<aside> 💡 In this lesson, you will…
Big Question: How and why was Christopher Columbus supported in his voyage to the New World?
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Following the Crusades and the resurgence of trade, the demand for goods from Asia in Europe experienced a significant increase. This surge in demand, however, was met with a major obstacle by 1453 when the lucrative land trade routes were blocked by the Muslim Ottoman Empire.
Driven by a strong desire for wealth, Europeans embarked on a quest to discover new routes to Asia, primarily by water. Despite the failures of the Crusades, European monarchs began to amass power and expand their influence worldwide. Notably, the monarchs of Spain and Portugal were particularly determined to secure a portion of the lucrative trade and obtain greater power. Consequently, they started utilizing their vast resources to finance expeditions.
While Portugal focused on charting a route along the coast of Africa to reach Asia, the rulers of Spain, Ferdinand and Isabella, were presented with an ambitious proposal by Christopher Columbus. Columbus firmly believed that he could reach Asia by sailing westward. With financial support from Spain's Catholic monarchs and Genoese merchants, Columbus requisitioned and manned three ships for his groundbreaking expedition.
“I promise this, that if I am supported by our most invincible sovereigns with a little of their help, as much gold can be supplied as they will need… as their Majesties will wish to demand.”
-Christopher Columbus, "Concerning the Islands Recently Discovered in the Indian Sea" (1493)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGtIHZMr0vQ
Christopher Columbus made his historic landing in the West Indies, specifically in the Bahamas, marking a significant milestone in history.
This monumental event, known as Columbus' "discovery" of the Americas, brought forth new opportunities and resources that would have a lasting impact on the economy of Europe. The newfound wealth and abundance of raw materials from the Americas would go on to reshape the economic landscape of Europe, transforming it in ways that were previously unimaginable.
In recent decades, activists and scholars have called attention to the darker legacy. Columbus’ treatment of the indigenous was generally brutal.
Columbus’s men pillaged villages to resupply themselves and enslaved large numbers of indigenous people.
This is corroborated by several sources, including by Columbus himself:
“With fifty men I could subjugate all [the indigenous] and make them do everything that is required of them… If it please our Lord, I intend at my return to carry home six of them to your Highnesses, that they may learn our language and customs.”
Christopher Columbus (1492)