Christopher Columbus is revered as one of the greatest explorers of the Age of Discovery. He is credited with discovering what is now America, although he never knew that. This report looks into the life of this great explorer, and his epic journey that changed the world and our lives.

Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy, somewhere between August and October of 1451. His birth name was Cristoforo Colombo, Christopher Columbus being its English derivative. He was the eldest son of Domenico Colombo, a wool-worker and small-scale merchant, and his wife, Susanna Fontanarossa; he had two younger brothers, Bartholomew and Diego. He received little formal education and was a largely self-taught man, later learning to read Latin and write Castilian.

Columbus’ life on the high seas began quite early. He made his first significant voyage in 1475, when he went to the Aegean island of Chios. His first shipwreck came in 1476, when his ship sunk off the Cape St. Vincent, but Columbus managed to swim ashore. After this, he moved to Lisbon, Portugal, where one of his younger brothers, Bartholomew, lived. Both worked as chartmakers, but Columbus was already dreaming of making a living at sea.

Upon reaching Navidad, Columbus found the settlement destroyed and the Spanish settlers dead, victims of native resistance who did not like their plans of colonizing. More fortified settlements were built, including one named La Isabela, in honor of the queen, Columbus declared himself governor of Hispaniola. He intended it to be a trading post for European settlers to carry out business with the rich Oriental empires he expected to find. After searching the Cuban coastline and Jamaica for gold, Columbus had decided that Hispaniola was the richest source for gold.

This is where Columbus’ biggest misconception took root. He thought that he had reached the East Indies, which are islands off the coast of India. That is why Columbus referred to the natives of the island as “Indians”. This term was eventually applied to all inhabitants of the New World. Columbus then sailed among the Bahamas, and landed in Cuba. Columbus was convinced that he had reached the mainland of Cathay, modern day China. There was little gold here, and his exploration continued by sea to Ayti, modern day Haiti. Columbus got here on December 6, and he renamed this island to La Isla Española, or Hispaniola. He believed that he was in Cipango, modern day Japan. This land, unlike Cuba, was rich with gold and many other natural resources. Columbus returned to Spain in the spring of 1493. He had enough riches to convince the Spanish of his success.

of the coast of Jamaica in June 1503. He eventually spent a year there. He returned to Spain on November 7, 1504 on a ship sent from Hispaniola. When Columbus found his biggest supporter, Queen Isabella, near death. She died on November 26, 1504.

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