Who discovered America. South America: the discovery and voyages of Christopher Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci. Pre-Columbian expeditions to America
Columbus discovered America
The year when this Spanish navigator discovered a new land is indicated in history as 1492. And by the beginning of the eighteenth century, all other areas of North America, for example, Alaska and the regions of the Pacific coast, had already been discovered and explored. It must be said that travelers from Russia also made an important contribution to the exploration of the mainland.
Development
The history of the discovery of North America is quite interesting: it can even be called accidental. At the end of the fifteenth century, a Spanish navigator and his expedition reached the shores of North America. At the same time, he mistakenly believed that he was in India. From this moment begins the countdown of the era when America was discovered and its exploration and exploration began. But some researchers consider this date inaccurate, arguing that the discovery of a new continent occurred much earlier.
The year Columbus discovered America - 1492 - is not an exact date. It turns out that the Spanish navigator had predecessors, and more than one. In the middle of the tenth century, the Normans arrived here after they discovered Greenland. True, they failed to colonize these new lands, since they were repelled by harsh weather north of this continent. In addition, the Normans were also frightened by the remoteness of the new continent from Europe.
According to other sources, this continent was discovered by ancient sailors - the Phoenicians. Some sources call the middle of the first millennium AD the time when America was discovered, and the Chinese as the pioneers. However, this version also does not have clear evidence.
The most reliable information is considered to be about the time when the Vikings discovered America. At the end of the tenth century, the Normans Bjarni Herjulfson and Leif Eriksson found Helluland - “stone”, Markland - “forest” and Vinland - “vineyards” of land, which contemporaries identify with the Labrador Peninsula.
There is evidence that even before Columbus, in the fifteenth century, the northern continent was reached by Bristol and Biscay fishermen, who called it the island of Brazil. However, the time periods of these expeditions cannot be called the milestone in history when America was truly discovered, that is, it was identified as a new continent.
Columbus - a true discoverer
And yet, when answering the question of what year America was discovered, experts most often name the fifteenth century, or rather its end. And Columbus is considered the first to do this. The time when America was discovered coincided in history with the period when Europeans began to spread ideas about the round shape of the Earth and the possibility of reaching India or China along the western route, that is, through Atlantic Ocean. It was believed that this path was much shorter than the eastern one. Therefore, given the Portuguese monopoly on control of the South Atlantic, obtained by the Treaty of Alcázovaz in 1479, Spain, always eager to gain direct contacts with eastern countries, warmly supported the expedition of the Genoese navigator Columbus in a western direction.
Honor of opening
Christopher Columbus was interested in geography, geometry and astronomy from an early age. From a young age, he took part in sea expeditions and visited almost all the then known oceans. Columbus was married to the daughter of a Portuguese sailor, from whom he received many geographical maps and notes from the time of Henry the Navigator. The future discoverer carefully studied them. His plan was to find sea route to India, but not bypassing Africa, but directly across the Atlantic. Like some scientists - his contemporaries, Columbus believed that, having gone west from Europe, it would be possible to reach the Asian eastern shores - those places where India and China are located. At the same time, he did not even suspect that on the way he would meet an entire continent, hitherto unknown to Europeans. But it happened. And from this time the history of the discovery of America began.
First expedition
For the first time, Columbus's ships sailed from Palos harbor on August 3, 1492. There were three of them. The expedition proceeded quite calmly to the Canary Islands: this section of the journey was already known to the sailors. But very soon they found themselves in a vast ocean. Gradually the sailors began to become despondent and begin to grumble. But Columbus managed to pacify the rebellious, maintaining hope in them. Soon signs began to appear - harbingers of the proximity of land: unknown birds flew in, tree branches floated up. Finally, after six weeks of sailing, lights appeared at night, and when dawn broke, a green picturesque island, all covered with vegetation. Columbus, having landed on shore, declared this land to be the possession of the Spanish crown. The island was named San Salvador, that is, the Savior. It was one of the small pieces of land included in the Bahamas or Lucayan archipelago.
The land where there is gold
The natives are peaceful and good-natured savages. Noticing the greed of those who sailed for the gold jewelry that hung in the noses and ears of the aborigines, they told with signs that in the south there was a land literally abounding in gold. And Columbus moved on. In the same year, he discovered Cuba, which, although he mistook it for the mainland, or rather, the eastern coast of Asia, he also declared it a Spanish colony. From here the expedition, turning east, landed in Haiti. Moreover, along the entire route the Spaniards met savages who not only willingly exchanged their gold jewelry for simple glass beads and other trinkets, but also constantly pointed to south direction, when asked about this precious metal. Which Columbus named Hispaniola, or Little Spain, he built a small fortress.
Return
When the ships landed in Palos harbor, all the inhabitants came ashore to greet them with honors. Columbus and Ferdinand and Isabella received him very graciously. The news of the discovery of the New World spread very quickly, and those who wanted to go there with the discoverer gathered just as quickly. At that time, Europeans had no idea what kind of America Christopher Columbus discovered.
Second trip
The history of the discovery of North America, which began in 1492, continued. From September 1493 to June 1496, the second expedition of the Genoese navigator took place. As a result, the Virgin and Windward Islands were discovered, including Antigua, Dominica, Nevis, Montserrat, St. Christopher, as well as Puerto Rico and Jamaica. The Spaniards firmly settled in the lands of Haiti, making them their base and building the fortress of San Domingo in its southeastern part. In 1497, the British entered into competition with them, also trying to find northwestern routes to Asia. For example, the Genoese Cabot, under the English flag, discovered the island of Newfoundland and, according to some reports, came very close to the North American coast: the peninsulas of Labrador and Nova Scotia. Thus, the British began to lay the foundation for their dominance in the North American region.
Third and fourth expeditions
It began in May 1498 and ended in November 1500. As a result, the mouth of the Orinoco was also opened. In August 1498, Columbus landed on the coast already on the Paria Peninsula, and in 1499 the Spaniards reached the shores of Guiana and Venezuela, after which - Brazil and the mouth of the Amazon. And during the last - fourth - journey from May 1502 to November 1504, Columbus discovered Central America. His ships sailed along the coasts of Honduras and Nicaragua, reaching from Costa Rica and Panama all the way to the Gulf of Darien.
New continent
In the same year, another navigator, whose expeditions took place under the Portuguese flag, also explored the Brazilian coast. Having reached Cape Cananea, he put forward the hypothesis that the lands that Columbus discovered were not China, or even India, but a completely new continent. This idea was confirmed after the first trip around the world perfected by F. Magellan. However, contrary to logic, the name America was assigned to the new continent - on behalf of Vespucci.
True, there is some reason to believe that the new continent was named in honor of the Bristol philanthropist Richard America from England, who financed the second transatlantic voyage in 1497, and Amerigo Vespucci after that took a nickname in honor of the continent named so. To prove this theory, researchers cite the facts that Cabot reached the shores of Labrador two years earlier, and therefore became the officially registered first European to set foot on American soil.
In the mid-sixteenth century, Jacques Cartier, a French navigator, reached the shores of Canada, giving the territory its modern name.
Other contenders
The exploration of the continent of North America was continued by such navigators as John Davis, Alexander Mackenzie, Henry Hudson and William Baffin. It was thanks to their research that the continent was studied right up to the Pacific coast.
However, history knows many other names of sailors who landed on American soil even before Columbus. These are Hui Shen, a Thai monk who visited this region in the fifth century, Abubakar, the Sultan of Mali, who sailed to the American coast in the fourteenth century, the Earl of Orkney de Saint-Clair, the Chinese explorer Zhee He, the Portuguese Juan Corterial, etc.
But, in spite of everything, Christopher Columbus is the person whose discoveries had an unconditional impact on the entire history of mankind.
Fifteen years after the time when the ships of this navigator discovered America, the very first geographic map mainland. Its author was Martin Waldseemüller. Today it, being the property of the United States, is stored in Washington.
The continents known today as the North and South America, were discovered in the prehistoric period. Before European explorers arrived in the Americas, tens of millions of indigenous people lived here. The lands of the Americas have been repeatedly "discovered" by peoples coming from different parts of the world over many generations, dating back to the Stone Age when a group of hunters first visited a land that was truly the unexplored New World.
It becomes curious why it is then believed that America was discovered by Christopher Columbus. In addition, other theories are widespread regarding who first discovered America: Irish monks (6th century), Vikings (10th century), sailors from China (15th century), etc.
The first settlers in America
Tribal migration route from Asia to North America The first people to settle in America came there from Asia, probably about 15 thousand years ago. During the Pleistocene era, the melting ice sheets of the Laurentian and Cordilleran glaciers formed a narrow corridor and land bridge between Russia and Alaska. Land bridge between west coast Alaska and Siberia, known as the Bering Isthmus, opened due to falling ocean levels and connected the continents of Asia and North America.
Interesting fact: In place of the Bering Isthmus, the current Bering Strait was formed, separating Asia and North America. The strait was named after the Russian naval officer Vitus Bering, who crossed it in 1728.
The settlement of America by indigenous peoples The ancient settlers of America - the Paleo-Indians - passed through the Bering Isthmus from Asia to America following the movement of large animals. These migrations occurred before the Laurentian and Cordilleran glaciers closed and closed the corridor. The settlement of America continued further by sea or by ice. After the ice plates melted and the Ice Age ended, the settlers who came to the Americas became isolated from other continents. Thus, the American continents were first discovered by nomadic Asian tribes about 15 thousand years ago, who initially settled North America, then spread to Central and South America and subsequently became the Native American peoples.
The continents known today as North and South America were discovered in prehistory. Before European explorers arrived in the Americas, tens of millions of indigenous people lived here. The lands of the Americas have been repeatedly "discovered" by peoples coming from different parts of the world over many generations, dating back to the Stone Age when a group of hunters first visited a land that was truly the unexplored New World.
It becomes curious why it is then believed that America was discovered by Christopher Columbus. In addition, other theories are widespread regarding who first discovered America: Irish monks (6th century), Vikings (10th century), sailors from China (15th century), etc.
The first settlers in America
Tribal Migration Route from Asia to North America The first people to settle in America came there from Asia, probably about 15 thousand years ago. During the Pleistocene era, the melting ice sheets of the Laurentian and Cordilleran glaciers formed a narrow corridor and land bridge between Russia and Alaska. The land bridge between the west coast of Alaska and Siberia, known as the Bering Isthmus, opened due to falling ocean levels and connected the continents of Asia and North America.
Interesting fact: In place of the Bering Isthmus, the current Bering Strait was formed, separating Asia and North America. The strait was named after the Russian naval officer Vitus Bering, who crossed it in 1728.
The settlement of America by indigenous peoples The ancient settlers of America - the Paleo-Indians - passed through the Bering Isthmus from Asia to America following the movement of large animals. These migrations occurred before the Laurentian and Cordilleran glaciers closed and closed the corridor. The settlement of America continued further by sea or by ice. After the ice plates melted and the Ice Age ended, the settlers who came to the Americas became isolated from other continents. Thus, the American continents were first discovered by nomadic Asian tribes about 15 thousand years ago, who initially settled North America, then spread to Central and South America and subsequently became the Native American peoples.
Such an event as the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus is now of little interest to anyone, but just a few centuries ago America itself did not exist for Europeans at all.
No one could have imagined that beyond their narrow little world there was a huge world inhabited by large nations, a developed culture and a mass of monuments of ancient history.
Today America is the center of development of our world, where people from all over the planet flock, the best scientists, programmers, and simply active people who want to realize the American dream in their lives. And this is one of the most important reasons why it is worth knowing more about the discovery of this continent.
North America is interesting to study from a historical perspective, not only because it is unique and fascinating in its own way, but also in order to better understand its people, established values and culture.
It was the colonialist status of this powerful power that at one time became the incentive that forced it to actively develop and turn into what we see now. And it fell to the great traveler Columbus to discover this continent full of beauty and secrets.
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Who discovered America first
We all know the stories about the travels of the great man Columbus, who, together with his crew, fearlessly sailed the oceans in search of new places to spread the power of his country. This man acted both from the will of his leadership and the country, and was driven by personal interests, the desire to move and discover new things.
Amerigo Vespucci (1454 - 1512)
But not everyone knows that Columbus was not the first to discover America, since another equally legendary traveler managed to do it before him.
America got its name in honor of the most famous traveler of his time - Amerigo Vespucci. This resident of Florence, born in 1454, set out under the leadership of Admiral Alonso de Ojeda as a navigator to conquer unprecedented lands.
It was he who gave Venezuela its current name, which means “little Venice,” and also discovered dozens of other places, which later largely retained the names given to them. It is interesting that Vespucci most likely was personally acquainted with the Spanish traveler Columbus; their acquaintance probably took place in the trading house of Danoto Berardi.
The discoverer Vespucci did not go unnoticed, and it was in honor of his discoveries that the lands of the New Overseas World were later named America.
What then did Columbus discover?
If it was Vespucci who discovered the continents of America, which is reflected even in its name, then what are the merits of the famous Columbus, why is he considered the discoverer of this region of the world?
Many travelers reached the shores of the New World before Columbus, but the problem with their travels was that they did not leave behind any clear and structured information. The heritage of the travels of Christopher's predecessors remained in the shadows, few knew about them, and that part of the world still remained distant and mysterious.
Columbus himself, starting from 1499 and later, in his further voyages not only reached the shores of the Western Hemisphere, but collected a lot of information about the countries and islands located there.
It was he who opened these places to a wide range of Europeans and launched mass travel and migration to this region, beginning a century of great change and transformation of the whole world.
When and how America was discovered by Christopher Columbus
The discovery of America is a collective concept that includes many events, and not just some found most big Island or a country on a continent.
The discoverer is believed to have discovered New world in 1492, during his first expedition there. At this time, Spanish ships reached Haiti, Caribbean Islands, visited the Bahamas archipelago, as well as Cuba.
The first island that travelers met in America was San Salvador, where they landed in the memorable year 1492.
This expedition, like the three subsequent ones, was organized by the Spanish king with the goal of finding shorter routes to India, with which increasingly close trade relations were being established at that time. But fate turned out differently, and the sailors’ path went to the shores of completely new lands.
Columbus's four expeditions - a brief history of the discovery of America
In total, Columbus, together with other brave sailors, made 4 expeditions to the shores of Novaya Zemlya. Thanks to these visits, a lot of new islands, countries and regions appeared on the map, many of which still have the names that the sailors of the past assigned to them.
The first trip took place in 1492-1493, there were 91 people on 3 ships, the places visited at that time have already been mentioned above. The sailors returned home on March 15, 1943.
The next, 2nd journey, took place in 1493-1496. The navigator was already in the rank of admiral and, in addition to this, also the viceroy of the open lands. Now a team of one and a half thousand people and 17 ships was faced with the task of gaining a foothold in new lands and thoroughly exploring them. This time we managed to discover the Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico, Pinos, and delve significantly into the study of Haiti.
The third time the journey lasted 2 years (1498-1500) and this voyage made it possible to study even better New World. The islands of Trinidad and the Paria Peninsula were discovered, and the development of not only the lands of what is now the United States, but also South America began. The peninsulas of Margarita and Araya were also found, and many studies were carried out.
The last, 4th voyage of Columbus took place in 1502-1504. This time, the brave discoverer of new lands reached the Caribbean shores, visiting Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Panama. In 1503, trouble happened - a sailor's ship was wrecked near Jamaica.
Columbus's travel routes on the map
To clearly see the journey that the brave traveler from Europe took with his team, just look at the routes of all 4 expeditions shown on the map. In general terms, the features of the route of each new voyage are clear from the list of new lands discovered, but for greater clarity, you can use the following image:
Official discovery date of America
As mentioned above, the official date of the discovery of America is considered to be 1492, when the very first expedition of the great European sailor took place.
There are a lot of stories that indirectly indicate that the coast of America was first discovered not by Columbus or Vespucci, but by many other explorers and even representatives of the Viking people.
But the official date of discovery is precisely 1492, because it was not just a discovery on the map, but also the discovery of the countries of the New World as a cultural phenomenon, the beginning of an endless flow of emigrants and the establishment of trade and economic ties.
The fact that it was Christopher Columbus who took upon himself the great glory of being considered a discoverer is, in a way, a stroke of fate, but not just something that fell on one’s head, but given as a reward for courage, activity and lack of fear of trials and distant journeys.
The significance of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus
Obviously, the discovery of the New World for Europe in the form of North and South America became a grandiose event of its time and set the vector for the development of an entire world civilization for hundreds of years to come.
Thanks to these events, the United States emerged, at first frail and mired in internal conflicts, populated by incomprehensible personalities and adventurers, and later quickly transformed into an advanced country that fought slavery, created the most powerful dollar currency, and shifted progress in science and technology to new horizons.
The event in question has become extremely important both for Europe and America, and for the whole world. It is difficult to imagine what the current civilization, economic and political maps worlds, if not for the presence at one time of a Spanish daredevil, who, for the sake of the call of honor and a reckless desire for adventure, would not have gone to conquer the Atlantic Ocean.
Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus. 1492. (Briefly)
Christopher Columbus first landed on the shores of the New World: in San Salvador, Wisconsin, October 12, 1492.
Spanish artist Tolin Puebla Theophilus Dioscorus (1831-901)
Date of: 1492
"Old World" name the region of the Earth known to Europeans before the discovery of America. It included Europe, Asia and Africa. "New World"- this is America.
Discovery of America- this is the name of the event as a result of which the inhabitants of the Old World learned about the existence of America - the New World.
From the history:
Christopher Columbus (1451-1506). Genoese. Navigator, Spanish admiral.
Columbus undertook 4 expeditions. America was discovered as a result of the first expedition. The king of Spain of this period is Ferdinand, the queen is Isabella (she supported H. Columbus).
1st expedition- 1492-1493
Vessels: “Santa Maria”, “Pinta”, “Nina”.
Route: Palos da la Flonter, a city in Spain - Canary Islands– crossing the Atlantic ocean-island San Salvador in the Bohamian archipelago (12 October 1492 - official date of discovery of America) - Cuba is an island Haiti-Castile (Italy)
H. Columbus himself believed that opened the way to Asia, calling the land the West Indies and the inhabitants Indians.
In Spain, H. Columbus was greeted with great honors. The king appointed him “admiral of the sea-ocean,” viceroy of the lands that he had discovered and would discover in the future.
Ironically, the discoveries of the land did not give Columbus wealth. He died in poverty, forgotten by everyone.
During the expedition 1501-1502. Florentine navigator Amerigo Vespucci came to the conclusion that Columbus had discovered a new continent. In 1507 appeared on the map new land, conventionally called “Land of Amerigo”, later America.
Events in the history of Russia of this period:
Reign period IvanaIII (1462-1505)
1492-1494 - successful war with Lithuania, annexation of Vyazma and other cities.
Material prepared by: Melnikova Vera Aleksandrovna