and spent his childhood is limited and contradictory. It is known that as a young man, Christopher was interested in cartography. He was married to the daughter of a navigator. In 1470, the geographer and astronomer Toscanelli informed Columbus of his assumptions that the route to India was shorter if one sailed west. Apparently then Columbus began to hatch his idea of ​​​​a short route to India, and according to his calculations, it was necessary to sail through Canary Islands, and Japan will already be close there.
Since 1475, Columbus has been trying to implement the idea and make an expedition. The purpose of the expedition is to find a new trade route to India across the Atlantic Ocean. To do this, he turned to the government and merchants of Genoa, but they did not support him. The second attempt to find funding for the expedition was made by the Portuguese King João II, however, even here, after a long study of the project, he was refused.

For the last time, he came to the Spanish king with his project. At the beginning, his project was considered for a long time, there were even several meetings and commissions, this lasted several years. His idea was supported by bishops and Catholic kings. But Columbus received final support for his project after the victory of Spain in the city of Granada, which was liberated from the Arab presence.

The expedition was organized on the condition that Columbus, if successful, would receive not only the gifts and riches of new lands, but also receive, in addition to the status of a nobleman, the title: Admiral of the Sea-Ocean and Viceroy of all the lands that he discovers. For Spain, a successful expedition promised not only the development of new lands, but also the opportunity to trade directly with India, since according to the treaty concluded with Portugal, Spanish ships were prohibited from entering the waters west coast Africa.

When and how did Columbus discover America?

Historians consider 1942 to be the year of the discovery of America, although these are rather approximate data. Discovering new lands and islands, Columbus had no idea that this was another continent, which would later be called the “New World”. The traveler undertook 4 expeditions. He arrived to new and new lands, believing that these were the lands of “Western India”. For quite a long time everyone in Europe thought so. However, another traveler Vasco da Gama declared Columbus a deceiver, since it was Gamma who found a direct route to India and brought gifts and spices from there.

What America did Christopher Columbus discover? It can be said that thanks to his expeditions since 1492, Columbus discovered both North and South America. To be more precise, islands were discovered that are now considered either South or North America.

Who discovered America first?

Although historically it is believed that it was Columbus who discovered America, but in fact this is not entirely true.

There is evidence that the “New World” was previously visited by Scandinavians (Leif Eriksson in 1000, Thorfinn Karlsefni in 1008); this journey became known from the manuscripts “The Saga of Eric the Red” and “The Saga of the Greenlanders”. There are other “discoverers of America,” but the scientific community does not take them seriously because there is no reliable data. For example, America was previously visited by an African traveler from Mali - Abu Bakr II, a Scottish nobleman Henry Sinclair, and a Chinese traveler Zheng He.

Why was America called America?

The first widely known and recorded fact is the visit of this part of the “New World” by the traveler and navigator Amerigo Vespucci. It is noteworthy that it was he who put forward the assumption that this was not India or China, but a completely new, previously unknown continent. It is believed that this is why the name America was assigned to the new land, and not its discoverer, Columbus.