Tuesday, August 19, 2008
RANDOM E BRITANNICA POST
COLUMBUS, CHRISTOPHER- 1436-1506. eldest son of dominico columbo + suzanna fontanarossa in genoa. father a wool comber, moved to savona in 1469. cc sent to university in pavia, devoting study to math + natural science + nautical astronomy. at 15 desired to be a sailor. no record of his apprenticeship. 1st part no history, but early years stormy, laborious, + eventful. "whenever ship has sailed, there i have journeyed." known he visited england. "ultima thule" iceland, the guinea coast + greek isles + in service of rene of provance for whom he intercepted + seized a venetian galley w/ bravery + audacity. read ptolemy + marinus nearchis + pliny. cardinal hiacos cosmographia, marco polo + mandville. learned how to draw charts + construct spheres + to navigate. in 1470 went to lisbon after being wrecked in a sea fight in portugal. married felipa perestrello, daughter of a capt in service to prince henry, called the navigator, one of the early colonists + 1stt govof porto santo, island off madiera. employed himself making maps + charts + began thinkingof the world undiscovered + conceived a design to reach asia by sailing west. in 1474 telling paolo toscanelli his plans, who encouraged him. but he needed backing. 1st tried genoa. then turned to john II of portugal, but he was busy looking at africa. then henry II of england thru bro + he went off to spain w/ his son, wife dead. made proposal to duke of medina sidonia next, next medina celi, who liked the idea + housed him 2 years + planned on giving him 3 or 4 ships, but too much for him to undertake + thought france + wrote on behalf of isabella who asked for cc to visit her court at cordova. castille + leonwere struggling to defeat the moors + ferdinand + isabella too busy. who were nice to cc + palmed him off to alonzo de quintanillo who cc convinced him of his theories + made friends + met beatriz enriquez, the mother of cc's2nd son. went from cordova to salamanca, blah blah finally in 1487 fernando de talavera summonded astronomers + cosmographers to confer w/ cc but ecclessiastic poo poo. biblical blah blah. stopped in port town of andalusia + met juan perez de marchena who introduced him to gentci fernandez a dr + student of geography. juan p once queen's confesor + he went to her. blah blah blah. isabella gains crown of aragon + plans set for cc. hard to get men for the trip, but in april-set. santa maria-50 men, pinta-30 men, nina-24. august 1492 set off. 3 days after, pinta lost rudder so sept off. oct land ho! 12th finally 'discovered' santa maria del concepcion, exuma isabella juana or luba bohio, the cuban archapelago + hispaniola. santa maria ran aground + had to be abandoned. built fort w/ the ship + left 43 at ft. la navidad + set off in nina, the pinta out of sight + by feb; cc reached the azores + by march, with much fanfare told the news of his 'discovery'. plans for a new expedition. 3 galleons + 14 caravels. 1500 men 12 MISSIONARIES w/ orders from benedictine friar to CHRISTIANIZE any natives found. blah blah porto rico. from this point cc greatness as a seaman questionable. failures, vexAtions, miseries, insults, he is a planter of colonies + ruler of pitiful + remarkable men. the beginning of the slave trade.mining! the colony in sadshape. unhealthy sick, hungry, indians mistreated + pissed, but brought down w/ spanish superior power.-orinoco-cc suffering from gout + opthalmia. the usual spanish crap. blah blah isabella pissed. you're fired! cc + bro's put in chains + sent to spain. off lightly. back to new world- honduras-disease. back to spain in 1504. died 1506. body moved several times. cc a redhead. grey by 30.
