Columbus's second voyage. Columbus's second voyage Discovery of the Caribbean islands by Columbus

Christopher Columbus or Cristobal Colon(Italian: Cristoforo Colombo, Spanish: Cristоbal Colоn; between August 25 and October 31, 1451 - May 10, 1506) - a famous navigator and cartographer of Italian origin, who wrote his name in history as the man who discovered America for Europeans.

Columbus was the first of the reliably known navigators to cross the Atlantic Ocean in the subtropical zone of the northern hemisphere, the first of the Europeans to sail to, discovered Central and South America, initiating the exploration of the continents and their nearby archipelagos:

• Greater Antilles (Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico);
• Lesser Antilles (from Dominica to the Virgin Islands and Trinidad);
• Bahamas.

Although calling him the “Discoverer of America” is not entirely historically correct, since back in the Middle Ages the coast of continental America and nearby islands were visited by Icelandic Vikings. Since the data on those voyages did not go beyond Scandinavia, it was Columbus’s expeditions that first made information about the Western lands world property. The expedition finally proved that a new part of the world had been discovered. Columbus's discoveries marked the beginning of the colonization of American territories by Europeans, the founding of Spanish settlements, the enslavement and mass extermination of the indigenous population, erroneously called “Indians.”

Biography pages

The legendary Christopher Columbus, the greatest of the medieval navigators, can quite reasonably be called one of the biggest losers of the Age of Discovery. To understand this, it is enough to familiarize yourself with his biography, which, unfortunately, is replete with “white” spots.

It is believed that Christopher Columbus was born in the maritime Italian republic of Genoa (Italian: Genova), on the island of Corsica in August-October 1451, although the exact date of his birth remains in question to this day. In general, not much is known about childhood and adolescence.

So, Cristoforo was the first-born in a poor Genoese family. The father of the future navigator, Domenico Colombo, was engaged in pastures, vineyards, worked as a wool weaver, and traded wine and cheese. Christopher's mother, Susanna Fontanarossa, was the daughter of a weaver. Christopher had 3 younger brothers - Bartolome (about 1460), Giacomo (about 1468), Giovanni Pellegrino, who died very early - and a sister, Bianchinetta.

Documentary evidence from the time shows that the family's financial situation was deplorable. Particularly large financial problems arose because of the house into which the family moved when Christopher was 4 years old. Much later, on the foundations of that house in Santo Domingo, where Cristoforo spent his childhood, a building was erected called “Casa di Colombo” (Spanish: Casa di Colombo - “House of Columbus”), on the facade of which in 1887 an inscription appeared : " No parental home can be more revered than this».

Since Colombo the elder was a respected artisan in the city, in 1470 he was sent on an important mission to Savona (Italian: Savona) to discuss with weavers the issue of introducing uniform prices for textile products. Apparently, this is why Dominico moved with his family to Savona, where after the death of his wife and youngest son, as well as after his eldest sons left home and Bianca’s marriage, he increasingly began to seek solace in a glass of wine.

Since the future discoverer of America grew up near the sea, from childhood he was attracted by the sea. From his youth, Christopher was distinguished by faith in omens and divine providence, morbid pride and a passion for gold. He had a remarkable mind, versatile knowledge, a talent for eloquence and the gift of persuasion. It is known that after studying a little at the University of Pavia, around 1465 the young man entered service in the Genoese fleet and at a fairly early age began to sail as a sailor in the Mediterranean Sea on merchant ships. After some time, he was seriously wounded and temporarily left the service.

He may have become a merchant and settled in Portugal in the mid-1470s, joining a community of Italian merchants in Lisbon and sailing north to England, Ireland and Iceland under the Portuguese flag. He visited Madeira, the Canary Islands, and walked along the western coast of Africa to modern Ghana.

In Portugal, around 1478, Christopher Columbus married the daughter of a prominent navigator of the time, Doña Felipe Moniz de Palestrello, becoming a member of a wealthy Italo-Portuguese family in Lisbon. Soon the young couple had a son, Diego. Until 1485, Columbus sailed on Portuguese ships, was engaged in trade and self-education, and became interested in drawing maps. In 1483, he already had a new project for a sea trade route to India and Japan ready, which the navigator presented to the king of Portugal. But, apparently, his time had not yet come, or he failed to convincingly convince the monarch of the need to equip the expedition, but after 2 years of deliberation, the king rejected this enterprise, and the daring sailor fell into disgrace. Then Columbus switched to Spanish service, where a few years later he managed to persuade the king to finance a naval expedition.

Already in 1486 H.K. managed to intrigue the influential Duke of Medina-Seli with his project, who introduced the poor but obsessed navigator into the circle of the royal entourage, bankers and merchants.

In 1488, he received an invitation from the Portuguese king to return to Portugal; the Spaniards also wanted to organize an expedition, but the country was in a state of protracted war and was unable to allocate funds for the voyage.

Columbus's First Expedition

In January 1492, the war ended, and soon Christopher Columbus obtained permission to organize an expedition, but once again his bad character let him down! The navigator's demands were excessive: appointment as viceroy of all new lands, the title of "Chief Admiral of the Ocean" and a large amount of money. The king refused him, however, Queen Isabella promised her help and assistance. As a result, on April 30, 1492, the king officially made Columbus a nobleman, granting him the title “Don” and approving all the demands put forward.

Expeditions of Christopher Columbus

In total, Columbus made 4 voyages to the American coast:

• August 2, 1492 – March 15, 1493

Purpose first Spanish expedition, led by Christopher Columbus, was the search for the shortest sea route to India. This small expedition consisted of 90 people “Santa Maria” (Spanish: Santa María), “Pinta” (Spanish: Pinta) and “Ninya” (Spanish: La Niña). “Santa Maria” - on August 3, 1492, set off from Palos (Spanish: Cabo de Palos) on 3 caravels. Having reached the Canary Islands and turning west, she crossed the Atlantic and discovered the Sargasso Sea. The first land seen among the waves was one of the islands of the Bahamas archipelago, called San Salvador Island, on which Columbus landed on October 12, 1492 - this day is considered the official date of the discovery of America. Then a number of Bahamas, Cuba, and Haiti were discovered.

In March 1493, the ships returned to Castile, carrying in their holds a certain amount of gold, strange plants, bright feathers of birds and several natives. Christopher Columbus announced that he had discovered western India.

• September 25, 1493 – June 11, 1496

In 1493 she set off and second expedition, who was already in rank
admiral. 17 ships and more than 2 thousand people took part in this grand enterprise. In November 1493
The following islands were discovered: Dominica, Guadeloupe and the Antilles. In 1494, the expedition explored the islands of Haiti, Cuba, Jamaica and Juventud.

This expedition, which ended on June 11, 1496, opened the way to colonization. Priests, settlers and criminals began to be sent to the open lands to settle new colonies.

• May 30, 1498 – November 25, 1500

Third Exploration Expedition, consisting of only 6 ships, started in 1498. On July 31, the island of Trinidad (Spanish: Trinidad) was discovered, then the Gulf of Paria (Spanish: Golfo de Paria), the Paria Peninsula and the mouth (Spanish: Río Orinoco). On August 15, the crew discovered (Spanish: Isla Margarita). In 1500, Columbus, arrested following a denunciation, was sent to Castile. He did not stay in prison for long, but, having received freedom, he lost many privileges and most of his wealth - this became the biggest disappointment in the life of a navigator.

• 9 May 1502 – November 1504

Fourth expedition started in 1502. Having obtained permission to continue the search for the western route to India, on June 15, on just 4 ships, Columbus reached the island of Martinique (French Martinique), and on July 30 entered the Gulf of Honduras (Spanish Golfo de Honduras), where he first had contact with representatives of the Mayan civilization.

In 1502-1503 Columbus, who dreamed of reaching the fabulous treasures of India, thoroughly explored the coast of Central America and discovered more than 2 thousand km of the Caribbean coast. On June 25, 1503, off the coast of Jamaica, Columbus was wrecked and was rescued only a year later. On November 7, 1504, he returned to Castile, seriously ill and broken by the failures that had befallen him.

Tragic decline of life

This is where the epic of the famous navigator ended. Not finding the coveted passage to India, finding himself ill, without money and privileges, after painful negotiations with the king to restore his rights that undermined his last strength, Christopher Columbus died in the Spanish city of Valladolid (Spanish: Valladolid) on May 21, 1506. His remains in 1513 g. were transported to a monastery near Seville. Then, by the will of his son Diego, who was then the governor of Hispaniola (Spanish: La Española, Haiti), the remains of Columbus were reburied in Santo Domingo (Spanish: Santo Domingo de Guzman) in 1542; in 1795 they were transported to Cuba, and in 1898 returned to Spanish Seville (to the Cathedral of Santa Maria). DNA studies of the remains showed that with a high degree of probability they belong to Columbus.

If you think about it, Columbus died an unhappy man: he was unable to reach the shores of the fabulously rich India, but this was precisely the navigator’s secret dream. He didn’t even understand what he had discovered, and the continents that he saw for the first time received the name of another person - (Italian: Amerigo Vespucci), who simply extended the paths trodden by the great Genoese. In fact, Columbus achieved a lot, and, at the same time, achieved nothing - this is the tragedy of his life.

Curious facts

• Christopher Columbus spent almost ³⁄4 of his life on voyages;
• The last words spoken by the navigator before his death were the following: Into your hands, Lord, I entrust my spirit...;
• After all these discoveries, the world entered the Age of Great Discoveries. Poor, hungry, constantly fighting for resources in Europe, the discoveries of the famous discoverer gave an influx of huge amounts of gold and silver - the center of civilization moved there from the East and Europe began to develop rapidly;
• How difficult it was for Columbus to organize the first expedition, how easy it was later for all countries to rush to send their ships on long voyages - this is the main historical merit of the great navigator, who gave a powerful impetus to the study and change of the world!
• The name of Christopher Columbus remains forever inscribed in the history and geography of all continents and most countries of the world. In addition to cities, streets, squares, numerous monuments and even an asteroid, the highest mountain in, federal district and river in the USA, provinces in Canada and Panama, one of the departments in Honduras, countless mountains, rivers, waterfalls are named after the famous navigator , parks and many other geographical objects.

Initially, the American continent was inhabited by tribes that arrived from Asia. However, in the 13-15th century, with the active development of culture and industry, civilized Europe set out to search for and develop new lands. What happened to America at the end of the 15th century?

Christopher Columbus is a famous Spanish navigator. It was his first expedition that marked the beginning of active travel to the “New World” and the development of this territory. The “New World” was then considered to be the lands that are now called South and North America.

In 1488, Portugal had a monopoly on the waters of the Atlantic coast of Africa. Spain was forced to find another sea route to trade with India and gain access to gold, silver and spices. This is what prompted the rulers of Spain to agree to Columbus's expedition.

Columbus is looking for a new route to India

Columbus made only four expeditions to the shores of the so-called “India”. However, by the fourth expedition he knew that he had not found India. So, let's go back to Columbus's first voyage.

Columbus's first voyage to America

The first expedition consisted of only three ships. Columbus had to get two ships himself. The first ship was given by his fellow navigator Pinson. He also lent Columbus money so that Christopher could equip a second ship. About a hundred crew members also went on the trip.

The voyage lasted from August 1492 to March 1493. In October, they sailed to a land that was mistakenly considered to be the surrounding islands of Asia, that is, it could be the western territories of China, India or Japan. In reality, it was the European discovery of the Bahamas, Haiti and Cuba. Here, on these islands, local residents presented Columbus with dry leaves, i.e. tobacco, as a gift. The locals also walked naked around the island and wore various gold jewelry. Columbus tried to find out from them where they got the gold and only after he took several natives prisoner did he find out the route where they got it. So Columbus attempted to find gold, but found only more and more new lands. He was happy that he had opened a new route to “Western India,” but there were no developed cities and untold riches there. When returning home, Christopher took with him local residents (whom he called Indians) as proof of success.

When did the colonization of America begin?

Soon after returning to Spain with gifts and "Indians", the Spaniards soon decide to send the sailor on his way again. Thus began Columbus's second expedition.

Columbus's second voyage

September 1493 - June 1496 The purpose of this journey was to organize new colonies, so the flotilla included as many as 17 ships. Among the sailors there were priests, nobles, officials and courtiers. They brought domestic animals, raw materials, and food with them. As a result of the expedition, Columbus paved a more convenient route to “Western India”, the island of Hispaniola (Haiti) was completely conquered, and the extermination of the local population began.

Columbus still believed that he was in Western India. On the second trip, they also discovered islands, including Jamaica and Puerto Rico. On Hispaniola, the Spaniards found gold deposits in the depths of the island and began mining it, with the help of enslaving the local residents. Worker uprisings arose, but unarmed local residents were doomed. They died as a result of the suppression of riots, diseases brought from Europe, and hunger. The rest of the local population was subject to tribute and enslaved.
The Spanish rulers were not satisfied with the income that the new lands brought, and therefore allowed everyone to move to the new lands, and broke the agreement with Columbus, that is, they deprived him of the right to rule the new lands. As a result, Columbus decides to travel to Spain, where he negotiates with the kings to return his privileges, and that prisoners will live in the new lands, who will work and develop the territories; moreover, Spain will be freed from undesirable elements of society.

Third trip

Columbus set out on the third expedition with six ships, 600 people also included prisoners from Spanish prisons. Columbus this time decided to pave the way closer to the equator in order to find new lands rich in gold, since the current colonies provided modest incomes, which did not suit the Spanish kings. But due to illness, Columbus was forced to go to Hispaniola (Haiti). There, a rebellion awaited him again. To suppress the rebellion, Columbus had to allocate land to the local residents and give slaves to help each rebel.

Then, unexpectedly, news came - the famous navigator Vasco da Gama discovered the real route to India. He arrived from there with treats, spices, and declared Columbus a deceiver. As a result, the Spanish kings ordered the arrest of the deceiver and returned him to Spain. But soon, the charges against him are dropped and he is sent on the last expedition.

Fourth expedition

Columbus believed that there was a path from new lands to a source of spices. And he wanted to find him. As a result of the last expedition, he discovered islands off South America, Costa Rica and others, but never reached the Pacific Ocean, as he learned from local residents that Europeans were already here. Columbus returned to Spain.

Since Columbus no longer had a monopoly on the discovery of new lands, other Spanish travelers set out to explore and colonize new territories. An era began when impoverished Spanish or Portuguese knights (conquistadors) traveled away from their native lands in search of adventure and wealth.

Who was the first to colonize America?

The Spanish conquistadors initially tried to develop new lands in North Africa, but the local population showed strong resistance, so the discovery of the New World came in handy. It was thanks to the discovery of new colonies in North and South America that Spain was considered the main superpower of Europe and the mistress of the seas.

In history and literature, the period of the conquest of American lands is perceived differently. On the one hand, the Spaniards are viewed as educators who brought culture, religion, and art with them. On the other hand, it was brutal enslavement and destruction of the local population. In fact, it was both. Modern countries have different assessments of the contribution of the Spaniards to the history of their country. For example, in Venezuela in 2004, a monument to Columbus was demolished because he was considered the founder of the extermination of the local indigenous population.

Who was called the Russian Columbus? Who was the second Columbus and got the best answer

Answer from Lyudmila Smirnova[guru]
The Russian Columbus is the name given to the outstanding Russian navigator, discoverer of North-West America (Alaska), Captain-Commander Alexei Ilyich Chirikov.
In Luzhny they are looking for, studying, recreating everything connected with Alexei Chirikov. The story of his life, which even now you will not find in every encyclopedia, is very unusual. On his own initiative, he wrote to Peter the Great asking to be accepted into the newly opened navigation school. Then Chirikov, among the best students, was transferred to the Maritime Academy. The king himself took exams from him.
...The second Kamchatka expedition was given difficult tasks: to map the borders of Russia in the north and northeast, to find trade routes to America. Two ships were built: "St. Peter", commanded by Bering, and "St. Paul" - captained by Chirikov. On the night of July 15-16, 1741, Chirikov reached the shores of America two days earlier than Bering. But all the glory of the “discoverer” of Alaska, by the will of fate and opportunistic considerations of that time, went to Vitus Bering.
The “Russian Columbus” was buried, according to his will, in his small homeland, in Luzhny. Chirikov was almost never mentioned in textbooks on Russian history. Lomonosov also wrote: “The American expedition through Kamchatka does not mention Chirikov, who was the main one and went further, which is necessary for our honor.”
Humboldt arrived in Russia already world famous. He is the founder of modern physical geography and climatology, a recognized expert in mining and finance. His scientific authority is recognized both at the court of the Prussian king and in the circle of the Russian emperor, which contributes to the implementation of the largest scientific projects at that time.
“Until I was 16, I had no desire to study science. I was possessed by a spirit of restlessness, and I wanted to become a soldier,” recalled Alexander von Humboldt. He was born on September 14, 1769 in Berlin into a rich and noble family. Parents gave Alexander and his older brother Wilhelm, who later became one of the leading linguists of his time, a varied education. Alexander von Humboldt was attracted to natural science. He studies at the universities of Frankfurt an der Oder and Göttingen, takes a course in finance at the Industrial Academy of Hamburg, and studies mineralogy at the Freiberg Mining Academy.
In Freiberg, Humboldt met Russian students, became fascinated by their stories about Siberia, and included Russia among the countries where he would like to travel in the future. In the meantime, he still had a five-year journey through the Spanish colonies in South and Central America in 1799-1804. in search of gold for the needs of the Spanish crown. One of his main achievements in that period was the development of the doctrine of climate - “all changes in the atmosphere that can perceptibly affect our organs are as follows: temperature, humidity, calmness of the air or the influence of various winds.” It was Humboldt who for the first time in the history of science described two types of climate:
"maritime" and "continental". We still use these definitions today. In August 1804, A. von Humboldt returned to Europe, and with him the scientist’s luggage arrived in Paris - 30 weighty boxes of rare exhibits from the New World. The scientist was 35 years old, and academic Paris called his journey “the scientific discovery of America,” while the scientist himself was called nothing less than the second Columbus.

September 25, 1493 17 ships left Cadiz under the command of the legendary traveler and discoverer Christopher Columbus. According to various sources, the second expedition included from 1,500 to 2,500 people, among them were sailors, priests and monks, as well as nobles and courtiers, officials seduced by the opportunity to make quick money on newly discovered lands. The ships carried donkeys and horses, cattle, pigs, crop seeds and grapevines, which were needed to organize the colony.

Unlike the first voyage, this time Columbus set a course 10° to the south, caught a fair wind and was able to cross the ocean in a record time - 20 days. In November, the ships approached the island, which Columbus named Dominican Republic. The island was discovered on Sunday, and "dominica" is translated from Spanish as "Sunday." Then the expedition turned north. Along the way, Columbus discovered and marked on the map a number of islands, including St. Croix, St. Eustatius and St. Kitts, Saba, Montserrat, Nevis, Guadeloupe and Antigua. Continuing to head north, he saw a land consisting of forty islands, which were called the Virgin Islands (translated from Spanish as “maidens”).

At the end of November, the ships moored in Hispaniola (Haiti), where a terrible sight was revealed to the sailors. The fort that was built here during the first voyage was burned. There were no Europeans left: some were killed by local residents, others drowned while trying to escape by boat. The team rebuilt a new fort and went in search of new lands. The expedition rounded Cape Maysi, passed along the southeastern coast of Cuba, reached the island of Jamaica, from where it turned back towards Cuba, reached Cape Cruz, headed west and, having reached 84° W, turned back. Having covered a distance of 1,700 km, Columbus did not reach only 100 km to the western tip of Cuba, but was forced to return due to the fact that the sea had become fairly shallow, the sailors were dissatisfied, and food was running out. The ships entered the harbor of Cadiz in June 1496.

The result of Columbus's second voyage was the conquest of Hispaniola and the extermination of the local inhabitants, the city of Santo Domingo was founded and appeared on the map, and the optimal sea route to the West Indies was laid out. A map of the southern coast of Cuba was compiled. Among the discoveries are the islands of Puerto Rico, Jamaica, the Lesser Antilles and the Virgin Islands. However, Columbus is confident that his ships are passing through Western India. It is noteworthy that the sea route to India was opened only in the 16th century. Nevertheless, the name “West Indies” was assigned to the islands that appeared on the map thanks to Columbus.

Despite the fact that with the voyage of Columbus the geographical map of that time was significantly enriched, it was considered unsuccessful. This is because little gold was discovered, and disease was raging in the organized colony of Isabella. In Spain, Columbus was greeted coldly, and subsequently he was deprived of many privileges.

Comp. E. B. Nikanorova::: How Christopher Columbus discovered America

On September 25, 1493, admiral and viceroy Columbus set off on his second voyage. Now it was not pitiful barges with desperate thugs that were preparing to sail to the New World, but a proud fleet of seventeen large ships. A motley crowd crowded on the decks: here on there were brave nobles (hidalgos) who dreamed of glory and conquest, and merchants who calculated in advance the profit that they would get for low-value trinkets from ignorant Indians, and artisans who were ready to bring the culture of the Old World to the New World, and, finally, brave adventurers who had nothing to lose. Silent and concentrated, several Benedictines stood nearby in the clothes of their order - these were the first European missionaries.

Pious Isabella was especially concerned about saving the souls of her new subjects; Together with the king and Infante Juan, she was the recipient of the baptism of six Indians. In addition, many people who later gained fame took part in this expedition. Among them were Diego Columbus, the younger brother of the admiral, Alonso de Ojeda, the future discoverer of Venezuela, Ponce de Leon, who discovered Florida, and Juan de la Cosa, the famous compiler of geographical maps.

Finally, the fleet entered the ocean, and after a short stay near the Canary Islands, the squadron, with a favorable trade wind, without any incident, completed the entire journey in 20 days, this time adhering to a slightly more southern direction.

On Saturday, November 2, in the evening, Columbus predicted the proximity of land by the color of the air and water, and the next morning the sailors greeted the island with cries of joy and cannon fire, which was named Dominica (Sunday) in honor of Sunday. Peaks covered with dense forest rose from the sea one after another, flocks of parrots flew from one island to another, on one of them a sparkling waterfall seemed from afar to be falling from the clouds. Columbus named this island Guadeloupe.

Heading to the northwest, Columbus discovered the islands of Montserrat, San Martin, and Santa Cruz. The inhabitants of these islands had good houses and dressed in paper fabrics; The Spaniards noticed that they kept parts of human bodies dried, and guessed that these savages had a terrible custom of killing and eating their prisoners. Columbus had heard about this before and knew that these cannibals were called, as it seemed to him, Canibs, which is where the name “cannibals” came from for such tribes.

Soon Columbus himself had to become acquainted with the wild courage of the predatory Caribs. A boat was sent to the shore for water, and an Indian canoe with six Caribs approached it. For some time the Indians looked in surprise at the wonderful foreigners, until their path to the shore was cut off. Noticing this, they grabbed their weapons, despite the fact that there were only six of them, and twenty-four Spaniards, and although they only had bows and arrows with tips made of fish teeth, but these tips were poisoned by the poison of manzanilla fruits, and the arrows flew with such force that they pierced shells and shields. Two Spaniards were wounded, one of them fatally. When the savages' boat capsized, they quickly swam to the shore, continuing to shoot from the water. The Europeans, however, managed to capture a man and a woman; the first died of a wound, and the woman was later taken to Spain, where she attracted everyone's attention with her wild tenacity, black circles around her eyes, and especially the strange custom of all Caribs wearing tight garters on their calves and arms, from which their arms and calves became ugly swollen.

At the end of November, the fleet arrived at Hispaniola (Haiti). The sailors who took part in the first voyage were delighted to recognize the places where they had spent so many wonderful days, and the newcomers listened with curiosity to their stories.

By the evening of November 27, the fleet approached the place where Navidad was built. According to the agreement, two cannon shots were fired, but they were answered only by the echo of the mountains, and dead silence continued to reign all around. Everyone was anxiously awaiting the morning. Suddenly, in the darkness, a cry was heard: “Almirante!” (“Admiral!”) Columbus approached the ship with a torch in his hand, and an Indian boarded the ship with several pieces of gold. From unclear and poorly understood and translated words, the admiral learned sad news: of the Europeans who remained here, some died, others went inside the island with several Indian women.

It's morning. A year ago numerous Indian canoes were scurrying here, but now not a single one appeared. There were no crowds of trusting natives on the shore, and nowhere was smoke visible, reminiscent of a hospitable roof. With fear, Columbus went ashore, where he found only the remains of a fire and the ruins of Fort Navidad. There were rags of European clothes, shards and fragments of European utensils lying around. Soon they found several graves of Europeans overgrown with tall grass, clearly indicating that the latter had died several months ago.

Only gradually did they learn the sad story of the first settlement in the New World. After Columbus sailed, some headstrong colonists rebelled against their superiors, many fell during the struggle, and others left for the newly discovered and gold-rich country of Chibao. Finally a cacique took possession of the fort and burned it. Such was the sad story of the first European settlement in the West Indies. At the same time, the trust of the natives disappeared, and Guacanagari himself behaved with restraint, almost suspiciously, and one fine morning the natives left the shore.

Columbus also did not want to stay in this unhappy place for a long time: he soon found a more convenient point for a new settlement at the mouth of three rivers with an excellent harbor and a wonderful climate, where warm winds blew even in December. Lively activity began: carpenters and craftsmen cheerfully set about building the first Christian city in the New World, with a church, a bazaar and a town hall, named after Queen Isabella. But this settlement was not lucky either: this eternal spring hid a treacherous climate. A few weeks later, a third of the Europeans fell ill with fever, and Columbus himself lay sick for three months.

Meanwhile, Columbus instructed Ojeda to explore the island, and most importantly, to penetrate the gold-bearing mountains of Chibao. Six days later, Ojeda returned with river sand containing this precious metal in abundance. It was good news amid difficult circumstances. Columbus could now prove to the Spanish monarchs that his promises were not entirely unfounded. Needing again food supplies, medicines, wines and horses - these monsters in the eyes of the Indians, who had never seen such large, strong four-legged animals, Columbus reported on the fertility of the country, on the unusually rapid growth of sugar cane and grain grains here, and at the same time sent an ill-fated proposal - catch Caribs and sell them into slavery to cover the costs of the colony.

Meanwhile, soon after the ships sailed to Spain, murmurs and discontent began to appear among the settlers, and soon a dull indifference took possession of many. The gentlemen, not used to working, but who loved to eat well, had to grind bread and eat bad pea soup. But instead of taking up the cultivation of the unusually fertile land as simple colonists and thereby providing for themselves, everyone thought only about gold and openly complained that they had been deceived. The settlers looked with hidden hatred at their master, who was not a Spaniard at that, who, meanwhile, without distinction of rank or position, demanded strict obedience from everyone, and soon a conspiracy arose to take possession of the ships and leave for their homeland. Columbus found out about him in time and chained the main instigator, Bernal de Pisa, in order to send him to Spain at the first opportunity. Calm was restored, but Columbus began to be considered cruel.

Columbus tried to forget all these troubles and strived for new discoveries, for his cherished goal - to find the land of Cathay. The ocean was his native element, and only here did his observant mind, fearlessness and firmness manifest themselves in all their strength; it was not created by the organizer of anything.

First, he decided to explore the interior of the island and in March 1494, with a small detachment, left Isabella. With incredible difficulties they passed through the high coastal mountains and penetrated through a single narrow gorge into the lovely valley of the Royal Estate, through which the detachment passed with unfurled banners and the sound of trumpets. Tall grass almost hid the riders, and majestic palm trees amazed travelers. In the highlands of Chibao, Columbus founded the strong fort of St. Thomas, designating it as a storage place for the gold mined in the country.

Then Columbus left most of his detachment in Isabella, appointing his brother Diego as its commander, and on April 24, 1494, on three shallow ships that allowed him to approach the shores, he set off to explore the unknown surrounding seas.

Having passed the deserted Navidad, the squadron headed west and soon reached the eastern tip of Cuba, Punta de Manci. Having received information about a country rich in gold, Columbus sailed south and stopped at the island of Jamaica on May 5. Here the squadron was surrounded by large, 90 feet long (1 foot T is an English unit of length equal to 0.3048 meters), pirogues with armed, fearless Indians, whose heads were decorated with crowns of feathers, and the dull sounds of fighting Indian trumpets were heard from the shore. But when the dogs were released on the natives, they made peace.

Convinced that there was little gold here, Columbus again headed north with the goal of exploring Cuba. The ships carefully and with difficulty made their way between countless uninhabited islands, constantly disturbed by one or another natural phenomenon. Every evening there was a terrible thunderstorm, but it was always followed by a beautiful morning. The sea took on different colors, and one day the ships found themselves in a sea of ​​milk, a phenomenon originating from infinitesimal particles of earth floating in the sea. Our travelers carefully filled a barrel with water to show this miracle of nature in Spain. Then the color of the water turned green, and then completely black.

This difficult voyage continued for three months. The ships deteriorated and leaks were discovered, and the waterlogged provisions became unusable. Believing that Cuba was not an island, Columbus returned. If he had sailed for another two days, he would have reached the western tip of Cuba, Cape St. Anthony, from where, of course, he would have sailed further to the west and reached the mainland of a new part of the world. But he was not destined to learn the full meaning of his discoveries, and all his life he continued to think that he had sailed to Asia.

On the way back to Haiti, Columbus became very ill. He did not sleep for thirty nights, shared all the hardships with his sailors, endured even more than all of them, and his strong body could not stand it. The frightened crew brought him to Isabella's harbor half-dead and unconscious. When Columbus came to his senses, to his joy, he saw his brother Bartolomé near his bed, who, having learned about his brother’s discoveries, hurried out England via Spain to Haiti. Being himself still too weak, Columbus appointed him as his governor, thereby exceeding his authority. The King of Spain could not forgive him for this for a long time.

Bartolome Columbus had a calm and decisive character, and when one day he was robbed completely by sea robbers, he began to earn his living by drawing maps, which attracted the attention of the English king Henry VII. As a sailor and natural scientist, he was inferior to his ambitious brother, but surpassed him in strength of character and therefore always had influence on him.

Bartolome arrived from Spain in Haiti with three ships four days after Christopher's departure.

The settlers who left for Spain on these ships deliberately spread rumors about the hopeless situation of the colony, blaming the admiral for everything.

Meanwhile, the settlers - officers and soldiers, nobles and workers - mercilessly burdened the unfortunate Indians with hard work, tortured them to get gold from them, abused their wives and children, so that in the end even this patient, hospitable and gentle people lost patience and became indignant against their oppressors. There was even a conspiracy in which four caciques took part, including the warlike Caonabo, who set fire to a hospital with 40 patients and besieged the fort of St. Thomas for a whole month. Guacanagari alone remained loyal to the Spaniards and informed Columbus about the plans of his fellow tribesmen.

First of all, it was necessary to protect ourselves from Kaonabo. Columbus himself was still too weak. Then the brave Ojeda took possession of this cacique by cunning, and soon the whole island was conquered and small forts were built in many places. Each Indian was henceforth obliged to deliver a certain amount of gold dust or a bale of cotton paper. But the mountains of gold promised by Columbus did not turn out to be, and the senseless search for gold often brought the Spaniards to starvation in the most fertile country in the world. The Indian population began to die out; Day after day they dug in the gold-bearing sand or cultivated cassava fields under the scorching rays of the sun, longingly remembering their former carefree life, their songs and dances to the sound of shells. Life became torture for them, and many of them committed suicide. When they finally became convinced that the Spaniards would not voluntarily return to heaven, they decided to starve their oppressors to leave and one fine day abandoned their homes and fled to the mountains, where they hoped to feed themselves by hunting and roots. Even Guacanagari, loyal to the Europeans, retreated into the forests. But there, widespread diseases spread among them, killing several thousand Indians, and those who returned to the coast faced the same slavery.

Meanwhile, Columbus was threatened with new trouble: the royal commissioner Aguado arrived from Spain with an order to collect information about the situation of the colony, and Columbus was forced to return to Spain with him to justify himself to the monarchs. Before sailing, fate once again pampered Columbus: one of the Spaniards married the widow of a cacique, who soon noticed her husband’s longing for his fellow tribesmen, and in order to tie him to her, she showed him rich gold-bearing veins in the south of the island. Thanks to this, Columbus could bring news of the discovery of rich gold mines to Europe.

Before sailing, a terrible storm broke out, sinking four caravels in Isabella's harbor, and only on March 10, 1496, Columbus sailed to Spain on two ships. Traveling with him were 225 former settlers - sick, dissatisfied and disappointed with the promised country. There were also thirty Indian prisoners on the ships, and among them Caonabo. Unfortunately, Columbus veered too far to the south, where he was delayed by headwinds. Famine began on the ships, and it got to the point that the crew wanted to eat the Indians, but Columbus resolutely opposed this terrible intention and calculated with remarkable accuracy that the land should be not far away. The next day, Cape St. Vincent actually appeared, and on May 11, 1496, the ships dropped anchor in the harbor of Cadiz.

This time, Columbus did not immediately obtain an audience. Spain was at war with France over Naples, and the royal couple were busy concluding the significant marriage of their daughter Joanna with Philip of Burgundy (thanks to this marriage, Charles V, the son of Joanna and Philip of Burgundy, became sovereign of the Netherlands, Austria, Germany and Spain).

Under these circumstances, Ferdinand and Isabella had no time for the savages of the New World. Columbus and the Indians no longer had the charm of novelty, and therefore the people were also less interested in them.

Finally, the monarchs favorably received Columbus, approved his rights and privileges, and even approved the appointment of Bartolome Columbus as viceroy, but the admiral was unable to achieve the abolition of the decree, which allowed everyone to equip ships at their own expense and make discoveries in new lands.