Hnau
Banned
The French corsair, Guillaume de Casenove, actually burns down Columbus' ship (in OTL his was one of the two that escaped) with flaming pitch. Just before he abandons the vessel, he promises God to rescue Constantinople from the Turks if He saved him. He jumps overboard, finds some floating debris (an oar or two) and swims for hours to the Portuguese coastline. Exhausted, he crawls onto the beach, and lets say he hallucinates a vision of the Holy Trinity approving of his mission. Luckily, a Portuguese servant-girl finds him, alerts a nearby village, whose men nurse Columbus back to health. In a few weeks he finds passage to Britain to hook up with the survivors of the attack, but soon he begins planning for his crusade.
In May 1476, the merchant apprentice Christopher Columbus took part in an armed convoy sent by Genoa to carry a valuable cargo to northern Europe. It was in August, as the fleet of six ships sailed passed the Portuguese coastline, that they were attacked by the French corsair Guillaume de Casenove. As the crew began to hurl flaming pitch onto the pirate's vessel, an accident caused Columbus' own ship to be set aflame. It is here that Christopher spoke quietly in prayer, "Dear God, am I to be your servant or not? I give my life to you, if you spare it now. I will free Constantinople. The Hagia Sophia will once again hear the music of the holy mass, only save me alive, dear God."
Christopher would leap into the sea and shortly thereafter find an oar which he would hang onto for dear life until, after hours of paddling, he would be thrown onto a wild Portuguese beach. So exhausted that he could barely move, the Genoan looked for water. In his desperation, he witnessed a vision of the Holy Trinity, who spoke to him, "Christopher Columbus, you are my servant. I have saved you alive for the holy work of taking baptism once more to the churches along the Bosporus, to be ruled no more by the heathen."
Soon thereafter, as if by God's grace, a woman from a nearby village found Columbus struggling for life. The men of the village would soon nurse him back to life. In a couple of days he would catch a ship to England to join his convoy once more.
With business there finished, Columbus soon married in 1478 to Filipa Moniz Perestrello, daughter of Genoese nobleman Bartolomeo Perestrello, the governor of Porto Santo. In 1479 his son Diego was born. He has already began spreading word about funding a crusade during his work as a merchant, earning the nickname as the "Crusader-Merchant" that brought about as much respect as humiliation. In 1482, however, his name and reputation allows him an audience at the court of newly-coronated King John II of Portugal. The discussion bore no fruit, but this aided his reputation and allowed him to speak with Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand II in 1483. Though they showed their support, eager to appear as more Christian than their rival King John, they were forced to decline investing or making agreements when the Reconquista was still ongoing.
Columbus determined that to finance his crusade he would have to gain papal support and the passion of the Italian states. In 1484 he would arrive in Rome just as Pope Innocent VIII would succeed Pope Sixtus IV, and witness his fiery speech calling for a crusade against the growing Ottoman Empire. Columbus sees this as a sign from above and immediately requests an audience with the Pope, making it known that as an independent fund-raiser and investor he has already put together a small army and navy to send against the Turks.
By 1485 the Pope receives the 'Crusader Merchant' and in a famous meeting he is energized by Columbus' passion and blesses him as a holy warrior of God. Columbus tells Pope Innocent VIII that the recent deliverance of Prince Cem, pretender to the Ottoman throne, to Papal custody is a godsend, evident that the Father desired him to be used to put 'a friend of Christendom' on the Ottoman throne. As their mutual enthusiasm builds in this meeting, the Pope reveals to Columbus that he has a plot underway with Neapolitan noblemen to overthrow King Ferdinand I, who had led the Kingdom of Naples in a war against the Papal States in 1482. He thus enlists Columbus to send for his ships and soldiers and prepare them to enter Naples on the scheduled day to support the coup d'etat.
Columbus sets out on this mission and in the later part of the year, he lands six ships and a small army (of mainly mercenaries and zealous volunteer-profiteers) at Naples. Leading his men himself, confident that God will protect him, his soldiers link up with the rebels and play a crucial part in taking the city center and capturing the King. Ferdinand II and the most important of the loyalist nobles are imprisoned at the Papal See, while the Neapolitans invite René II, Duke of Lorraine, claimant to the Kingdom of Naples, to take the crown.
Success in this adventure paid very nicely, with Neapolitan noblemen cementing Columbus with a high position in the Neapolitan navy as a de facto admiral of the fleet. King René II becomes the first to honor Christopher Columbus and pledge his newly-won Kingdom to a coalition of nations to re-take Constantinople and force Prince Cem on the throne of the Ottoman Empire. This was the beginning of the League of Naples, and from thence-forth, Columbus would base his organizing, planning, fund-raising and investment activities from the city. The reign of King René II would also see military expenditures rise in the Kingdom. René was motivated by the idea of crusade in order to re-take Jerusalem and the Holy Land, as he was a claimant to the Kingdom of Jerusalem as well.
Emboldened by Columbus' aid, as he had proven himself in battle, Pope Innocent VIII began once more the rally-call to Crusade. Christopher Columbus was told that two European powers would be vital to the success of a Tenth Crusade, the Kingdom of France and the Republic of Venice: France to supply the soldiers and artillery, Venice to supply the ships to carry them and to establish European dominance over the Mediterranean. Columbus would spend 1486 to 1488 in attempts to sway each to join the League of Naples.
Young King Charles VIII of France was still in his minority, and Columbus could not convince regents Anne of Beaujeu and Peter of Bourbon to lend their support, as they were involved in a successional crisis known as the Mad War. Negotiations were also compromised due to the fact that King René II had expressed sympathies for the rebelling lords. Columbus soon realized that he would not win France until Charles VIII, who held a fiery desire to win glory for Christendom by fighting the Ottomans, came to his majority.
While his association with King René II held up his progress with France, in the Venetian Republic his name helped considerably, for René II had fought for the Republic of Venice in the Battle of Adria. However, the Venetian Doge Agostino Barbarigo expressed reluctance to go to war with the Ottoman Empire when they had signed an expensive peace with them in 1479. Nevertheless, Columbus found investors and names in order to push ahead his goal.
He found hope in the Duchy of Milan, where Christopher Columbus promised Ludovico Sforza that he could assist him in receiving papal authority for the legitimacy of the ducal crown, of which Ludovico had stolen from his newphew Gian Sforza. Columbus also promised the old Genoan colonies along the Crimea could be made his possession once more, along with trading rights through the Bosporus Strait. The Duchy of Milan was thus the next power to join the League of Naples.
King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castille, while they did favor the idea of a European crusade against the Turks, did not appreciate the theft of the Crown of Naples from the House of Trastamara. Their relationship with the Crusader-Merchant effectively ended from that moment on, though they wouldn't keep him from doing business with Spanish investors.
In May 1489, on his return to Naples, Christopher Columbus became aware that Catherine Cornaro, Queen of Cyprus, had forfeited her titles to the Republic of Venice. The Turks responded to the Venetian movement by pillaging and slaving along the Karpasia Peninsula in Cyprus. Christopher used this act of aggression to convince Agostino Barbarigo to join the League of Naples and begin preparations for war.
There was one piece left to the puzzle: the Kingdom of France. Venice would not embark to retake Constantinople with Milanese, Papal, Neapolitan and mercenary soldiers alone. It needed French manpower.
In 1490, Columbus made a quick stop to the Kingdom of Hungary, to speak with the brand-new monarch, Ladislaus II, who might reverse the papal opposition policies of his predecessor. In the months that he stayed, he realized that King Ladislaus II held very little real power, with the Hungarian nobles controlling his policies, and they were not about to risk their lands when they had just signed a peace treaty with the Ottoman Empire in 1484. Columbus thus left for France. Indeed, the Hungarian attendance was a failure for Cristoforo Colombo: it wasted precious time he could have used in the French court and alerted some pro-Ottoman Hungarian nobles to his plans. This would be passed in the months ahead to the bureaucracy of the Ottoman Empire.
In May 1476, the merchant apprentice Christopher Columbus took part in an armed convoy sent by Genoa to carry a valuable cargo to northern Europe. It was in August, as the fleet of six ships sailed passed the Portuguese coastline, that they were attacked by the French corsair Guillaume de Casenove. As the crew began to hurl flaming pitch onto the pirate's vessel, an accident caused Columbus' own ship to be set aflame. It is here that Christopher spoke quietly in prayer, "Dear God, am I to be your servant or not? I give my life to you, if you spare it now. I will free Constantinople. The Hagia Sophia will once again hear the music of the holy mass, only save me alive, dear God."
Christopher would leap into the sea and shortly thereafter find an oar which he would hang onto for dear life until, after hours of paddling, he would be thrown onto a wild Portuguese beach. So exhausted that he could barely move, the Genoan looked for water. In his desperation, he witnessed a vision of the Holy Trinity, who spoke to him, "Christopher Columbus, you are my servant. I have saved you alive for the holy work of taking baptism once more to the churches along the Bosporus, to be ruled no more by the heathen."
Soon thereafter, as if by God's grace, a woman from a nearby village found Columbus struggling for life. The men of the village would soon nurse him back to life. In a couple of days he would catch a ship to England to join his convoy once more.
With business there finished, Columbus soon married in 1478 to Filipa Moniz Perestrello, daughter of Genoese nobleman Bartolomeo Perestrello, the governor of Porto Santo. In 1479 his son Diego was born. He has already began spreading word about funding a crusade during his work as a merchant, earning the nickname as the "Crusader-Merchant" that brought about as much respect as humiliation. In 1482, however, his name and reputation allows him an audience at the court of newly-coronated King John II of Portugal. The discussion bore no fruit, but this aided his reputation and allowed him to speak with Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand II in 1483. Though they showed their support, eager to appear as more Christian than their rival King John, they were forced to decline investing or making agreements when the Reconquista was still ongoing.
Columbus determined that to finance his crusade he would have to gain papal support and the passion of the Italian states. In 1484 he would arrive in Rome just as Pope Innocent VIII would succeed Pope Sixtus IV, and witness his fiery speech calling for a crusade against the growing Ottoman Empire. Columbus sees this as a sign from above and immediately requests an audience with the Pope, making it known that as an independent fund-raiser and investor he has already put together a small army and navy to send against the Turks.
By 1485 the Pope receives the 'Crusader Merchant' and in a famous meeting he is energized by Columbus' passion and blesses him as a holy warrior of God. Columbus tells Pope Innocent VIII that the recent deliverance of Prince Cem, pretender to the Ottoman throne, to Papal custody is a godsend, evident that the Father desired him to be used to put 'a friend of Christendom' on the Ottoman throne. As their mutual enthusiasm builds in this meeting, the Pope reveals to Columbus that he has a plot underway with Neapolitan noblemen to overthrow King Ferdinand I, who had led the Kingdom of Naples in a war against the Papal States in 1482. He thus enlists Columbus to send for his ships and soldiers and prepare them to enter Naples on the scheduled day to support the coup d'etat.
Columbus sets out on this mission and in the later part of the year, he lands six ships and a small army (of mainly mercenaries and zealous volunteer-profiteers) at Naples. Leading his men himself, confident that God will protect him, his soldiers link up with the rebels and play a crucial part in taking the city center and capturing the King. Ferdinand II and the most important of the loyalist nobles are imprisoned at the Papal See, while the Neapolitans invite René II, Duke of Lorraine, claimant to the Kingdom of Naples, to take the crown.
Success in this adventure paid very nicely, with Neapolitan noblemen cementing Columbus with a high position in the Neapolitan navy as a de facto admiral of the fleet. King René II becomes the first to honor Christopher Columbus and pledge his newly-won Kingdom to a coalition of nations to re-take Constantinople and force Prince Cem on the throne of the Ottoman Empire. This was the beginning of the League of Naples, and from thence-forth, Columbus would base his organizing, planning, fund-raising and investment activities from the city. The reign of King René II would also see military expenditures rise in the Kingdom. René was motivated by the idea of crusade in order to re-take Jerusalem and the Holy Land, as he was a claimant to the Kingdom of Jerusalem as well.
Emboldened by Columbus' aid, as he had proven himself in battle, Pope Innocent VIII began once more the rally-call to Crusade. Christopher Columbus was told that two European powers would be vital to the success of a Tenth Crusade, the Kingdom of France and the Republic of Venice: France to supply the soldiers and artillery, Venice to supply the ships to carry them and to establish European dominance over the Mediterranean. Columbus would spend 1486 to 1488 in attempts to sway each to join the League of Naples.
Young King Charles VIII of France was still in his minority, and Columbus could not convince regents Anne of Beaujeu and Peter of Bourbon to lend their support, as they were involved in a successional crisis known as the Mad War. Negotiations were also compromised due to the fact that King René II had expressed sympathies for the rebelling lords. Columbus soon realized that he would not win France until Charles VIII, who held a fiery desire to win glory for Christendom by fighting the Ottomans, came to his majority.
While his association with King René II held up his progress with France, in the Venetian Republic his name helped considerably, for René II had fought for the Republic of Venice in the Battle of Adria. However, the Venetian Doge Agostino Barbarigo expressed reluctance to go to war with the Ottoman Empire when they had signed an expensive peace with them in 1479. Nevertheless, Columbus found investors and names in order to push ahead his goal.
He found hope in the Duchy of Milan, where Christopher Columbus promised Ludovico Sforza that he could assist him in receiving papal authority for the legitimacy of the ducal crown, of which Ludovico had stolen from his newphew Gian Sforza. Columbus also promised the old Genoan colonies along the Crimea could be made his possession once more, along with trading rights through the Bosporus Strait. The Duchy of Milan was thus the next power to join the League of Naples.
King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castille, while they did favor the idea of a European crusade against the Turks, did not appreciate the theft of the Crown of Naples from the House of Trastamara. Their relationship with the Crusader-Merchant effectively ended from that moment on, though they wouldn't keep him from doing business with Spanish investors.
In May 1489, on his return to Naples, Christopher Columbus became aware that Catherine Cornaro, Queen of Cyprus, had forfeited her titles to the Republic of Venice. The Turks responded to the Venetian movement by pillaging and slaving along the Karpasia Peninsula in Cyprus. Christopher used this act of aggression to convince Agostino Barbarigo to join the League of Naples and begin preparations for war.
There was one piece left to the puzzle: the Kingdom of France. Venice would not embark to retake Constantinople with Milanese, Papal, Neapolitan and mercenary soldiers alone. It needed French manpower.
In 1490, Columbus made a quick stop to the Kingdom of Hungary, to speak with the brand-new monarch, Ladislaus II, who might reverse the papal opposition policies of his predecessor. In the months that he stayed, he realized that King Ladislaus II held very little real power, with the Hungarian nobles controlling his policies, and they were not about to risk their lands when they had just signed a peace treaty with the Ottoman Empire in 1484. Columbus thus left for France. Indeed, the Hungarian attendance was a failure for Cristoforo Colombo: it wasted precious time he could have used in the French court and alerted some pro-Ottoman Hungarian nobles to his plans. This would be passed in the months ahead to the bureaucracy of the Ottoman Empire.
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