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1451 |
Short Biography of Christopher Columbus
Date of Birth: Born in 1451
Place of Birth : Genoa in Italy
Parents: Father - Domenico Colombo
Mother:
Susanna Fontanarossa
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1451 |
Christopher Columbus was born
in Genoa, the son of a wool merchant called Domenico
Colombo and Susanna Fontanarossa, the daughter of a
wool merchant.
Christopher Columbus had three younger brothers
called Bartolomeo, Giovanni Pellegrino, and Giacomo.
He also had a sister called Bianchinetta
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1470 |
The family moved to Savona and
Christopher Columbus travelled the seas as a pirate,
or Privateer, attacking ships belonging to the Moors
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1476 |
Christopher Columbus swims
ashores when his ship is sunk in a battle off
Portugal |
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1477 |
Christopher Columbus joined
his brother Bartholomew in Lisbon to work as a
cartographer
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1479 |
Christopher Columbus married a
noblewoman called Felipa Perestrello Moniz.
Her father had been explorer called Bartolomeu
Perestrello who had been involved with the discovery
of the Madeira Islands
Felipa gave Christopher Columbus her dead father's
charts of the winds and currents of the Portuguese
possessions in the Atlantic
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1480 |
Christopher Columbus and
Felipa have a son called Diego Colon |
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1484 |
Christopher Columbus fails to
gain the patronage the King of Portugal to enable
him search for a trade route to the Indies
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1485 |
Felipa dies of consumption and
Christopher Columbus moves to Cadiz in Spain where
he opens another shop supplying maps and charts
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1486 |
Columbus meets Dona Beatriz
Enriquez de Arana from Cordova in Spain who he
marries
Columbus petitions his plans to the Spanish court
but is refused any patronage
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1487 |
Works in the service of the
Duke of Medina Celi, Don Luis de la Cerda
Columbus submits his plans to King Henry VII of
England and King Charles VIII of France but again
his proposals are declined
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1488 |
Christopher and Dona Beatriz
Enriquez have a son called Ferdinand ( 1488 - 1539),
better known as Fernando
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1491 |
Columbus again appeals to King
Ferdinand of Spain for patronage but he was again
refused
A priest called Father Perez intercedes on behalf of
Christopher Columbus and pleads with Queen Isabella
to fund Columbus emphasising that he would be able
to convert heathen races to Christianity
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1492 |
King Ferdinand and Queen
Isabella of Spain finally agree to act as patrons to
Christopher Columbus and provide money and ships
August: He leaves Palos, Spain in search of the
Indies on his ship which is called the Santa Maria.
His son, Fernando accompanied Columbus. The other
two ships were called the Pinta and the Nina
Martin Alonso Pinzon commanded the Pinta and his
brother, Vicente Yanez Pinzon commanded the Nina.
The three ships carried 120 men
September 8: The Voyages of Christopher Columbus on
the Santa Maria, Nina and Pinta begin
September 15: The ships reach the Canaries
under favorable conditions
September 20: At the Sargasso Sea the weather
conditions change. Columbus keeps two log books to
deceive the crew as to the real length of the voyage
September 23: The crew become disgruntled
October 7: False landfall is spotted
October 11: There is near Mutiny from the crew
October 12: Land seen by one of the Pinta's crew and
they land on Watling's Island in the Bahamas, West
Indies. The discoverers name the island San Salvador
and Columbus believes that he has reached the
passage to India and China
October 28: The fleet reaches Cuba
December 5: The Santa Maria sinks off the cost of
Hispaniola but Christopher Columbus establishes the
first Spanish settlement in the New World
January 16: Columbus starts the return journey to
Spain
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1493 |
5 March: Christopher Columbus
arrives at Palos in Spain bringing his news of the
New World
September 25: Cadiz. The Second voyage of
Christopher Columbus consisting of 16 ships carrying
about 1500 men including Juan Ponce de Leon.
Columbus explores Hispaniola (Jamaica) and
encounters the fierce Carib and Arawak native
indians. He establishes a Spanish settlement in
Haiti and searches for gold
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1494 |
September 29: Christopher
Columbus returns to Spain |
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1498 |
May 30: The Third voyage
of Christopher Columbus from Seville, Spain, with
six ships
31 July: Christopher Columbus arrived at the Cape
Verde Islands, near Trinidad. He crosses over to the
mainland where he discovers pearls
Christopher Columbus was the first European to land
in South America but news spreads to Spain about
problems in the Spanish settlements and Christopher
Columbus is heavily criticised for its handling. A
visita was ordered to investigate lead by Francisco
de Bobadilla
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1500 |
24 August: Bobadilla lands at
Santo Domingo. Francisco de Bobadilla believes that
Columbus and his brothers consider themselves rulers
of the new country. He orders their imprisonment,
where they were harshly held in irons. They are sent
home in chains.
Royalty, nobility and the Spanish people were
horrified at these injustices and all privileges
were restored to Christopher Columbus who proposed
yet another voyage of discovery
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1502 |
Fourth and final voyage of
Christopher Columbus leaves from Cadiz, Spain, with
four ships |
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1504 |
7th November: Christopher
Columbus returns to Spain |
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1506 |
May 20: Christopher Columbus
dies at the Spanish court at Valladolid |
