Christopher Columbus' First Voyage
Portrait of Columbus - Wikipedia 1492 CE was the year when Pope Alexander VI ascended to the throne. In addition, the Torah was first printed on a press the same year. Also, although the Castillian language had been around for a while, the first Castillian language grammar book was published this year. Castillian is what Spanish was called before it was called Spanish. The Spanish Inquisition, which began fourteen years before, finally succeeded in converting the Jewish population into Christianity and taking over the Muslim (Moor) city of Granada earlier in the year, allowing King Ferdanan of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile, who married back in 1474, extra capital to spend on exploration. Since the Muslums took over Constantinople, Castille had found themselves competing with Portugal for alternative routes to Asia. At Palos de la Frontera, on the 3rd of August, a Genoan Admiral named Christopher Columbus led a fleet of three ships, the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria, off on a voyage headed due west through the Ocean Sea (future Atlantic Ocean). Trusting the work of an astrologer named Paolo dal Pozzo Toscanelli, he had greatly underestimated the size of the Earth and thought he had found an opportunity for riches. He wanted to reach Asia and establish trade there without having to go through the costly routes of the Middle East or around Africa.
Iberian Peninsula, 1492 - geacron.com
After leaving shore, they headed southwest toward the Canary Islands, where Friar and someday Saint Diego of Alcala once spent many years as a missionary. Before arriving though, the rudder to one of Columbus’ smaller ships, the Pinta, broke down. They spent the rest of the month repairing the ship. They left again from the Canary Islands on September 6th and headed west. Nine days later, on the 15th, Columbus’ journal read:
“…in the early part of the night there fell from heaven into the sea a marvelous flame of fire…”
I can only think of two things they could have seen. It could have been either a lightning bolt, or a meteorite. Being stuck in a hot wooden ship in the middle of the ocean and religious, I’m sure witnessing this marvelous but sudden flame of fire was probably seen by the crew as a bad omen.
LOL! - Memecenter
Columbus was afraid that if his crew knew the true distance they were traveling, the crew would mutiny, so he did two things to keep them calm. First, he would lie about the distance they had traveled day to day. For example, the next day, on the 16th, Columbus estimated they had traveled 39 leagues. He would record the correct distance in his personal journal, but in a second journal meant for the crew, he recorded the distance traveled that day as 36 leagues. For the 17th, they traveled 50 leagues, but recorded 47. This would continue until they found actual land.
Replicas of the Pinta, Nina, and Santa Maria - Wikipedia
The other thing he would do is highlight almost any sort of activity as signs that they were near land. Clouds, floating weeds, sea life, and birds flying overhead were all signs “of the proximity of land”. On the 19th, two birds called “boobies” arrived at the fleet of ships (they were actually Albatross’ but after a month at sea, Columbus must have had other things in mind, hehe). These “boobies” excited Columbus who claimed to his crew that these types of birds don’t generally travel over 20 leagues away from land.
After 108 more leagues and many more spotted “boobies”, the captain of the Pinta, called that he had seen land. The crew from the Nina, then climbed the masts of their ship and confirmed what was seen. Everybody celebrated and altered course southwest, but after a day of traveling, they found that what they had seen were only distant or low clouds. They had come to believe that they had passed some islands following the clouds. Realizing that they had been out at sea much longer than anticipated, the crew began to speak of mutiny. They wanted to turn around and either head back to one of these islands, or back to Castile, fearing they would die at sea if they did not. Some of them plotted to throw the Admiral overboard.
Columbus continued with his course, lying about how much they had traveled and declaring everything that floats or flies as a sign of impending land. There was a reward from the Crown for the first person to spot land so the crew was alert. On the morning of October 7th, the Nina rode out ahead and claimed they had seen land. The other ships joined, but because of the haze, waited until the evening to look for what was seen, but I guess there was no land. They kept going for three more days before the Captains of the other ships confronted Columbus, telling their Admiral that they would go on for only three more days. In regards to Columbus’ reaction, the journal for October 10th states:
“But the Admiral cheered them up in the best way he could, giving them good hopes of the advantages they might gain from it. He added that, however much they might complain, he had to go to the Indies, and that he would go on until he found them, with the help of our Lord.”
This apparently pacified his men for now, but Columbus’ time was running out.
That's a lot of distance for three little ships - Wikipedia
On the morning of the 12th, the Moon rose from the east at its third quarter. The crew of the Pinta, sailed ahead to look for land. A crew member named Rodrigo de Triana spotted a sandy island illuminated by the moonlight. A flag was raised and a gun was fired. Cries of “Terra, Terra!” rang. This time it was for real: They had indeed found land. They arrived at the island that morning. The first observation they made was of all the naked people who called the island “Guanahani”. The Christians brought out all of their flags and swords, gifts and gods at landing. They went on shore and performed a little ceremony on the beach, where they claimed the island in the name of the Castillian Crown and renamed it “San Salvador”.
Portrait of Columbus taking possession of San Salvador - Wikipedia There is no telling what was going through the minds of the natives of Guanahani, now San Salvador, who witnessed this ceremony. In a letter he later wrote to Luis de Santiangel, Columbus boasts that he took possession of the island in front of witnesses, native and otherwise, “and I was not gainsaid (challenged)”, despite the fact that he knew the natives didn’t speak Castillian and so had no idea he was usurping their territory for a crown of a distant land. After claiming the land, the Christians and the natives met for the first time and the Christians greeted them with small gifts, such as glass beads. Columbus treats these gifts like throw away items, as he highlighted how cheap they were in his journals. Seemingly relieved, the natives who called themselves the "Taino", came over to the enormous ships, bringing gifts of their own. Still thinking that they had landed in the East Indies, Columbus mistakenly referred to the natives in the region as “Indios”. Today the word is "Indian".
Drawing of Columbus meeting the Taino or the "Indians". Notice them raising the cross to the left. - State Archives of Florida
In the closest surviving thing to his journal, which is actually a third hand account, Columbus speculated that the Indians of the region would make great servants and could easily be converted into Christians. He saw some wounds on a few natives and asked them how they got them. They told him that they had a battle with people from a nearby island. He noticed a lack of metal weapons, and when he showed them a sword, they grabbed it by the blade end, accidentally cutting their hand in the process. He also noted:
“It appeared to me to be a race of people very poor in everything…They have no iron, their darts being wands without iron… They should be good servants and intelligent, for I observed that they quickly took in what was said to them, and I believe that they would easily be made Christians, as it appeared to me that they had no religion… I, our Lord being pleased, will take hence, at the time of my departure, six natives for your Highnesses, that they may learn to speak.”
It appears he actually took about three that day, and one even had to be carried off by force, though this is not mentioned in the journal until days later. The Christians and their native captives returned to the ship that night with canoes arriving at the ship the next day. According to the log, there was a trading extravaganza at the ship as cotton and skins were traded for caps and beads. However, neither Columbus nor his men were looking for skins. They were looking for gold, and like a detective, he picked up on the clues. He noticed a few small gold nuggets attached to the noses of some of the natives and asked the Taino where they got them. He learned of a king to the south who had cups full of these pieces. He tried to get them to lead him to this king, thinking it might be the Khan in Marco Polo's book, but the natives weren’t interested in taking him.
Their arrival well known to the Indians now, the Christians continued to sail on the 14th. All along the shore as they followed the coast, natives would come to the shore, bearing gifts and begging them to come to shore. Some natives believed they had come from heaven, as Columbus and his men understood it. In his journal, the Admiral reiterates the inferiority of the Indians:
“…(T)hese people are very simple as regards the use of arms, as your Highnesses will see from the seven that I caused to be taken, to bring home and learn our language and return; unless your Highness should order them all to be brought to Castile, or to be kept as captives on the same island; for with fifty men they can all be subjugated and made to do what is required of them… The natives make war on each other, although these are very simple-minded and handsomely-formed people.”
Just one day before, he was hoping to pick up six natives, unless there is a mistranslation in the journal, now it seems he wants seven. A canoe followed the Nina that night and seeing his chance, one of the native captives jumped ship and swam to the canoe. The canoe then sped away. The next day, Columbus continued on his voyage, landing on another island he named “Santa Maria de la Concepcion”.
“For the people I had taken from the island of San Salvador told me that here they wore very large rings of gold on their arms and legs.”
Columbus' first voyage - Wikipedia
On the way, a second canoe pulled up, prompting another Indian to jump ship and escape. When the third canoe arrived with a man wishing to trade cotton, they took no chances and told him to climb aboard. When he didn’t, a few men jumped in and seized him and his canoe by force. He was brought to Columbus, where he gave the man some beads, bells, and a cap. Seeing that he was just looking to trade, Columbus then ordered the native's canoe returned to him and for his men to let him go with his gifts and his cotton. Then, he decided to let the remaining native go. It is here when his journal just happened to mention that they had forcefully carried that one away before.
His mercy was for appearances though, because he bragged in his journal about how he got the natives to see them as good people in anticipation that they would be friendly to him when he returned. He had already negotiated the governorship of any land he found before the voyage even started, so all he needed was to find a source of gold and he could become a very rich man. As he hopped from island to island, he picked up more natives.
Next, he headed for a really long island that he called “Fernandina”. Here, Columbus’ journal notes a native who bartered in dried leaves that he found valuable, possibly tobacco! (You're welcome smokers) The man was taken on board, fed, given gifts and released to win his favor. Columbus continued to circle islands and trading with the natives. Most of his journal entry for October 17th, talks of the interesting wild life and how similar, yet different they are to the wild life in Castile. When he saw a man with an especially large piece of gold on his nose, he mistook it for a form of currency and in his words, “quarreled with these people because they would not exchange or give what was required”, whatever that means.
On October 23, he set out for an island that the Indians called “Cuba”, which since he thought he was in the West Indies, thought it might be where the island of “Cipango”(Japan) was. He made it there on the 28th and was amazed at the plant life and natural harbors of the island. He would later state that the island was bigger than England and Scotland combined, which was not true at all. He was still looking for this king with cups full of gold, or at least a gold mine but couldn't find it there. He named the island "La Isla Juana".
While on another island on November 12th, Columbus relays the following sadness:
"Yesterday a canoe came alongside the ship, with six youths in it. Five came on board, and I ordered them to be detained. They are here now. I afterwards sent to a house on the western side of the river, and seized seven women, old and young, and three children. I did this because the men would behave better in Spain if they had women of their own land, than without them... The same night, the husband of one of the women came alongside in a canoe, who was father of the three children... He asked me to let him come with them...They are now all consoled at being with one who is a relation of them all."
I thought he only wanted six or seven natives, but I guess sixteen is close enough.
To calm the captives, they were led to believe that they would be released once the Christians found gold. Two youths escaped the Nina five days later. While exploring, Columbus would also have his men cut down trees to make large crosses out of them and leave them on each island.
On December 5th he landed on Hispaniola, which now holds Haiti and the Dominican Republic. He described the landscape as a marvel and spoke about how the rivers and streams carried gold. He left some men behind, but took more natives. He found an island full of turtles and named it "Tortuga"(aww). On December 17th, near the Island of Tortuga, he finally got a real taste of what he was looking for.
"They saw one man... with a piece of gold leaf as large as a hand, and it appears that he wanted to barter with it. He cut the leaf into small pieces, and each time he came out he brought a piece and exchanged it. When he had no more left, he said by signs that he had sent for more, and that he would bring it another day."
Later that day, a group of Indians from Tortuga arrived, but the man with the gold leaf berated the group and sent them away, throwing rocks at their canoe as they left and encouraging the Spaniards to join in. The next day, they met with the king of the Indians that were from the Island of Hispaniola. After referring to their nakedness for about the fiftieth time, Columbus had dinner, exchanged gifts and became quick friends with these Natives. That night, with their help, the Spanish erected a wooden cross on the Island.
They found a large port of another island they dubbed Santo Tomas on December 20th. Columbus was once again awe-struck by it's natural beauty. The next day he and his men went on shore and did their usual gift exchanges. They sent a few Christians to check out their villages and he spent a few pages describing it all. This happens again on the 22nd and by the 23, his ships were surrounded by over a hundred curious canoes.
They spent Christmas day (December 25th) navigating the waters. With the waters calm that night, Columbus went to bed on his flagship, the Santa Maria. With the night so calm, the journal claims that "the sailor who steered the ship thought he would go to sleep, leaving the tiller in (the) charge of a boy". While they slept, the water current took the Santa Maria and gently beached it on a sandbank and the ship began to take in a rush of sea water. Though the beaching was hardly felt, Columbus quickly awoke and went to work trying to save his ship, but to no avail. He had tried to get some of his men to take a boat out to lay an anchor towards the sea, but they instead took a boat and tried to seek refuge on one of the other ships.
Painting of the Santa Maria being beached with men trying to escape - .independent.co.uk
Columbus was lucky to have made friends with the Natives of that island, who helped him unload his old ship, for it saved him and his men a lot of time, and staying there gave them great insights in their quest for gold. From then on, Columbus would finish his voyage on the Nina. Finally finding a gold source, he orders a fort to be built with the intention of leaving a few men behind, under the protection of the local king there.
On January 4th, Columbus and his ships departed the island, but it seems as though there was some drama between him and his men which actually delayed their trip back east a few more days. They finally got underway on January 16th and made it back home on March 13, 1493. When Columbus returned to Castile, with the natives and other treasure, he was sure that he had found a new path to the Indies and thus had immortalized himself in history. Columbus returned a hero.
Is this joke dated yet? - Memecenter.com Indeed, he was immortalized, but not for reaching the east coast of Asia. When word had gone out that a western path to the Indies had been established, Pope Alexander VI released the "Discovery Doctrine". It decreed that lands void of Christians was available for discovery. Also, all "discovered" land east of the new lands be given to Portugal, which will give them a sizable chunk of land as well. Either way, the Castillian Crown was given full authority of any lands found west of the islands, including the authority over non-Christians in the hopes of converting them. This opened the door for a new age of "discoverers" called the "Conquistadors".
In the end, Columbus did seem to actually discover something that nobody knew about before. Those were the trade winds that blew him across the expanse of the Ocean Sea and back. It would send many more people across the ocean from here on.
Stay Tuned for Background History, Part three coming October 15, 2015
Sources:
Columbus' Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyages_of_Christopher_Columbus
Columbus' Journal:
http://www.americanjourneys.org/pdf/AJ-062.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyages_of_Christopher_Columbus
Columbus' Journal:
http://www.americanjourneys.org/pdf/AJ-062.pdf
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