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Christopher Columbus
Known to generations of schoolchildren as 'the man who discovered America', Christopher Columbus was in fact trying to find a westward sea passage to the Orient when his fleet landed in the New World in 1492. This unintentional discovery was to change the course of world history and make him the most famed seafarer of all times. Columbus was born in Genoa in 1451, his father a wool weaver and small-time merchant. As a teenager, young Christopher went to sea, travelled extensively and eventually made Portugal his base. It was here that he initially attempted to gain royal patronage for a westward voyage to the Orient - his 'Enterprise of the Indies'. When this failed, and appeals to the French and English courts were also rejected, Columbus found himself in Spain, yet again struggling to win backing for his project. Finally, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella agreed to sponsor the expedition, and on 3 August 1492, Columbus and his fleet of three ships, including the Santa Maria, set sail for the journey across the Atlantic. Ten weeks later, land was sighted. On 12 October, Columbus and a group of his men set foot on an inconspicuous island in what was later to be known as the Bahamas. Believing that they had reached the Indies, the newcomers dubbed the natives 'Indians'. The initial encounters were friendly, but the indigenous populations all over the New World were soon to become enslaved by the intruders. Columbus landed on a number of other islands in the Caribbean, including Cuba and Hispanola, and returned to Spain in triumph. He was made 'Admiral of the Seven Seas' and Viceroy of the Indies, and within a few months, he was off on a second and larger voyage. More territory was covered, but the Asian lands that Columbus was aiming for remained elusive. Indeed, others began to dispute whether this was in fact the Orient or a completely 'new' world, while he continued to believe in his original theory. He made two further voyages to the newfound territories, but suffered defeat and humiliation along the way. A great navigator, Columbus was less of an administrator and eventually had the title of Viceroy of the Indies stripped from him. Later, the Spanish monarchs apologised for some of the treatment he had been subject to, but he never regained his former stature and died a wealthy, but disappointed, man.