In 1492 Christopher Columbus (1451–1506) sailed west across the Atlantic Ocean. His aim was to find a sea route to the rich lands of East Asia—the lands of spices and silks. These lands were known to Europeans as the Indies. When Columbus set foot on one of the Caribbean islands he was convinced that he had found the Indies. He called the local people that he met “Indians”. To this day, the Caribbean islands are sometimes called the West Indies. Columbus's four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean made Europeans aware of the existence of the Americas.

Early life

Christopher Columbus was born in the Republic of Genoa in 1451. In those days, Genoa was an independent state with its own language (he was known locally as Christoffa Corombo). Before he was 20, Columbus went to sea, sailing aboard a Genoese warship fighting the Kingdom of Naples. He later travelled to England, and, possibly, Iceland, before moving to work as a trader in Lisbon, Portugal. He married a Portuguese woman called Filipa Moniz Perestrelo.

An ambitious man, Columbus taught himself Latin, Portuguese and Castilian Spanish. He read widely about astronomy, geography and history, including the works of Claudius Ptolemy and the travels of Marco Polo.

​​​​​​​Between 1482 and 1485, Columbus sailed along the coast of West Africa, reaching present-day Ghana. While he was away, Filipa died. Columbus returned to Portugal and took his son Diego with him to Spain. His African expedition had inspired him to make plans for a great new voyage.

With the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks in 1453, the land route to Asia had become much more difficult and dangerous. Cut off from the source of valuable goods such as silk and spices, Portuguese navigators looked to find a way to Asia by sea instead.

​​​​​​​By the late 15th century, most educated people agreed that the Earth was spherical. In 1470, the Florentine astronomer Paolo Toscanelli suggested to King Afonso V of Portugal that sailing west would be a quicker way to reach Cathay (China), Cipangu (Japan) and the Spice Islands than a route around Africa. Columbus picked up on Toscanelli's suggestion and proposed a plan to reach the Indies by sailing west across the "Ocean Sea", the Atlantic Ocean. It would be quicker and easier than taking the long and hazardous route eastwards.

The Vikings had been the first Europeans to reach the Americas, in the 11th century—but their discovery had long been forgotten. No one in Europe knew of the existence of the Americas, and Columbus had no idea that his voyage westward would lead him to a new continent.

Columbus initially asked King John II of Portugal to sponsor his expedition. However, the king thought that Columbus had miscalculated the size of the Atlantic Ocean, so he refused to give him money. Columbus then turned to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. Eager to compete with other European countries for trade with the Indies, Ferdinand and Isabella believed Columbus's project—although far-fetched—held great promise. They agreed to finance his voyage.

First voyage

Columbus's fleet sailed from Palos, Spain, 3rd August 1492 with three ships under his command: the flagship Santa María and the smaller caravels (ships with lateen, or triangular, sails), Niña and Pinta. To reassure his restless crew during the voyage, Columbus kept a false log, which indicated that they were not as far from Spain as they really were.

After several false alarms, land was sighted in October. The crew landed on a tiny island which they named San Salvador (“Holy Saviour”). Here they met friendly natives. Thinking he had arrived in the East Indies, Columbus called them “Indians”. He was disappointed, however, not to find the busy Chinese ports he had expected. In fact, Columbus was in what we today call the Bahamas, in the Caribbean Sea. He had reached the Americas.

Cuba and Hispaniola

Hoping to find the rich Asian cities they had expected, the crew sailed on to Cuba, which was inhabited by the friendly Taino people. The Europeans were amazed to discover that they slept in hanging beds called hammocks and smoked tobacco leaves.

In November, the crew of the Pinta deserted the expedition, disappointed that no treasure had been found.

Second voyage

Following his triumphant return to Spain, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella made Columbus the governor of the islands he had discovered. Six months later, in September 1493, he set out for Hispaniola with a fleet of 17 ships and a crew of over 1000 men.

​​​​​​​On arrival, Columbus discovered that the Taino people had destroyed the fort that had been built before he left. They had also killed all of his men. Work soon began on a new settlement, which Columbus named Isabella in honour of the Spanish queen. Angered by the arrival of more Spaniards, the Tainos rebelled. Many were killed in the battles that followed. Still more perished from diseases brought to the islands from Europe.