- The taking of Constantinople
- The support of the Spanish crown to Columbus
- The discovery of America
- References
The discovery of America by Christopher Columbus completely changed the course of history. This Genoese explorer was looking for a new trade route to the east on behalf of Imperial Spain.
Unlike other explorers, Columbus sailed west, arriving in the Bahamas two months after starting the journey.
He was not the first European to arrive in the New World, but he did reveal the existence of the continent in Europe.
On the morning of October 12, 1492, the Portuguese and his crew set foot on American territory for the first time.
However, the events that triggered the discovery of America had been set in motion almost forty years ago.
The taking of Constantinople
In 1453 the Ottomans occupied Constantinople, marking the end of the Byzantine Empire. Until then there was a flourishing trade between Venetian and Genoese merchants from Europe and the Arabs, who controlled trade between Europe and India.
These were harmed when all trade routes fell into Turkish hands. The Turks did not allow Christian merchants to exercise their trade in Constantinople. This made it necessary to discover a new trade route to the east.
Then, many European nations made several attempts to reestablish these commercial ties. The Portuguese were pioneers in the idea of reaching the East by sea.
Thus, with knowledge of the world at the end of the 15th century, they decided to sail east around the Horn of Africa to reach India, Southeast Asia, and China.
The support of the Spanish crown to Columbus
Columbus was one of the few who came up with the idea of sailing west to reach the lucrative markets of China and Japan.
However, his idea was not supported by the Portuguese King John II. After this failure, the Genoese moved to Spain.
At that time Spain was a lesser power than Portugal and was consumed by a protracted war against the Moors. However, Columbus received the support of the Spanish monarchs.
The discovery of America
Columbus set sail from Puerto de Palos on August 3, 1492. His first stop was in the Canary Islands, where he remained until September 6 due to lack of winds.
Once underway, the calm seas and constant winds pushed its three ships (the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa María) firmly to the west. But the trip was longer than anticipated by him or his crew.
To appease the apprehensions of his crew, Columbus kept two sets of records.
One of these showed the true distance traveled each day, and another showed a smaller distance. The first record was kept secret.
The crewmen calmed their anxiety a bit by not knowing the true distance they had traveled from their homeland.
However, the deception only had a temporary effect. By October 10 they were already on the brink of a riot.
So he promised that if they didn't see land in two days, they would go home. The next day, the event that changed history forever occurred: the discovery of America.
References
- Munger, S. (2013, September 20). Sailing west from Byzantium: Columbus and the fall of Constantinople. Retrieved on December 5, 2017, from seanmunger.com
- Lewis, JE (2012). The Mammoth Book of How it Happened - America. London: Hachette UK.
- Farooqui Salma Ahmed. (2011). A Comprehensive History of Medieval India: From Twelfth to the Mid-Eighteenth Century. New Delhi: Pearson Education India.
- United States History. (s / f). Christopher Columbus. Retrieved on December 5, 2017, from us-history.com
- Eyewitness to History (2004). Christopher Columbus Discovers America, 1492. Retrieved on December 5, 2017, from eyewitnesstohistory.com