Christopher Columbus was born in a family of Genoese weaver-draper in 1451.The childhood and youth of the future explorer, the eldest son in the family, went into weaving workshop where he helped his father work.However, from an early age he dreamed of distant voyages.Already in the early 1470's Christopher Columbus first enters in its first shopping expedition.Many eminent Italian biographers believe that during this period he had the idea of finding a new way to
India.It is believed that such a thought could tell him known at the time the geographer and astronomer Paolo Toscanelli.
new route to India
At this point, you must stop at the military-political situation in Europe at that time.The fact is that in the east of the continent grew more Muslim Ottoman Empire.For example, in 1453, it was captured by the ancient capital of the Byzantine Empire - Constantinople (which in our days is the largest Turkish city of Istanbul).This powerful empire during the XV century.actually blocked the classic silk caravan route from Europe to Asia by imposing high duties on traffickers and preventing the development of such trade.However, the eastern lands has always attracted the inhabitants of the Old World.Do not lose the popularity of legends about fantastic creatures and incredible wealth of the East.These facts stimulated the idea of finding additional detours to the East, particularly in India.The reality of such plans, among other things, confirmed the "new" at the time the assumption of sphericity of the Earth.
famous voyage to India
Christopher Columbus arrived in Portugal in 1477, which made friends with people who changed his life forever.Acquainted with the principles of navigation,
gain experience in shopping expeditions, the traveler first expressed the idea to try to find a way to India, rounding Afrkansky continent.With this offer, he turned to the Portuguese king Juan III in 1483.However, the project of the future discoverer of the monarch seemed too incredible to the same prohibitively expensive.Christopher Columbus was refused.Moreover, for the next nine years, he survived another five similar failures.So far in 1492, a similar trip was not approved.The first expedition went to the ocean gave August 3, 1492.It consisted of three very small ship "Pinta", "Niña" (literally "little") and "Santa Maria."The subsequent history of how sailors off course, not gone along Africa, and far to the west, is widely known.Only two months later, October 12, 1492 is already desperate sailors saw on the horizon of the earth.It was one of the modern Bahamas.Subsequently, Columbus made three more expeditions to the shores of a new continent.However, seriously ill after the fourth voyage, he died in 1506.Paradoxically, without knowing that he discovered not just a new way and a new continent.This fact tells him the world another famous Italian - Amerigo Vespucci.And the honor of opening the bypass route to India rewarded with Vasco da Gama.
value voyage of Columbus and the Great Geographical Discoveries in general
Tom continent that Christopher Columbus discovered, had yet to significantly transform the face of our world.Not only in relation to geographical knowledge, but also in all areas of the Old World.On the European markets flooded many new products and gold reserves of the American civilizations.This process has stimulated the so-called primitive accumulation of capital, the development of market economy and capitalism.As soon discovered continent in the next few centuries, has become home to numerous colonizers later founded their own state.Several European countries have become global colonial empires, which not only forced indigenous peoples (not only in America but also in other parts of the world) to work for themselves, but also contributed to the adoption of European values landmarks around the world.Of course, Christopher Columbus was not the only one who so greatly influenced the development of world history, except for him, there were hundreds of other travelers, theorists and instigators.However, it is undoubtedly one of the greatest pioneers.
