How Christopher Columbus Found the New World | Discovery of America

Summary

The video script narrates the life and voyages of Christopher Columbus, a young Genoese weaver's son who became a renowned mariner. It details his early years at sea, his move to Lisbon, and his studies in navigation and cartography. Columbus sought to find a new route to the East Indies, which led to his historic 1492 expedition, funded by the Spanish monarchy. Despite his underestimation of the Earth's size, Columbus embarked on a journey that would change the course of history, mistakenly believing he had reached the Indies when he actually landed in the Bahamas. His voyages had profound and lasting effects on the world, with Columbus remaining a controversial figure due to the impact of his explorations on indigenous populations. The video also promotes a book on Columbus and offers a free e-book on mythology.

Takeaways

• 🌊 The port city of Genoa was a significant marine republic in the 14th century, with ships sailing throughout the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.
• 🚢 Christopher Columbus, originally a wool weaver's son, first went to sea at the age of ten and became a ship's Captain by twenty.
• 📚 In Lisbon, Columbus studied sea charts, geometry, and cartography, and he and his brother Bartholomew became skilled at drawing sea maps.
• 🔍 The closure of the Silk Road by the Ottoman Turks led Europeans to seek alternative routes to the East, sparking the Age of Exploration.
• 🌐 Despite knowing the Earth was round since the 3rd century BCE, Columbus underestimated the size of the Earth, leading to his belief in a shorter route to the Indies.
• 👑 Columbus petitioned the king and queen of Portugal and later Queen Isabella of Spain to finance his voyage, promising a new trade route to the Indies and China.
• 💼 Columbus's proposal was initially deemed infeasible, but after the Portuguese attempt to reach India, Spain became interested in an alternative sea route to the Indies.
• 🚢 In 1492, Columbus set sail with three ships, the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria, marking the beginning of a journey that would change the world.
• 🌟 Columbus used the North Star, the astrolabe, and ancient scholars' estimations to navigate, but he was mistaken about the distance to the Indies.
• 🗺 Columbus's logs, kept in two versions, were manipulated to underestimate the distance traveled to prevent sailor mutiny.
• 🌿 Upon reaching land on October 11, 1492, Columbus claimed the land for Spain, mistakenly believing he had reached the Indies.
• 🔥 Columbus's legacy is controversial due to the far-reaching and often devastating effects his voyages had on the indigenous populations of the Americas.

Q & A

What was the significance of the port city of Genoa during the 14th century?

Genoa was a powerful marine republic in the 14th century, with its ships sailing throughout the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, playing a significant role in trade and exploration.

Who was Cristoforo Columbo, and how did he start his maritime career?

Cristoforo Columbo, better known as Christopher Columbus, was the son of a wool weaver who first went to sea at the age of ten in 1461. By twenty, he was employed as a ship's captain.

What major shift in trade routes led Europeans to seek an alternative to the Silk Road?

The closure of the Silk Road by the Ottoman Turks, who boycotted trade with China and closed many routes, led Europeans to desperately seek an alternative way to reach the East.

Why did Columbus initially approach the king and queen of Portugal for financing his voyage?

Columbus approached the Portuguese monarchy to finance his voyage to discover a new trade route to the Indies and China, as he saw it as a way to achieve notoriety and riches.

What was the significance of Bartholomew Dias's journey in 1488?

Bartholomew Dias's journey to India around Africa and into the Indian Ocean was significant because it proved an alternative sea route to the East, although it was later deemed impractical.

Why did Columbus decide to take his proposal to Spain after being rejected by Portugal?

Columbus took his proposal to Spain because he was undeterred by the rejection and saw an opportunity after hearing that Spain was worried about Portugal being the first to reach the Indies by sea.

What were Columbus's demands before embarking on his voyage?

Columbus demanded one-tenth of the profits from any discoveries he made, as well as the titles of 'Admiral of the Ocean Sea' and 'High Admiral of Castile.'

What were some of the challenges Columbus faced during his first voyage?

Challenges included the lack of physical points of reference for position or traveling speed, the need to use an hourglass to mark time, and managing the crew's fear and morale during the long journey.

How did Columbus and his crew misinterpret the land they first encountered?

Columbus and his crew initially mistook the native inhabitants of the island they first landed on as Indians, not realizing they had landed on an island in the Bahamas, not the East Indies.

What was Columbus's approach to dealing with the indigenous people he encountered?

Columbus's approach was to subjugate and enslave the indigenous people, viewing them as potential servants and using force to control them.

How did Columbus's legacy become controversial, and what were the far-reaching effects of his travels?

Columbus's legacy is controversial due to the devastating impact of his travels on indigenous populations, including enslavement, disease, and the disruption of their societies, which had long-lasting effects on the Americas.

Outlines

00:00

🚢 The Rise of Genoa and Columbus's Early Life

This paragraph introduces the maritime republic of Genoa in the 14th century, highlighting its powerful position with ships navigating the Mediterranean and Black Sea. It tells the story of Christopher Columbus, originally a wool weaver's son, who was drawn to the sea from a young age. By the age of ten, Columbus had already gone to sea, and by twenty, he was a ship's captain. The paragraph also discusses the closure of the Silk Road by the Ottoman Turks, which led to a desperate European search for new trade routes to the East. Columbus, inspired by Marco Polo and skilled in navigation, sought royal backing for a westward voyage to find a new route to the Indies and China, which was initially denied by Portugal but later considered by Spain.

05:02

🌟 Columbus's First Voyage and the Discovery of the New World

The second paragraph details Columbus's first voyage after securing support from Queen Isabella of Spain. With three ships—the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria—and a diverse crew, Columbus embarked on a journey into the unknown on August 3, 1492. The narrative describes the navigational challenges Columbus faced at sea, his reliance on ancient scholars' estimates of the Earth's size, and the critical mistake in calculating the distance to the Indies. It also recounts the crew's morale management, the false sighting of land, and the eventual sighting of land on October 12, 1492. Columbus claimed the land for Spain and interacted with the native Taino, Lucayan, and Arawak tribes, mistakenly believing he had reached the East Indies. The paragraph ends with Columbus's return to Spain with spices, gold, and natives.

10:03

⚓️ Columbus's Subsequent Voyages and Legacy

The final paragraph discusses the aftermath of Columbus's first voyage, including his fall from favor due to not bringing sufficient riches or a new route to India. It outlines subsequent expeditions, including one in 1498 where Columbus reached the South American mainland. Despite never realizing the full extent of the Americas, Columbus is credited with bringing the continent to the attention of the Western world. The paragraph touches on the explorer's controversial legacy and the significant, long-term effects of his travels. It concludes with a promotion of a book about Columbus's life and voyages, and an invitation for viewers to like and subscribe for more content.

Keywords

💡Genoa

Genoa was a powerful marine republic during the 14th century, known for its ships that sailed throughout the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. It represents the starting point for Christopher Columbus's maritime career and symbolizes the era of exploration and trade that was prevalent at the time. In the script, it is mentioned as the place where young boys, including Columbus, were drawn to the sea and sought employment on ships.

💡Silk Road

The Silk Road was a network of trade routes that connected various civilizations from the East to the West, operating for over 1,500 years. It flourished during the Mongol reign but became treacherous after the fall of the Byzantine Empire to the Ottoman Turks in 1453. The closure of the Silk Road led to a decline in trade and prompted Europeans to seek alternative routes to the East, which is central to the theme of exploration in the video.

💡Bartholomew Dias

Bartholomew Dias was a Portuguese explorer who sailed to India around Africa and into the Indian Ocean in 1488. His journey, although impractical, was a significant attempt to find a sea route to the East and influenced discussions on alternative routes, including a westward journey, which Columbus later pursued.

💡Age of Exploration

The Age of Exploration refers to the period in European history when there was a marked increase in overseas travel and the discovery of new lands by western explorers. This era is the backdrop for Columbus's voyages, as it was a time when Europeans were actively claiming land previously undiscovered by the West, as mentioned in the script.

💡Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus, originally named Cristoforo Columbo, was an Italian explorer who is known for his voyages across the Atlantic Ocean. He is a central figure in the video, as his quest to find a new trade route to the Indies and China led to his famous 1492 expedition, which resulted in the discovery of the Americas.

💡Queen Isabella

Queen Isabella of Spain was the monarch who eventually agreed to finance Columbus's voyage after initial rejections from the Portuguese court. Her decision was influenced by the potential benefits of establishing a new trade route and the competitive edge over Portugal. She is an important figure in the video as her support was crucial for Columbus's journey.

💡Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria

The Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria were the three ships provided to Columbus for his first voyage. These ships are significant as they represent the means by which Columbus and his crew embarked on their historic journey in 1492. The script mentions them as the vessels that set sail into the unknown.

💡Indies

The term 'Indies' in the context of the video refers to the region of South Asia and Southeast Asia, which was a lucrative trading hub for spices and other valuable goods. Columbus's goal was to find a new trade route to the Indies, which he believed he could reach by sailing westward across the Atlantic.

💡Taino, Lucayan, and Arawak tribes

The Taino, Lucayan, and Arawak tribes were the indigenous people that Columbus and his crew encountered upon landing in the Bahamas. They were initially mistaken for Indians, reflecting the misconception that Columbus had reached the East Indies. The encounter with these tribes is a pivotal moment in the video, as it marks the first contact between Europeans and the native inhabitants of the Americas.

💡Hispaniola

Hispaniola is the island where Columbus left behind a makeshift colony after his first voyage. It is significant as it represents the first European settlement in the Americas and is a symbol of the beginning of European colonization and the subsequent impact on the indigenous populations.

💡Controversial Legacy

The term 'controversial legacy' refers to the complex and disputed historical evaluation of Columbus's impact on the world. While he is credited with bringing the Americas to the attention of the Western world, his voyages also led to the colonization, exploitation, and suffering of the indigenous peoples. This aspect of his legacy is touched upon in the video, highlighting the far-reaching and unexpected effects of his travels.

Highlights

Genoa was a powerful marine republic in the 14th century with ships sailing throughout the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

Christopher Columbus first went to sea in 1461 at the age of ten and became a ship's Captain by twenty.

Columbus moved to Lisbon in 1477, married, and began studying sea charts, geometry, and cartography.

The Silk Road was closed off by the Ottoman Turks, prompting Europeans to seek alternative trade routes to the East.

Bartholomew Dias sailed to India around Africa in 1488, but the journey was impractical, leading to discussions of a westward journey.

People knew the Earth was round since the 3rd century BCE, and the Age of Exploration was underway.

Columbus petitioned the king and queen of Portugal to finance a voyage to discover a new trade route to the Indies and China.

Columbus was known for an extraordinary expedition to Iceland, known then as Thule.

King John II of Portugal showed interest in Columbus's proposal but did not find it feasible.

Queen Isabella of Spain became interested in Columbus's intended quest after hearing of Bartholomew Dias's attempt.

Columbus demanded one-tenth of the profits from any discoveries, as well as the titles of 'Admiral of the Ocean Sea' and 'High Admiral of Castile'.

Columbus set sail with three ships - the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria - on August 3, 1492.

Columbus underestimated the distance traveled to his crew to dispel fear, reporting only two and a half leagues when they had sailed forty-eight.

Columbus and his crew first sighted land on October 12, 1492, mistaking it for an island in the Bahamas.

Columbus claimed the land for Spain and encountered the Taino, Lucayan, and Arawak tribes.

Columbus conducted a fruitless search for riches and left behind a makeshift colony on Hispaniola.

Columbus's first voyage brought back spices, gold, and natives, but he fell out of favor for not finding enough riches or a new route to India.

In 1498, Columbus reached the South American mainland, still believing he would find passage to India.

Columbus realized he had discovered a new continent after exploring the Orinoco River.

Columbus's legacy is controversial, with his travels having far-reaching and unexpected effects on the world.

Transcripts

This video is brought to  you by Captivating History. 

During the 14th century, the port city of Genoa  was a powerful marine republic, with ships sailing  

throughout the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. It  is easy to imagine the intrigue of the boats and  

their crews, speaking foreign tongues and telling  tales of far-off lands. Many boys, lured by the  

call of the sea, sought employment as cabin boys,  perhaps in a determined effort to see the world  

beyond that of their parents. One such boy was a  young wool weavers son called Cristoforo Columbo,  

who we would come to know as Christopher Columbus. According to his own writings, Columbus first went  

to sea in 1461 at the age of ten. By the time he  was twenty, he was employed as a ship's Captain.  

In 1477, he moved to Lisbon, married, and began  studying sea charts, geometry, and cartography.  

Both himself and one of his brothers – Bartholomew  – became skilled at drawing maps of the sea.  

Columbus continued to Captain many ships and  piloted a fleet of ten ships to Guinea in 1481. 

Trade was booming during the 14th century. But  the Silk Road – in operation for over 1,500  

years – had been closed off by the Ottoman  Turks. The Silk Road was a network of paths  

that interconnected many different civilizations  in the East and West. It had flourished during  

the reign of the Mongols, as – despite their  fearsome reputation – they built their economy  

on trade. But, when the Byzantine Empire fell to  the Ottoman Turks in 1453, travel along the Silk  

Road became much more treacherous. Commerce  became much more difficult as the Ottoman  

Turks boycotted trade with China and closed  many routes. It was for these reasons that  

Europeans were desperate to find an alternative  way to reach the east. In 1488, Bartholomew Dias  

sailed to India around Africa and into the Indian  Ocean. However, this journey proved impractical,  

and discussions within the maritime community  soon turned to talk of a journey west. 

Contrary to popular myth, people had known  the Earth was round since the 3rd century BCE  

when Hellenistic astronomers in modern-day  Greece calculated the Earth's circumference.  

The Age of Exploration was well underway, and  Europeans had already started claiming land  

previously undiscovered by the west. Columbus  saw a way of achieving notoriety and riches  

beyond his station when he petitioned the  king and queen of Portugal to finance a voyage  

designed to discover a new trade  route to the Indies and China. 

Columbus had already achieved infamy with  his tales of his navigational expertise and  

seafaring experiences. He was known for  an extraordinary expedition to Iceland,  

known then as Thule, but many historians now think  this claim was more clever marketing than fact.  

Columbus had been inspired by tales of the famous  explorer Marco Polo and dreamt of exploring the  

unknown. In 1484, Columbus was granted an audience  with King John II of Portugal. Despite interest  

from the king, the king's advisors assessed that  the trip Columbus proposed would not be feasible. 

Undeterred, Columbus decided to take his proposal  to Spain. King Ferdinand was away defending  

southern Spain from Muslim invaders, but Queen  Isabella heard of Columbus's intended quest and  

became interested. After hearing of Bartholomew  Dias's attempt to reach India around the Cape  

of Good Hope, Spain was worried that Portugal  would be the first to get to the Indies by sea.  

However, both the queen's confessor and the  king were against financing Columbus's voyage. 

Columbus decided to continue to France looking  for financial backing, but on the way, his story  

caught the attention of a Prior called Juan  Perez. Perez was entranced by Columbus's ideas  

and saw it as a loss for Spain should they go to  France. Both Perez and an expert in cosmography  

and astronomy – Doctor Garcia Hernandez –  petitioned the queen on Columbus's behalf,  

and in 1492 Queen Isabella sent word that  Columbus should return to the Spanish court.  

Fresh from a successful military campaign, the  king and queen accepted Columbus's proposal,  

despite his outrageous demands. Columbus wanted  this voyage to be his making and insisted on  

one-tenth of the profits from any discoveries he  made, as well as the titles of "Admiral of the  

Ocean Sea" and "High Admiral of Castile." Columbus was supplied with money, three  

ships - the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria  – and began to employ a crew. As well as seamen,  

Columbus recruited two barbers, a physician,  a secretary, a silversmith, an assayer, and an  

interpreter. With his crew assembled and ships  in good shape, the small fleet set sail into the  

unknown on August 3, 1492. Little did they know,  they were about to change the shape of the world  

and that the repercussions of this voyage would  echo throughout history in the centuries to come. 

Once at sea, there were no physical points  of reference for position or traveling speed.  

Knowing the ocean's vastness and using  only an hourglass to mark the time,  

Columbus had a monumental task ahead of him.  At night, he could use the North Star and the  

Greek invention of the astrolabe to roughly  measure the distance they had traveled.  

Historians do not know if Columbus referred  to any maps or projections during his voyage,  

but he was versed in many ancient astronomer's  speculations about the size of the Earth,  

in particular the Greeks, the Romans, and the  Arabs. Columbus had used these famous scholars'  

estimates to argue that the journey to the Indies  across the Atlantic was perfectly feasible.  

However, he had not considered that the Arab  miles were longer than Roman miles and wrongfully  

assumed that the Arab estimations agreed with  the smaller of the Greek and Roman estimations.  

If he had realized his error, he might  have known that the land he encountered  

was actually a new continent, not the East Indies. Although Columbus's original logs have been lost,  

copies were made, and records have survived,  giving us detailed information about this infamous  

voyage. A Dominican historian, called Bartolome  de las Casas, wrote in 1530 that Columbus kept  

two logs of distance. The one he shared with  his crew underestimated the distance they had  

traveled to dispel the sailor's fear once they  had lost sight of land. Columbus reported that  

many of the men were trepidatious of being so  far into the ocean, especially once they could  

only see water surrounding them. Just over a month  into the voyage, Columbus informed his crew that  

they had only traveled two and a half leagues  when, in actuality, they had sailed forty-eight. 

Towards the end of September, many men  thought their journey was almost over.  

After spotting several birds and tufts of grass,  Columbus had to explain to the hopeful men  

that these were signs they were near  uncharted islands rather than the mainland.  

After more than a month at sea, even  Columbus started to feel concerned.  

Only a slight wind was blowing, and huge waves  made progress very slow. Luckily for Columbus,  

the wind picked up as the crew was on  the point of wishing to return to Spain.  

When Columbus determined they were now  2,200 miles west of the Canary Islands,  

he must have been both astonished and worried, as  he had estimated that the entire journey would be  

no more than 1,700 miles. Feeling they must be  nearing the end of their voyage, everyone on  

board the ships celebrated when the cry of "Land  Ahoy!" rang out on September 25. Jubilation soon  

turned to dismay when it was discovered they had  been looking at a large cloudbank on the horizon. 

By early October, tensions were rising. Many of  the crew thought they had overshot Japan, probably  

spurred on by the constant sightings of sandpipers  that must have come from nearby islands.  

Columbus followed his instincts and continued  westward, unperturbed by the thought that they had  

missed land. On October 7, the crew of the Pinta  saw a large flock of birds flying west/southwest. 

Knowing that Portuguese sailors often find  land by following flocks of birds, Columbus  

ordered the ships to change course and headed  in the direction in which the birds were flying.  

More birds were seen, and hopes were high  that they had finally reached their goal.  

Unfortunately, they were again met with  nothing but sea. October 10 was tense,  

with talk of mutiny and a retreat back to Spain,  but things changed on the night of October 11. 

A cane and an iron object were seen floating  in the sea, along with a land plant and a small  

board. As the sailors roused each other from their  sleep, they saw a small light in the distance and  

were convinced it was the flickering of a candle.  At two in the morning, spurred on by the promise  

of a silk doublet and an annual income to whomever  first saw land, a sailor called Rodrigo de Triana  

looked out into the night and shouted, "Land  Ahoy!" For the first time in two months, the  

adventurous were actually looking at solid land. Although the men were confident that they  

had finally reached the Indies, they had  instead landed on an island in the Bahamas.  

As soon as they landed on the morning of October  11, Columbus claimed the land in the name of the  

Spanish king and queen. The men immediately  ran into the native inhabitants of the island,  

who they mistook to be Indian, but were members  of the Taino, Lucayan, and Arawak tribes. 

Despite popular belief, Columbus did not set  foot on American soil during this first voyage  

and had not yet realized that he had failed  to discover a new route to the East Indies.  

He conducted a fruitless search for the  riches he had promised to his benefactors,  

and on his return to Spain, Columbus left  behind a make-shift colony on an Island he  

dubbed Hispaniola. Disturbingly, he recorded  his impressions of the indigenous people as  

"They would make fine servants...with  fifty men we could subjugate them all..." 

Returning from his first voyage, he brought  spices, gold, and some natives back with him.  

After six months, he was able to return to the  Americas, finding his settlement destroyed. He  

then enslaved hundreds of indigenous peoples  and continued to search for gold and riches with  

which to impress his patrons back in Spain.  After returning from the Caribbean islands,  

Columbus found himself out of favor in the Spanish  courts. He had not supplied nearly enough riches,  

neither had he found a new route to India. In 1498, the king and queen of Spain agreed  

to fund another expedition across the Atlantic.  On August 11, Columbus reached the South American  

mainland, planting a flag on the shores of  Venezuela and still believing he would be  

able to find passage to India. It was only  after exploring the Orinoco River that he  

realized he had stumbled across a continent that  was hitherto unknown to the rest of the world. 

While Columbus is credited with bringing  the Americas to the west's attention,  

he never knew the full extent of the continent,  only ever getting as far as South America.  

The closest he got to achieving his original  goal of finding passage to the east was four  

years before his death, when he reached Panama,  only to be forced to return to Spain empty-handed  

due to losing two of his four ships to storms. Columbus was not the only western traveler  

to accidentally arrive in America, but  he is undoubtedly the most famous. His  

journey west to reach the east is a captivating  one, despite the long-lasting and devastating  

repercussions of this trip. Columbus's  legacy remains highly controversial,  

and his travels to South America would have many  far-reaching and unexpected effects on the world.

To learn more about Christopher  Columbus, check out our book,  

Christopher Columbus - A Captivating Guide  to the Life of an Italian Explorer ad His  

Voyages to the Americas. It's available as  an e-book, paperback, and audiobook. Also,  

grab your free mythology bundle e-book while it's  still available. All links are in the description.  

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