Christopher Columbus

7 Pages 1771 Words

Christopher Columbus
(1451-1506)


Christopher Columbus was an outstanding navigator and organizer of expeditions. He achieved fame by sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean in search of a sea route to Asia. He did not accomplish this goal. Instead, he encountered islands in the Caribbean Sea. At that time, the people of Europe and the Americas did not know of each other's existence. During his four voyages westward-between 1492 and 1504-Columbus explored what are now the West Indies and the coasts of Central and South America.

Columbus was not the first European to reach the Western Hemisphere. The Norse(also called the Vikings) had settled for a time on the coast of North America about A.D. 1000. That contact did not last, and most Europeans of the 1400's did not know it had taken place. Columbus' voyages led to enduring links between the Eastern and Western hemispheres.

The World of Columbus

When Columbus was born in 1451, Europe was struggling against the growing power of the Ottoman Turks, who had conquered much of southeastern Europe. In 1453, the Ottomans took control of Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey), a major center of trade between Europe and Asia. The ottomans made Constantinople the capital of their empire, cutting off easy European access to Asian goods. The only alternative to a difficult, dangerous land journey was a sea route-either around Africa or westward across the Atlantic.

The desire for a sea route to Asia started a remarkable wave of European exploration, even though Europe had limited resources. European explorers combined the seafaring skill of the Italians with the resources of the Portuguese and the Spanish. Europe constantly improved its ships and navigational aids, as well as its arms for trading and a desire to preach Christianity worldwide.


Early Years

Boyhood. The exact date of Christopher Columbus' birth is not known. He was born sometime between August...