Christopher Columbus 1451 - 1506

Who Was Christopher Columbus? Christopher Columbus is famous for being an explorer in the 15th century. He was born in 1451 in Genoa in Italy.

The Young Christopher As a young man Christopher enjoyed the sea. He went to sea when he was still a boy and found the life of a sailor to be very exciting.

Travel & Exploration At the time when Columbus lived people travelled by horse when journeying across land and by ship for journeys at sea. The journey from Portugal to Asia to trade for silks and spices was a long and often dangerous one.

Quick Quiz Where was Columbus born? What colours are in the Italian flag. What adjective is used to describe how Columbus viewed life at sea? Name 2 methods of travel used in the 15th century. Why was trade with the East so important?

A New Direction Columbus wanted to find a quicker route to reach the countries in the East that provided the goods desired in Europe. It was for this reason that he decided to sail west hoping to reach Asia from a new direction.

Financing the Journey Columbus found it difficult to get the money for his journey but eventually King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain financed his expedition.

The Ships Columbus set sail with three ships, the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria.

A Long Journey After a long journey across the Atlantic Ocean, Columbus and his crew came to the islands of the east coast of America which we now call the West Indies.

Hispaniola Columbus landed on the island of Hispaniola, which we now call Haiti and the Dominican Republic. From here he went on to explore other islands in the region. Having discovered the mouth of the Orinoco River, Columbus thought he’d found the Garden of Eden, a common belief at the time was that all great rivers flowed from the Garden.

Quick Quiz 2 Where did Columbus get the money for his expeditions. Name three of his ships. Which ocean did Columbus sail across to find the New World? What name did he give to the island we now know as Haiti and the Dominican Republic? What biblical destination did Columbus think he had discovered?

Advantages to Columbus’ Discovery Thanks to the voyages made by Columbus important crops were introduced to Europe. Crops such as corn, potatoes, tomatoes, lima beans, squash, peanuts, cacao, and pineapple. While the new lands were introduced to European crops, such as wheat, rice, coffee, bananas, and olives. Animals were also brought to the Americas: horses, cows, pigs, and chickens were all introduced.

Disadvantages to Columbus’ Explorations The native people of the new lands to which Columbus and his crew travelled had not previously been exposed to European diseases and many died as a result. Diseases such as diphtheria, measles, smallpox, and malaria devastated the indigenous American population. The Europeans did not think highly of the natives and didn’t value the culture of the area. They often viewed the local population as slave labour.

Complete the table in your book: Advantages of Columbus’ Voyages Disadvantages of Columbus’ Voyages

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