When America was discovered by the Americans. The discovery of America, or how Columbus walked along the well-trodden path. Christopher Columbus - Discovery of America

The history of the discovery of America is quite amazing. These events took place at the end of the 15th century due to the rapid development of navigation and shipping in Europe. In many ways, we can say that the discovery of the American continent happened quite by accident and the motives were very commonplace - the search for gold, wealth, large trading cities.

In the 15th century, ancient tribes lived on the territory of modern America, who were very good-natured and hospitable. In Europe, in those days, the states were already quite developed and modern. Each country tried to expand its sphere of influence, to find new sources of replenishment of the state treasury. At the end of the 15th century, trade flourished, the development of new colonies.

Who discovered America?

In the 15th century, ancient tribes lived on the territory of modern America, who were very good-natured and hospitable. In Europe, even then, the states were quite developed and modern. Each country tried to expand its sphere of influence, to find new sources of replenishment of the state treasury.

When you ask any adult and child who discovered America, we will hear about Columbus. It was Christopher Columbus who gave impetus to the active search and development of new lands.

Christopher Columbus is the great Spanish navigator. There is little information about where he was born and spent his childhood and they are contradictory. It is known that being young, Christopher was fond of cartography. He was married to the daughter of a navigator. In 1470, the geographer and astronomer Toscanelli informed Columbus of his suggestions that the journey to India was shorter if you sail west. Apparently then Columbus began to nurture his idea of ​​a short way to India, while according to his calculations, it was necessary to sail through the Canary Islands, and there already Japan would be close.
Since 1475, Columbus has been making attempts to implement the idea and make an expedition. The goal of the expedition is to find a new trade route to India across the Atlantic Ocean. To do this, he turned to the government and merchants of Genoa, but he was not supported. The second attempt to find funding for the expedition was the Portuguese king João II, but even here, after a long study of the project, he was refused.

The last time with his project, he came to the Spanish king. At the beginning, his project was considered for a long time, even several meetings, commissions were held, this lasted for several years. His idea was supported by bishops and Catholic kings. But Columbus received the final support for his project after the victory of Spain in the city of Granada, which was freed from the Arab presence.

The expedition was organized on the condition that Columbus, if successful, will receive not only the gifts and riches of the new lands, but will also receive, in addition to the status of a nobleman, the title: Admiral of the Sea-Ocean and Viceroy of all lands, which he will discover. For Spain, a successful expedition promised not only the development of new lands, but also the opportunity to trade with India directly, since according to the agreement concluded with Portugal, Spanish ships were prohibited from entering the waters of the west coast of Africa.

When and how did Columbus discover America?

Historians consider the year 1942 to be the year of America's discovery, although this is a rather rough estimate. While discovering new lands and islands, Columbus did not even imagine that this was another continent, which would later be called the "New World". The traveler undertook 4 expeditions. He came to new and new lands, believing that these are the lands of "Western India". For a long time, everyone in Europe thought so. However, another traveler Vasco da Gama declared Columbus a deceiver, since it was Gamma who found the direct path to India and brought gifts and spices from there.

What kind of America did Christopher Columbus discover? We can say that thanks to his expeditions since 1492, Columbus discovered both North and South America. To be more precise, the islands were discovered, which are now considered either South or North America.

Who Discovered America First?

Although historically it is believed that it was Columbus who discovered America, in fact this is not entirely true.

There is evidence that the "New World" was previously visited by the Scandinavians (Leif Eriksson in 1000, Thorfinn Karlsefni in 1008), this journey became known from the manuscripts "The Saga of Eric the Red" and "The Saga of the Greenlanders". There are other "discoverers of America", but the scientific community does not take them seriously, as there is no reliable data. For example, the African traveler from Mali Abu Bakr II, the Scottish nobleman Henry Sinclair, and the Chinese traveler Zheng He previously visited America.

Why was America called America?

The first widely known and recorded fact is the visit to this part of the "New World" by the traveler and navigator Amerigo Vespucci. It is noteworthy that it was he who put forward the assumption that this is not India or China, but a completely new, previously unknown continent. It is believed that this is why the name America was assigned to the new land, and not its discoverer, Columbus.

Expeditions of Christopher Columbus

1st expedition

The first expedition of Christopher Columbus (1492-1493) of 91 people on the ships "Santa Maria", "Pinta", "Ninya" left Palos on August 3, 1492, turned west from the Canary Islands (September 9), crossed the Atlantic Ocean to subtropical belt and reached the island of San Salvador in the Bahamas, where Christopher Columbus landed on October 12, 1492 (the official date of the discovery of America). On October 14-24, Christopher Columbus visited a number of other Bahamas, and on October 28-December 5, he discovered and surveyed a section of the northeastern coast of Cuba. On December 6, Columbus reached Fr. Haiti and moved along its northern coast. On the night of December 25, the flagship Santa Maria landed on the reef, but people escaped. Columbus on the ship "Ninya" 4-16 January 1493 completed the survey of the northern coast of Haiti and 15 March returned to Castile.

2nd expedition

The 2nd expedition (1493-1496), which Christopher Columbus led already in the rank of admiral, and in the position of viceroy of the newly discovered lands, consisted of 17 ships with a crew of over 1.5 thousand people. On November 3, 1493, Columbus discovered the islands of Dominica and Guadeloupe, turning to the Northwest - about 20 more Lesser Antilles, including Antigua and the Virgin Islands, and on November 19 - the island of Puerto Rico and approached the northern coast of Haiti. March 12-29, 1494 Columbus, in search of gold, made a conquest into Haiti, and crossed the Cordillera Central ridge. On April 29-May 3, Columbus with 3 ships sailed along the southeastern coast of Cuba, turned from Cape Cruz to the South and on May 5 opened about. Jamaica. Returning on May 15 to Cape Cruz, Columbus sailed along the southern coast of Cuba to 84 ° West longitude, discovered the Jardines de la Reina archipelago, the Zapata peninsula and the island of Pinos. On June 24, Christopher Columbus turned east and surveyed the entire southern coast of Haiti from August 19 to September 15. In 1495, Christopher Columbus continued the conquest of Haiti; On March 10, 1496 he left the island and on June 11 he returned to Castile.

3rd expedition

The 3rd expedition (1498-1500) consisted of 6 ships, 3 of which Christopher Columbus himself led across the Atlantic Ocean near 10 ° north latitude. On July 31, 1498, he discovered the island of Trinidad, entered the Gulf of Paria from the south, discovered the mouth of the western branch of the Orinoco delta and the Paria peninsula, initiating the discovery of South America. After leaving for the Caribbean Sea, Christopher Columbus approached the Araya Peninsula, discovered the island of Margarita on August 15 and arrived in the city of Santo Domingo (on the island of Haiti) on August 31. In 1500, Christopher Columbus was arrested on a denunciation and sent to Castile, where he was released.

4th expedition

4th expedition (1502-1504). Having obtained permission to continue searching for a western route to India, Columbus with 4 ships reached Martinique Island on June 15, 1502, on July 30 - the Gulf of Honduras, and opened from August 1, 1502 to May 1, 1503 the Caribbean coast of Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama to the Gulf of Uraba. Turning then to the North, June 25, 1503 crashed off the island of Jamaica; help from Santo Domingo came only a year later. Christopher Columbus returned to Castile on November 7, 1504.

Facts

Hypotheses

In addition, hypotheses were put forward about the visit to America and contact with its civilization by seafarers before Columbus, representing various civilizations of the Old World (for more details, see Contacts with America before Columbus). Here are just a few of these hypothetical contacts:

• in the 5th century - Hui Shen (Taiwanese monk)
• in the VI century - St. Brendan (Irish monk)
• there are versions according to which at least from the 13th century America was known to the Knights Templar
• OK. - Henry Sinclair (de Saint-Clair), Earl of Orkney (c. 1345 - c. 1400)
• in Zheng He (Chinese researcher)
• in the city - Juan Corterial (Portuguese)

Notes (edit)

Literature

• Magidovich I.P. The history of the discovery and exploration of North America. - M .: Geografgiz, 1962.
• Magidovich I.P. The history of the discovery and exploration of Central and South America. - M .: Thought, 1963.
• John Lloyd and John Mitchinson. The book of common delusions. - Phantom Press, 2009.

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Discovery of America by the expedition of Christopher Columbus- Columbus's expedition began on August 3, 1492, when the ships Santa Maria, Pinta and Ninha left the bay of the Spanish city of Palos de la Frontera. On September 16, 1492, bunches of green began to appear on the way of the expedition ... ... Encyclopedia of Newsmakers

Salvador Dali The Discovery of America by the Effort of Sleep by Christopher Columbus, 1958 1959 Oil on canvas. 410 × 284 cm Moose ... Wikipedia

Discovery of America and Spanish conquests- In the spring of 1492, the Spaniards took Granada the last stronghold of the Moors on the Iberian Peninsula, and on August 3 of the same year, three caravels of Christopher Columbus set out on a long voyage across the Atlantic Ocean from the Spanish port of Paloe to open ... ... The World History. Encyclopedia

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Christopher Columbus. The Discovery Genre Drama Director John Glen Starring Marlon Brando Tom Selleck Duration 122 min ... Wikipedia

An invention, a find. Discovery of America, invention of gunpowder. Finding ... Dictionary of Russian synonyms and expressions similar in meaning. under. ed. N. Abramova, M .: Russian dictionaries, 1999. discovery, invention, find, know-how, patent; finding; Start … Synonym dictionary

Opening- Discovery ♦ Découverte To make a discovery means to make explicit what already existed (as opposed to an invention) but was unknown. Such are the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus and the discovery of the law of universal gravitation by Newton. Concept ... ... Sponville's Philosophical Dictionary

OPENING- - identification of natural things, phenomena, patterns, etc., really existing in nature, but not known before (the discovery of America, the periodicity of elements, mineral deposits, etc.), which is dominated by internal ... ... Philosophy of Science and Technology: Thematic Dictionary

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Books

• Christopher Columbus and the Discovery of America, D. Winsor. Illustrated historical and critical research, translated from English by F.I.Bulgakov. The book contains information about the sources, about the ancestors and homeland of Columbus, his life in Portugal and ...

(1492-1493) of 91 people on the ships "Santa Maria", "Pinta", "Niña" left Palosa de la Frontera on August 3, 1492, turned to the West from the Canary Islands (September 9 ), crossed the Atlantic Ocean in the subtropical zone and reached the island of San Salvador in the Bahamas, where Christopher Columbus landed on October 12, 1492 (the official date of the discovery of America). On October 14-24, Christopher Columbus visited a number of other Bahamas, and on October 28-December 5, he discovered and surveyed a section of the northeastern coast of Cuba. On December 6, Columbus reached Fr. Haiti and moved along the northern coast. On the night of December 25, the flagship Santa Maria landed on the reef, but people escaped. Columbus on the ship "Ninya" 4-16 January 1493 completed the survey of the northern coast of Haiti and 15 March returned to Castile.

2nd expedition

The 2nd expedition (1493-1496), which Christopher Columbus led already in the rank of admiral, and in the position of viceroy of the newly discovered lands, consisted of 17 ships with a crew of over 1.5 thousand people. On November 3, 1493, Columbus discovered the islands of Dominica and Guadeloupe, turning to the Northwest - about 20 more Lesser Antilles, including Antigua and the Virgin Islands, and on November 19 - the island of Puerto Rico and approached the northern coast of Haiti. On March 12-29, 1494, Columbus, in search of gold, made an aggressive campaign into Haiti, and crossed the Cordillera Central ridge. On April 29-May 3, Columbus with 3 ships sailed along the southeastern coast of Cuba, turned from Cape Cruz to the South and on May 5 opened about. Jamaica. Returning on May 15 to Cape Cruz, Columbus walked along the southern coast of Cuba to 84 ° West longitude, discovered the Jardines de la Reina archipelago, the Zapata peninsula and the island of Pinos. On June 24, Christopher Columbus turned eastward and surveyed the entire southern coast of Haiti from August 19 to September 15. In 1495, Christopher Columbus continued the conquest of Haiti; On March 10, 1496 he left the island and on June 11 he returned to Castile.

3rd expedition

The 3rd expedition (1498-1500) consisted of 6 ships, 3 of which Christopher Columbus himself led across the Atlantic Ocean near 10 ° north latitude. On July 31, 1498, he discovered the island of Trinidad, entered the Gulf of Paria from the south, discovered the mouth of the western branch of the Orinoco delta and the Paria peninsula, initiating the discovery of South America. After leaving for the Caribbean Sea, Christopher Columbus approached the Araya Peninsula, discovered the island of Margarita on August 15 and arrived in the city of Santo Domingo (on the island of Haiti) on August 31. In 1500, Christopher Columbus was arrested on a denunciation and sent to Castile, where he was released.

4th expedition

4th expedition (1502-1504). Having obtained permission to continue searching for a western route to India, Columbus with 4 ships reached Martinique Island on June 15, 1502, on July 30 - the Gulf of Honduras, and opened from August 1, 1502 to May 1, 1503 the Caribbean coast of Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama to the Gulf of Uraba. Turning then to the North, June 25, 1503 crashed off the island of Jamaica; help from Santo Domingo came only a year later. Christopher Columbus returned to Castile on November 7, 1504.

Pioneer Candidates

• The first people to settle in America are the indigenous Indians who crossed there about 30 thousand years ago from Asia along the Bering Isthmus.
• In the 10th century, around 1000, the Vikings, led by Leif Eriksson. L'Ans aux Meadows contains the remains of a Viking settlement on the continent.
• In 1492 - Christopher Columbus (Genoese in the service of Spain); Columbus himself believed that he had opened the way to Asia (hence the name West Indies, Indians).
• In 1507, the cartographer M. Waldseemüller proposed that the open lands be named America in honor of the explorer of the New World Amerigo Vespucci - this is considered the moment from which America was recognized as an independent continent.
• There is good reason to believe that the continent was named after the English patron of the arts. Richard America from Bristol, which financed the second transatlantic expedition of John Cabot in 1497, and Vespucci took the nickname after the already named continent. In May 1497, Cabot reached the shores of Labrador, becoming the first officially registered European to set foot on American soil, two years before Vespucci (talking about North America). Cabot mapped the coast of North America from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland. In the calendar of Bristol for that year we read: "... on the day of St. John the Baptist, the land of America was found by merchants from Bristol, who arrived by ship from Bristol with the name" Matthew "(" methic ").

Hypothetical

In addition, hypotheses were put forward about the visit to America and contact with its civilization by seafarers before Columbus, representing various civilizations of the Old World (for more details, see Contacts with America before Columbus). Here are just a few of these hypothetical contacts:

• in 371 BC. NS. - Phoenicians
• in the 5th century - Hui Shen (a Taiwanese Buddhist monk who made a trip to the Fusan country in the 5th century, identified in different versions with Japan or America)
• in the VI century - Saint Brendan (Irish monk)
• in the XII century - Madog ap Owain Gwynedd (Welsh prince, according to legend, visited America in 1170)
• there are versions according to which at least from the 13th century America was known to the Knights Templar
• in 1331 - Abubakar II (Sultan of Mali)
• OK. 1398 - Henry Sinclair (de Saint-Clair), Earl of Orkney (c. 1345 - c. 1400)
• in 1421 - Zheng He (Chinese explorer)
• in 1472 - João Corterial (Portuguese)

Thor Heyerdahl's version of the Egyptians' visit to America is also known. As part of the evidence, there were expeditions on boats Ra and Ra-2, built using ancient technologies. The first boat failed to reach the Caribbean Islands, but only a few hundred kilometers were missing. The second expedition reached its goal.

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Notes (edit)

Literature

• Bakles D. America through the eyes of pioneers / Per. from English 3. M. Kanevsky. - M .: Mysl, 1969. - 408 p .: ill.
• Magidovich I.P. The history of the discovery and exploration of North America. - M .: Geografgiz, 1962.
• Magidovich I.P. The history of the discovery and exploration of Central and South America. - M .: Thought, 1963.
• John Lloyd and John Mitchinson. The book of common delusions. - Phantom Press, 2009.

Excerpt from the Discovery of America

The unexpected news of the French crossing the Niemen was especially unexpected after a month of unfulfilled expectations, and at the ball! The sovereign, at the first minute of receiving the news, under the influence of indignation and insult, found that, which later became famous, a saying that he himself liked and fully expressed his feelings. Returning home from the ball, the sovereign at two o'clock in the morning sent for the secretary Shishkov and ordered to write an order to the troops and a rescript to Field Marshal Prince Saltykov, in which he certainly demanded that the words be placed that he would not reconcile until at least one the armed Frenchman will remain on Russian soil.
The next day the following letter was written to Napoleon.
“Monsieur mon frere. J "ai appris hier que malgre la loyaute avec laquelle j" ai maintenu mes engagements envers Votre Majeste, ses troupes ont franchis les frontieres de la Russie, et je recois al "instant de Petersbourg une note par laquelle le comte Lauriston, pour cause de cette agression, annonce que Votre Majeste s "est consideree comme en etat de guerre avec moi des le moment ou le prince Kourakine a fait la demande de ses passeports. Les motifs sur lesquels le duc de Bassano fondait son refus de les lui delivrer, n "auraient jamais pu me faire supposer que cette demarche servirait jamais de pretexte a l" agression. En effet cet ambassadeur n "y a jamais ete autorise comme il l" a declare lui meme, et aussitot que j "en fus informe, je lui ai fait connaitre combien je le desapprouvais en lui donnant l" ordre de rester a son poste. Si Votre Majeste n "est pas intentionnee de verser le sang de nos peuples pour un malentendu de ce genre et qu" elle consente a retirer ses troupes du territoire russe, je regarderai ce qui s "est passe comme non avenu, et un accommodement entre nous sera possible. Dans le cas contraire, Votre Majeste, je me verrai force de repousser une attaque que rien n "a provoquee de ma part. Il depend encore de Votre Majeste d "eviter a l" humanite les calamites d "une nouvelle guerre.
Je suis, etc.
(signe) Alexandre. "
[“Sovereign brother! Yesterday it dawned on me that, in spite of the straightforwardness with which I observed my obligations towards Your Imperial Majesty, your troops crossed the Russian borders, and only now received a note from St. Petersburg with which Count Lauriston notifies me about this invasion, that Your Majesty considers himself to be in hostile relations with me since the time when Prince Kurakin demanded his passports. The reasons on which the Duke of Bassano based his refusal to issue these passports could never have led me to suppose that the act of my ambassador was the pretext for an attack. And in reality he did not have a command from me, as he himself announced; and as soon as I found out about this, I immediately expressed my displeasure to Prince Kurakin, commanding him to fulfill the duties entrusted to him as before. If Your Majesty is not inclined to shed the blood of our subjects because of such a misunderstanding, and if you agree to withdraw your troops from Russian possessions, then I will ignore everything that happened, and an agreement between us will be possible. Otherwise, I will be forced to repel an attack that was not initiated by anything on my part. Your Majesty, you still have the opportunity to save humanity from the scourge of a new war.
(signed) Alexander ". ]

On June 13, at two o'clock in the morning, the emperor, having summoned Balashev and read him his letter to Napoleon, ordered him to take this letter and personally hand it over to the French emperor. Sending Balashev, the sovereign repeated his words to him that he would not make peace as long as at least one armed enemy remained on Russian soil, and ordered him to convey these words to Napoleon without fail. The sovereign did not write these words in the letter, because he felt with his tact that these words were inconvenient to convey at the moment when the last attempt at reconciliation was being made; but he certainly ordered Balashev to hand them over to Napoleon personally.
Leaving on the night of June 13-14, Balashev, accompanied by a trumpeter and two Cossacks, arrived at dawn in the village of Rykonty, at the French outposts on this side of the Neman. He was stopped by French cavalry sentries.
A French hussar non-commissioned officer, in a crimson uniform and a shaggy hat, shouted at Balashev, who was approaching, ordering him to stop. Balashev did not immediately stop, but continued to move along the road at a step.
The non-commissioned officer, frowning and grumbling some kind of curse, advanced with the horse's chest at Balashev, took up his saber and shouted rudely at the Russian general, asking him if he was deaf that he did not hear what they were saying to him. Balashev identified himself. The non-commissioned officer sent a soldier to the officer.
Not paying attention to Balashev, the non-commissioned officer began to talk with his comrades about his regimental business and did not look at the Russian general.
It was unusually strange for Balashev, after closeness to the highest power and power, after a conversation three hours ago with the sovereign and generally accustomed to honors in his service, to see here, on Russian soil, this hostile and, most importantly, disrespectful attitude of brute force towards himself.
The sun was just beginning to rise from behind the clouds; the air was fresh and dewy. On the way, the herd was driven out of the village. In the fields, one by one, like bubbles in water, larks were sprinkled with a chiming.
Balashev looked around him, expecting the arrival of an officer from the village. The Russian Cossacks, the trumpeter, and the French hussars occasionally looked at each other in silence.
The French hussar colonel, apparently just out of bed, left the village on a beautiful well-fed gray horse, accompanied by two hussars. The officer, the soldiers, and their horses had an air of contentment and panache.

October 12, 1492 is a significant date in world history, since it was on this day that the expedition of Christopher Columbus reached the island of San Salvador and thereby discovered a new continent - America. Let us deal with the main prerequisites for such an "incident", isolating some facts, analyze the course of the expedition itself and briefly summarize its results for the states of that time.

Basic prerequisites

It is not entirely correct to talk about the prerequisites for the discovery of America in isolation from the context of other great geographical discoveries: in addition to the Columbus expedition, many attempts were made to reach new lands by sea. There are three main factors that are crucial for the formation of such aspirations in many states and travelers:

• Not so long ago, under the onslaught of the Ottoman Turks, Byzantium fell, which served as the birth of the Ottoman Empire. Since the latter was located in the east of the Mediterranean and in Asia Minor, all trade relations ("Silk Road") with the countries of the east were terminated.
• Spices, which were purchased in India and Indochina, as well as many other goods, were extremely important for European states.
• In the 14th century, geographers misunderstood the size of the Earth. It was believed that all land is limited to the continents of Eurasia and Africa; it was also thought that the distance between the western point of Europe and the eastern point of Asia is no more than a few thousand kilometers.

Expedition progress

The beginning of the expedition is considered to be August 3, 1492, when: on this day, three ships ("Santa Maria", "Pinta", "Niña") began their journey from the Spanish city of Palos de La Frontera. The first documented event was the appearance of algae on the path on September 16. We mention this fact for a reason: during the passage through a body of water with algae, the Sargasso Sea was discovered. The next event took place on October 7, 1492, when the course was seriously changed: it seemed to the team that the ships passed Japan. That is why the expedition headed southwest.

Soon, on October 12, ships saw one of the still famous Bahamas, named San Salvador - a kind of symbolic tribute to the image of Jesus Christ. According to the available information, the land was noticed by the sailor of the "Pinta" caravel, Rodrigo de Triana, who did not manage to receive the reward promised by the King of Spain afterwards.

It is worth noting that the duration of the Bahamas archipelago is more than a thousand kilometers: it "stretches" from Florida to Haiti and has about three thousand islands of different sizes. On October 13, Columbus decided to land, during which he raised the Castilian banner; in fact, it was an official "takeover": an appropriate document was even drawn up.

For two weeks, the expedition moved southward, during which islands such as Cuba and Haiti were discovered. Since the geographical representations of the 15th century were seriously different from modern ones, Columbus considered these lands to be East Asia. Subsequently, the open areas received the appropriate name - "West Indies".

The next important incident happened already in December - on the 26th, the ship "Santa Maria" was not lucky enough to get to the reefs. Due to the help of the natives - the indigenous inhabitants - the navigators managed to cope with the misfortune: guns, supplies, valuable cargo were removed. The wreckage of the ship became the basis for the creation of the fort, which became the first settlement of Europeans on the new continent. Its name is known to many - "Navidad".

The next major date is March 15, 1493, when the expedition returned to its homeland. It is worth noting that Columbus took with him the natives ("Indians"), some gold and plants outlandish for Europeans, among which were potatoes, tobacco and corn. Subsequently, three more expeditions were carried out, which we will not describe in detail; we only note that their result was the discovery of the islands of Jamaica, Dominica, Puerto Rico, as well as the territories of Honduras, Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

A moment of awareness

Note that at the time of the return of the expedition, many did not realize the significance of the discovery. Columbus himself was deeply disappointed: the natives did not make much of an impression on him, and no wealth was found during the expedition. Already soon - in 1494 - the so-called. Treaty of Tordesillas, which divided open territories between Portugal and Spain. At that time, it was not known that the entire western part of the American continent passed into the possession of the latter. Soon after the return of Columbus, many travelers headed towards the open lands, but the realization of what had happened did not come immediately.

The name "America" ​​itself appeared only in 1507: this is how cartographers named the continent in honor of Amerigo Vespucci. The latter is also a famous discoverer: it was he who first suggested that the open lands were not India at all, but the so-called. "New World". He sent reports in 1502 and 1504.

Outcomes

Obviously, the results of the discovery of a new continent were stunning: the situation in the world has changed fundamentally. The active development of new lands began, the development of shipbuilding was spurred. Naturally, for some time international ties were significantly strengthened, but soon the new territories became the cause of numerous conflicts.

Another important point is the dramatic changes in the economy. The so-called happened. "Revolution" of prices, caused by the flow of various metals (gold, silver and some others). World trade has significantly strengthened, and a huge number of new products have appeared.

Naturally, certain areas of science and technology began to develop more rapidly. Moreover, the discovery of America was reflected even in culture: Europeans learned about a fundamentally different structure of society, which was reflected in the works of Thomas More.

There are many accidental discoveries in history, when the discoverers were striving for a completely different goal. The most striking example is the discovery of America by Columbus, made during the search for a sea route to India.

It all started with the idea of ​​sailing to India along a new route - the Atlantic Ocean. Christopher Columbus first proposed it to Portugal: however, King Juan II did not approve of the navigator's plan.

Italian by birth, Columbus went to Spain. Here, not far from Palos, in one of the monasteries, his familiar monk was found. He helped Columbus get an audience with Queen Isabella. After listening to the navigator, she instructed the academic council to discuss the project. The council consisted mainly of ordained people.

Columbus has prepared a striking report. He talked about the fact that ancient scientists proved that the Earth is a ball. Showed a copy of a map made by the famous astronomer from Italy Toscanelli. On it, the Atlantic Ocean was covered with a mass of islands, beyond which the eastern coast of Asia was visible. He recalled the legends that there is land across the ocean, from which tree trunks, obviously cultivated by people, sometimes float across the sea. Columbus, who was well educated and fluent in four languages, managed to win the council members over to his side.

In addition, the interest of the Spanish crown had other reasons.

In a country that had just survived the takeover of Granada and the Reconquista, the economy was in dire straits. There was no money in the treasury, many nobles went bankrupt. If Columbus's journey succeeded, it could help make a difference. Columbus received the status of viceroy of all the lands to be opened - and set off on the road.

First expedition

The first expedition began on August 3, 1492 at the port of Palos. The flotilla consisted of 3 caravels ("Santa Maria", "Pinta", "Niña"), on which there were 90 people. First, the ships went to the Canary Islands, from where they turned to the west. On the way, the Sargasso Sea was discovered, where green algae grew in amazing abundance.

It took 2 months before the team saw the ground. On the night of October 12, 1492, at two o'clock, the watchman noticed the coast, which was illuminated by flashes of lightning. This was the Bahamas, but Columbus believed he had managed to reach India, China, or Japan. Therefore, the people who met here were called Indians. And the archipelago was named the West Indies.

The island, which the travelers descended on, was named San Salvador, referring to the American continent. Officially, it is October 12, 1492 that is considered the day of the discovery of America.

Continuing their voyage, the ships reached the new islands - Cuba and Haiti. This happened on December 6, and on the 25th the ship "Santa Maria" was aground.

The expedition returned to Spain on March 15, 1493. The natives also arrived on the ships, as well as potatoes, tobacco and corn - then unknown products in Europe. Columbus was surrounded with honor and given the title of admiral of the sea-ocean, as well as viceroy of the open lands and those that he had yet to find.

Second expedition

On his second voyage, Columbus explored most of the Caribbean islands. 17 ships set sail, on which there were 1,500 people.

On this journey, Guadeloupe, the islands of Dominica and Jamaica, Antigua and Puerto Rico were discovered. It was during this expedition, without knowing it, that the mariners reached the coast of a new continent, which is now called Colombia - named Columbus. On June 11, 1496, the Spanish ships returned to their homeland.

Third expedition

Columbus' third voyage took place in 1498. The flotilla under his command reached the Orinoco delta. It was the coast of a new unknown continent. Also, 2 islands were discovered - Trinidad and Margarita, as well as the Paria peninsula.
In 1500, the Spanish settlers of the New World revolted against Columbus. He was removed from his duties as head of the new lands. However, he received permission to embark on a new journey.

Fourth expedition

The fourth voyage of Columbus lasted 2 years. From 1502 to 1504, he sailed along a large part of the coast of the new continent, which later became known as Central America.

Four ships traveled a long distance and discovered new islands - Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama. But at the end of June 1503, the ships were caught in a storm off Jamaica and wrecked.

Great and unhappy

Columbus himself did not suspect that he had discovered a new continent. He died, confident that all the expeditions had led to India, and his discovery was the way to India from the west. On the lands that he discovered, there was no gold, there were no spices. This brought neither Spain nor Columbus himself wealth.

The navigator was poor. He spent all his money that he had on equipping a rescue expedition to save people on one of the caravels. He died sick and forgotten in 1506.

Who else discovered America

When the navigator and astronomer from Florence Amerigo Vespucci decided to go to the lands discovered by Columbus, he concluded that this was not India, but a completely new continent. This happened during an expedition in 1501-1502. He published his thoughts, which became the basis for the creation of a new map of the world in 1507. Another continent was added to Europe, Asia and Africa, at first bearing the name of the land of Amerigo. Later it was transformed into America.

This continent, as it became clear later, was discovered more than once. In 1497, a flotilla of Portuguese ships set out for India, led by Vasco da Gama (1469-1524). 4 ships, on which there were 170 people, left the port of Lisbon in the direction of the Cape of Good Hope. They skirted the cape, reached the mouth of the Zambezi, went north to Africa, and then reached the harbor of Malindi. From here the ships reached the port of Calicut, where they were led by an Arab pilot. This was the opening of the road to India, which took about 10 months.

The meeting in Calicut was cold. After staying there for 3 months, the Portuguese set off on their way back. The captain decided to sail the Indian Ocean, bypassing East Africa. The voyage lasted about a year, but by September 1499, the two ships returned to Lisbon, having lost most of the crew.

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