/kristafD /kalumbas
/kristafD /kalumbas, an
/itAlian-bPn nAvigEtD hM sEld in H sxvis v /spEn, iz komanli diskrFbd Az H
diskuvDD v H /nV /wxld - /amerika. YlHO kalumbas woz in sxc v a westwDd rMt t
/EZa bF sI, H diskuvDiz hI did mEk wx mP impPtant n vAljUabal HAn H rMt hI fEld
t fFnd. it iz sxtan, hQevD, HAt /kalumbas woz not H fxst /jUDapWn t kros H
/atlAntik. dokjUmentDi evidans sapPts klEmz HAt H /vFkiNz rIct H /nV /wxld abQt
AD 1000. n HX iz gUd sxkamstAnSal evidans, HO nO dokjUmantESan, t saJest HAt bOT
/pPcUgIz n /iNgliS fiSiN vesalz mEd H krosiN djUDiN H 14T sencDi, probabli
lAndiN in /nVfQndlAnd n /lAbradP. /kalumbas, HO hI sEld a difDant rMt, folOd
meni /jUDapWnz hM xliD hAd sEld westwDd akros H /atlAntik.
/kalumbas'
xli lFf
H best avElabal evidans saJests
HAt /kristafD /kalumbas (/kristafPO /kalombO in /itAlian; /kristobAl /kalon in
/spAniS) woz bPn in /Jenawa in 1451. hiz fyHD woz a wIvD; hI hAd At lIst tM
bruHDz. /kristafD hAd lital eJUkESan n lxnd t rId n rFt Onli Az an Adult. hI
went t sI, Az meni /JenawIz bqz, n vqiJd in H /meditDEnian. in 1476 hI woz
Siprekt of /pPcUgal, fQnd hiz wE aSP, n went t /lizban; hI apArantli trAvald t
/FDland n /iNgland n lEtD klEmd t hAv gon Az fR Az /Fsland. hI woz in /Jenawa
in 1479, ritxnd t /pPcUgal, n mArid. hiz wFf, /dona /felipa, dFd sMn yftD hiz
sun, /diEgO, woz bPn (c. 1480).
bF His tFm
/kalumbas hAd bikum intDestid in westwDd vqaJiz. hI hAd lxnd v H leJanderi
/atlAntik vqiJiz n sElDz' ripPts v lAnd t H west v /madXa n H /azPez. akwFDiN
bUks n mAps, hI akseptid /mRkO /pOlO'z arOnias lOkESan f /JapAn - 2,400 km
(1,500 mi) Ist v /cFna - n /tolami'z undDestimESan v H sDkumfDans v H /xT n
OvDestimESan v H sFz v H /jUDEZan lAndmAs. hI kEm t bilIv HAt /JapAn woz abQt
4,800 km (3,000 mi) t H west v /pPcUgal - a distans HAt kUd bI sEld in igzistiN
vesalz. hiz FdW woz fxHDd bF H saJescanz v H /florantFn kozmografD /pQlO /dAl
/potsO /toskaneli. in 1484, /kalumbas sYt sapPt f an iksploratDi vqiJ from /kiN
/Jon II v pPcUgal, but hI woz rifVzd. H /pPcUgIz YlsO undDestimEtid H distans
but bilIvd it t bI bijond H kEpabilitiz v igzistiN Sips.
in 1485,
/kalumbas tUk hiz sun /diEgO n went t /spEn, wX hI spent YlmOst sevan jCz trFiN
t get sapPt from /izabela I v /kAstIl. hI woz risIvd At kPt, givan a smYl
anVati, n kwikli gEnd bOT frendz n enamiz. an apArantli fFnal rifVzal in 1492
mEd /kalumbas pripX t gO t /fryns, but a fFnal apIl t /izabela prMvd saksesfUl.
an agrImant bitwIn H krQn n /kalumbas set H txmz f H ekspadiSan.
H fxst
vqiJ
H /pinta, H
/ninia, n H /sAnta /marW wx Qtfitid in H mFmD pPt v /pAlos. /kalumbas woz Edid
in rikrMtiN a krM bF tM bruHDz - /mRtIn /alonzO /pinzOn, hM risIvd kamynd v H
/pinta, n hiz juNgD bruHD /visente /jAnez /pinzOn, hM kamyndid H /ninia. HE
left /pAlos on /Ygast 3, 1492, rIrigd H /ninia in H /kanXiz, n sEld t H west. a
lAndfYl woz mEd on H mPniN v /oktObD 12, 1492, At an Fland in H /bahymaz, wic
/kalumbas nEmd /sAn /sAlvadP, n histPianz lEtD FdentifFd Az /wotliN /Fland (wic
woz Hem rInEmd /sAn /sAlvadP). in 1986, a grMp v skolDz klEmd HAt H trM lAndfYl
woz /samyna /kE, 105 km (65 mi) t H sQT.
H lAndiN woz met
bF /ArawAk, a frendli lOkal popjUlESan HAt /kalumbas kYld /indianz. sum dEz
lEtD H ekspadiSan sEld on t /kVba, wX delagESanz wx lAndid t sIk H kPt v H
/moNgal empDD v /cFna n gOld. in /disembD HE sEld Ist t /hispAniOla, wX, At
/kristmas, H /sAnta /marW woz rekt nC /kAp-hAItian. /kalumbas got hiz men aSP.
H /indianz sImd frendli; sO 39 men wx left on H Fland At H setalmant v /nAvidAd
wFl /kalumbas ritxnd t /spEn on H /ninia. hI hAd sEld dV west from H /kanXiz w
fEvDabal windz; nQ hI sEld nPT bifP hediN Ist n sO agen fQnd fEvDabal windz.
/mRtin /alonzO /pinzOn, hM hAd iksplPd on hiz On w H /pinta, rIJqnd /kalumbas,
but H Sips wx sepDEtid At sI. /kalumbas fFnali lAndid (/mRc 1493) in /lizban n
woz intDvVd bF /Jon II v /Aragan. /kalumbas klEmd t hAv rIct Flandz Just of H
kOst v /EZa n brYt w him RtifAkts, /indianz, n sum gOld.
H
sekand vqiJ
/pPcUgIz klEmz t
/kalumbas' diskuvDiz led /pOp /AligzyndD VI t iSV pEpal bUlz in 1493 HAt
divFdid H wxld intM Xiaz Opan t kolanFzESan bF /spEn n /pPcUgal. H tM nESanz
mMvd H lFn v dimRkESan t 370 lIgz west v H /kEp /verdi /Flandz bF H /trIti v
/tPdisilias (1494) n undDtUk kolanFzESan.
fundid bF /fxdinAnd n /izabela,
/kalumbas set sEl from /kAdiz on hiz sekand vqiJ on /septembD 25, 1493, nC
/daminika amuN H /lesD /AntilIz. H ekspadiSan Hen sEld TrM H /lesD /AltilIz;
Flandz wx sFtid n nEmd, n sum wx lAndid on. H iksplPDz went pyst /pwxtO /rIkO n
rIct H sFt v /nAvidAd on /nOvembD 27-28, 1493. H inkAmpmant hAd bIn distrqd, n
H /spAniDdz, hM hAd sIzd gOld n wimin, hAd bIn kild.
/kalumbas set up a nV kolani,
nEmd /izabela, abQt 113 km (70 mi) t H Ist v /nAvidAd'z sFt. hI left in /Epral
1494, iksplPd H suHDn kOst v /kVba but did not prMv it an Fland, diskuvDd n
sxkamnAvigEtid /JamEka, n ritxnd t /izabela yftD 5 munTs. /kalumbas trFd t
guvDn H kolani until hI ritxnd t /spEn in 1496, but hI woz not a gUd
administrEtD. hI left hiz bruHD /bRtolamE in cRJ w instrukSanz t mMv H
setalmant t H sQT kOst v /hispAniOla. His woz dun in 1496, n His setalmant,
nEmd /sAntO /damiNgO, bikEm H fxst pxmanant /jUDapWn setalmant in H /nV /wxld.
/kalumbas rIct
/kAdiz in /JMn 1496. hI woz kMlli risIvd At kPt. hI hAd not fQnd H ric /EZan
mEnlAnd, n hiz efDts t get gOld from H /indianz on /hispAniOla hAd bIn Onli
modDatli saksesfUl. H /spAniS setalDz wx unrMli n wUd not wxk, n sum hAd ritxnd
t /spEn w komplEnts abQt /kalumbas.
H Txd
vqiJ
/kalumbas woz
fFnali YTDFzd t mEk a Txd vqiJ yftD H /pPcUgIz hAd sent /vAskO /da /gAma of t
/india in 1497. dispFt difikUltiz in rikrMtiN a krM, /kalumbas dipRtid in /mE
1498 w siks Sips n mEd lAndfYl on /trinidAd on /JMlF 31, 1498. H nekst dE hI
rIct H mEnlAnd n Hus diskuvDd /sQT /amerika.
hAviN fQnd pxlz At Flandz nC H
kOst, H ekspadiSan Hen sEld akros H /kAribWn t /sAntO /damiNgO. H kolanists HX
wx in rivolt, n /kalumbas sMn hAd t fEs a rqal kamiSanD, /frAnsiskO /da
/bobadilia, hM arFvd from /spEn in 1500 w fUl pQDz. /bobadilia rimMvd H
/kalumbas bruHDz from H guvDnmant n sent Hem bAk t /spEn in cEnz. YlHO H Sip's
kAptin woz wiliN t rimMv H SAkalz, /kristafD insistid on gOiN bifP /fxdinAnd n
/izabela bQnd.
H fPT
vqiJ
frId bF rqal
kamynd yftD arFval in /kAdiz in /nOvembD 1500, /kalumbas sMn mQntid a fPT
ekspadiSan, wic left /spEn in /mE 1502, mEd a lAndfYl At /mRtinIk, n sEld t
/sAntO /damiNgO. HX hI woz dinFd pDmiSan t lAnd, n hiz wPniNz abQt a hurikEn wx
ignPd. hiz Sips weHDd H stPm, sEld west, n rIct /gwanyka /Fland, n Hen
/hondjUDAs in /sentral /amerika. hAviN mist H sFts v H /mFa, hI sEld aloN H
kOst pyst /pAnamy, fFnali hediN agen f /sAntO /damiNgO. hiz vesalz, rotid bF
Sipwxm, wx abAndand in /JamEka, wX /kalumbas woz marMnd f a jC. fFnali reskVd,
hI rIct /spEn in /nOvembD 1504.
/kristafD /kalumbas dFd in
/vAliadolid on /mE 20, 1506, wFl presiN hiz klEmz At kPt. hI stil bilIvd HAt hI
hAd rIct /EZa. hI nO loNgD hAd rqal sapPt, n H krQn hAd, from 1495 onwDd,
vFalEtid its ariJinal agrImant w /kalumbas bF YTDFziN uHDz t sEl t H /indiz.
/kalumbas' rIl grEtnas lFz in H fAkt HAt hAviN fQnd H /west /indiz - mEkiN mEJD
erDz in hiz nAvigESanal kompjUtESanz n lOkESan in dMiN sO - hI woz Ebal t fFnd
hiz wE bAk t /jUDap n ritxn t H /indiz. it iz Az a rizult v /kalumbas'
"diskuvDi" HAt H /nV /wxld bikEm pRt v H /jUDapWn wxld.
/brMs
/b. /solnik
(trAnzlitDEtid
bF /hV /bxkanhed, 1999)