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Christopher Columbus is born on 31st , 1451 in the Replubic of Genoa, Italy.
Lived near an important port on the Italian Coast
Taught common merchant and sailor knowledge -
By the age of 19, Columbus has already gone to Greece, England, Ireland, Iceland, Portugal, West Africa, and Spain
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Columbus was shipwrecked off the coast of Portugal after his ship was attacked by the French. He swam 6 miles to shore and settled in Lisbon. He lived with his brother who worked in Lisbon
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26 year old Columbus married a Portuguese woman, Felipa Moniz Perestrelo, in 1477. She was one of the inspirations for him to find a trade route to Asia since her father was also an explorer who discovered the Madeira Island
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Diego Colon was the first son of Columbus and Felipa. Diego spent most of his adult life trying to gain titles and privileges that his father had gotten.
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Columbus was fascinated by the idea that it might be possible to sail West from Europe to reach to Asia. There, trade of spices and silk were very important and profitable.
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Most people knew that the world was round but nautical experts thought that Columbus had estimated the distance from Europe to Asia to be much to small. They thought that he would only make it halfway before running out of food and supplies. Because of this King John II of Portugal refused to pay for his voyage. He tried to convince King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, but they were at war and did not have the time or money for exploration.
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After the war ended the King and Queen agreed to give Columbus the money he needed
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He set sail on August 3, 1492 with three ships named the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.At one point his men threatened to mutiny and wanted to turn back. Columbus promised them he would turn back in two days if they didn't find land. In his journal, however, he wrote that he had no intention of turning back
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Columbus reached the tiny island of San Salvador. His first settlement made was called Hispaniola.Christopher Columbus had just made one of the most important discoveries in the history of mankind.
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When the ship ran aground and was abandoned, there was no room for all of them to return to Spain. Some men had to stay while Columbus set sail to Spain. They made a truce with the Indians living close by. The men would live with the Indians until Columbus would return. In Spain, apart from small amount of gold, he brought back pineapples, turkeys, parrots and tobacco.
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Because of what he found, Columbus was named Admiral of the Ocean Sea and was appointed Viceroy and Governor of the new lands.
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Columbus left with 17 ships that held more than 1,500 men, they were ready to begin colonizing the islands Columbus had found. When they arrived, the people that Columbus left had been killed by the native people. They decided to start a new settlement to find gold. They decided to enslave the natives and forced them to help search.
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Columbus left Seville with 6 ships and finally reached the continental mainland when he landed in Venezuela. Unfortunately, conditions at the settlement were extremely bad and the settlers blamed Columbus.
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Columbus promised the settlers at Hispaniola that he would return quickly with supplies. When he did go back, he found out that people were short of food and ready to rebel. Columbus also mistreated and tortured many Native Americans. Both him and his brother were arrested and shipped back to Spain as prisoners. Columbus lost all the honor that he had gained when he began his journey.
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He was still searching for a passage to India or China. However, Columbus and his men explored Central America but his ships fell apart. They had to stay stranded at Jamaica for one year before heading back to Spain in 1504.
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At the age of 54, Christopher Columbus died of a heart attack caused by Reiter's Syndrome. This syndrome causes joint swelling, eye disease, and urinary infections. He died probably believing that he had successfully sailed to Asia. What he didn't know when he passed away was that he was far away from reaching Asia.
