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Columbus and the Winds of Providence


Christopher Columbus felt that he was destined to do something grand. Something that would change the world forever. He did not know what he was destined to do, but he knew that when the time came he would be guided by Divine Providence. He was born in Genoa in 1451. Living in on of the multitude of Italian states he was almost bound to make a living by way of the sea. In his youth it is believed he sailed to many different places such as the Genoan colony of Chios, west Africa, and some believe possibly as far away as Iceland. What ever the case, this would all prepare him for the voyage of a life time.


In Europe the middle ages were just ending, the Renaissance was beginning, and the Europeans entered into their period as the dominate peoples of the world. The European monarchs were seeking ways of increasing their wealth and prestige. This was done through trade and colonizing. The Portuguese had several colonies along the African coast, and Italian sailors such as Marco Polo have sailed as far away as China. With the Ottomans controlling the silk road, the Europeans are eager to find a way to the east that by passes the Turkish Caliphate and will allow them to exploit the riches of the east.


Columbus scoured Europe looking for a monarch to serve as patron for a voyage he believed would solve Europe’s woes of trade. He believed that by sailing west he could get to the east Indies and have a faster rout to trade with the powers of the east. Most of the monarchs of Europe were not interested in such fool hardiness. Some believed that no ship could make a journey of that distance. Some even believed the world to be flat, but Christopher would continue his search.


In the end he would be hired by Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. Who had recently united their kingdoms by marrying. The queen presented Columbus’ plans to a committee who would examine the feasibility of it. After much discussion, in 1486 the committee recommended to the Queen that she pass on the plan. She did not want Columbus to leave for fear he might take his ideas elsewhere. He was allotted an allowance of 12,000 maravedis a year in order to keep him in Spain. After several years of lobbying he was finally successful in getting the green light to go ahead.


As we all know, in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue. He set out west in order to find a path to Asia. He set sail with three ships, the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. He first stopped at the Canary Islands where he restocked the ships and made repairs. He set out on what would be a 6 week voyage across the Atlantic. 4 weeks into the journey the three ships were caught in a storm and were struck by powerful winds[1]. These winds would blow them northwest. On October 19th, 1492, a lookout on the Pinta, Rodrigo de Triana spotted land at about 4:00 am and immidietly alerted the crew with a shot. Columbus was informed of this, but he would later claim that he had already spotted land a few hours earlier, forever claiming rewards from the monarchs for being the first one to sight land.


They would not land on the shore until October 22nd. When they did, Columbus was the first to step ashore. At first he thought that he had landed somewhere on the continent of Asia, but as he and his men explored the landscape it did not match the descriptions of Marco Polo. It was a swampy wetland with a very humid climate. There was lush vegetation and a plethora of wildlife[2]. He did not know what to say of this land. It was not the land of great wealth described in the east, but at first glance was a land inhospitable for civilized peoples. None the less, he was grateful to have found land. He claimed this land in the name of Spain. He and his men would explore the coast of this continent, mapping it to the best of their abilities. When he would eventually return to Spain, queen Isabella would christen this new land “Columbia”.
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[1] this is the PoD
[2] instead of landing at Hispaniola, they land at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.
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