Christopher Columbus Important Dates

Date of Birth: Born in 1451
Place of Birth : Genoa in Italy
Parents: Father – Domenico Colombo
Mother: Susanna Fontanarossa

1451: Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, the son of a wool merchant called Domenico Colombo and Susanna Fontanarossa, the daughter of a wool merchant. Christopher Columbus had three younger brothers called Bartholomeu, Giovanni Pellegrino, and Giacomo. He also had a sister called Bianchinetta

1470: The family moved to Savona and Christopher Columbus travelled the seas as a pirate, or Privateer, attacking ships belonging to the Moors

1476: Christopher Columbus swims ashores when his ship is sunk in a battle off Portugal

1477: Christopher Columbus joined his brother Bartholomeu in Lisbon to work as a cartographer

1479: Christopher Columbus married a noblewoman called Felipa Perestrello Moniz. Her father had been explorer called Bartholomeu Perestrello who had been involved with the discovery of the Madeira Islands Felipa gave Christopher Columbus her dead father’s charts of the winds and currents of the Portuguese possessions in the Atlantic

1480: Christopher Columbus and Felipa have a son called Diego Colon

1484: Christopher Columbus fails to gain the patronage the King of Portugal to enable him search for a trade route to the Indies

1485: Felipa dies of consumption and Christopher Columbus moves to Cadiz in Spain where he opens another shop supplying maps and charts

1486: Columbus meets Dona Beatriz Enriquez de Arana from Cordova in Spain who he marries Columbus petitions his plans to the Spanish court but is refused any patronage

1487: Works in the service of the Duke of Medina Celi, Don Luis de la Cerda Columbus submits his plans to King Henry VII of England and King Charles VIII of France but again his proposals are declined

1488: Christopher and Dona Beatriz Enriquez have a son called Ferdinand ( 1488 – 1539), better known as Fernando

1491: Columbus again appeals to King Ferdinand of Spain for patronage but he was again refused A priest called Father Perez intercedes on behalf of Christopher Columbus and pleads with Queen Isabella to fund Columbus emphasising that he would be able to convert heathen races to Christianity

1492King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain finally agree to act as patrons to Christopher Columbus and provide money and ships

1492 August: Columbus leaves Palos, Spain in search of the Indies on his ship which is called the Santa Maria. His son, Fernando accompanied Columbus. The other two ships were called the Pinta and the Nina
Martin Alonso Pinzon commanded the Pinta and his brother, Vicente Yanez Pinzon commanded the Nina. The three ships carried 120 men

1492 September 8: The Voyages of Christopher Columbus on the Santa Maria, Nina and Pinta begin

1492 September 15: The ships reach the Canaries under favorable conditions

1492 September 20: At the Sargasso Sea the weather conditions change. Columbus keeps two log books to deceive the crew as to the real length of the voyage

1492 September 23: The crew become disgruntled

1492 October 7: False landfall is spotted

1492 October 11: There is near Mutiny from the crew

1492 October 12: the island San Salvador and Columbus believes that he has reached the passage to India and ChinaLand seen by one of the Pinta’s crew and they land on Watling’s Island in the Bahamas, West Indies. The discoverers name

1492 October 28: The fleet reaches Cuba

1492 December 5: The Santa Maria sinks off the cost of Hispaniola but Christopher Columbus establishes the first Spanish settlement in the New World

1492 January 16: Columbus starts the return journey to Spain

1493 5 March: Christopher Columbus arrives at Palos in Spain bringing his news of the New World

1494 September 25: Cadiz. The Second voyage of Christopher Columbus consisting of 16 ships carrying about 1500 men including Juan Ponce de Leon. Columbus explores Hispaniola (Jamaica) and encounters the fierce Carib and Arawak native indians. He establishes a Spanish settlement in Haiti and searches for gold

1494 September 29: Christopher Columbus returns to Spain

1498 May 30: The Third voyage of Christopher Columbus from Seville, Spain, with six ships

1498 31 July: Christopher Columbus arrived at the Cape Verde Islands, near Trinidad. He crosses over to the mainland where he discovers pearls Christopher Columbus was the first European to land in South America but news spreads to Spain about problems in the Spanish settlements and Christopher Columbus is heavily criticised for its handling. A visita was ordered to investigate lead by Francisco de Bobadilla

1500 24 August: Bobadilla lands at Santo Domingo. Francisco de Bobadilla believes that Columbus and his brothers consider themselves rulers of the new country. He orders their imprisonment, where they were harshly held in irons. They are sent home in chains. Royalty, nobility and the Spanish people were horrified at these injustices and all privileges were restored to Christopher Columbus who proposed yet another voyage of discovery

1502: Fourth and final voyage of Christopher Columbus leaves from Cadiz, Spain, with four ships

1504 7th November: Christopher Columbus returns to Spain

1506 May 20: Christopher Columbus dies at the Spanish court at Valladolid

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MD