Everyone from school knows the story of how in 1492 the Italian navigator Christopher Columbus reached the shores of America, mistaking it for India. Many believe that this historical moment is the discovery of America, however, everything was much more confusing.
First Europeans in North America
Modern archaeological evidence suggests that the Scandinavian Vikings were the real discoverers of America. Written sources describing these travels were:
- The Greenlandic Saga;
- "The Saga of Eric the Red".
Both works described the events of the late X - early XI century. They told about the sea expeditions of Icelanders and Norwegians to the west. The first person to decide on long journey among the polar ice was the adventurer and navigator Eric the Red. Eric committed several murders for which he was first expelled from Norway, then from Iceland. After the second exile, Eric gathered a whole flotilla of 30 ships and headed west. There he discovered a huge island, which he called Greenland. The first Viking settlements appeared here, which gradually turned into full-fledged colonies that existed for several centuries.
However, the Vikings did not stop there and continued their advance westward. According to medieval evidence, at the end of the 10th century, the Vikings knew about the existence of a certain land called Vinland. The inhabitants of Vinland, according to the Scandinavian descriptions, were small, dark, with wide cheekbones and dressed in animal skins.
Similar legends existed among the indigenous people of North America. Among the Indians who lived in Canada, there was a legend about the mythical kingdom of tall white-skinned and fair-haired people who have a lot of gold and furs.
For a long time, the fact of the presence of the Vikings in North America remained unconfirmed. But in the 1960s, a real Scandinavian settlement was discovered on Newfoundland. Presumably, it was founded by Eric the Red, and then led by his followers, including the sailor's daughter and daughter-in-law. However, this Scandinavian colony did not last long. Due to conflicts with the Indians, the Vikings had to leave Vinland.
Another indisputable fact in favor of the presence of the Vikings in North America was put forward by genetics. Scientists who have studied the origins of the modern inhabitants of Iceland have discovered the presence of Indian blood in their genes. And in 2010, anthropologists were able to study the remains of an Americanoid woman, who influenced the genetic makeup of the Icelanders. Obviously, she was taken as a slave from North America to Iceland at the beginning of the 11th century.
Thus, the Vikings were undoubtedly the first people who discovered America for Europeans.
Activities of Amerigo Vespucci
Due to the fact that the Vinland colony existed for only a few years, specific information about it was gradually erased from human memory. Once opened, America again ceased to exist for Europeans. When Christopher Columbus set off on his journey, only two continents were depicted on the maps of the world - Eurasia and Africa. In 1498, the Portuguese Vasco da Gamma crossed the Pacific Ocean to India. His journey ended successfully, and then it became known in Europe that the lands that Columbus reached were not India at all. All this negatively affected the authority of the Italian navigator. Columbus was declared a fraud and stripped of all his pioneering privileges.
The man who made the maps of the new lands and, as a result, gave them his name, was the Florentine Amerigo Vespucci. Vespucci was originally a financier. In 1493 he was approached by Christopher Columbus, who had recently returned from his first expedition and wanted to continue exploring the open lands. Columbus decided that the land he discovered was some kind of island in Asia that required closer study. Vespucci agreed to fund Columbus's subsequent travels. And in 1499 Vespucci decided to leave the banker's chair for the sake of sea adventures and he himself went on an expedition to unknown lands.
The path of Vespucci lay to the shores of South America, while the traveler used the maps that Columbus gave him. Vespucci carefully studied the coast and came to the conclusion that these are not separate Asian islands, but a whole continent. These lands Vespucci decided to call the New World.
The former banker's expeditions became known to many European monarchs. In the early 16th century, Vespucci served as a cartographer, cosmographer and navigator to the Spanish and Portuguese monarchs.
In total, Vespucci participated in three journeys... In their course, he:
- explored the coasts of Brazil and Venezuela;
- explored the mouth of the Amazon;
- managed to climb the Brazilian Highlands.
From his travels, Vespucci brought slaves, sandalwood and travel notes, which were later published and sold in large circulation. Apart from their geographical discoveries, Vespucci described in his diaries manners local residents, flora and fauna of new lands.
Already in 1507, the first maps appeared, on which a new continent was plotted. According to the tradition that developed during this period, the lands of the New World began to be called America - in honor of Amerigo Vespucci.
For the first time the idea of \u200b\u200bcrossing the Atlantic Ocean to find a direct and quick way to India, presumably visited Columbus as early as 1474 as a result of correspondence with the Italian geographer Toscanelli. The navigator made the necessary calculations and decided that the easiest way would be to sail through Canary Islands... He believed that from them to Japan only about five thousand kilometers, and from the Country rising sun finding a way to India will not be difficult.
But Columbus was able to fulfill his dream only after a few years, he repeatedly tried to interest the Spanish monarchs in this event, but his demands were recognized as excessive and costly. And only in 1492, Queen Isabella gave on the trip and promised to make Columbus admiral and viceroy of all open lands, although she did not donate money. The navigator himself was poor, but his colleague, the ship owner Pinson, gave his ships to Christopher.
Discovery of America
The first expedition, which began in August 1492, was attended by three ships - the famous "Niña", "Santa Maria" and "Pinta". In October, Columbus reached land and ashore, it was the island he named San Salvador. Confident that this is a poor part of China or some other undeveloped land, Columbus, nevertheless, was surprised by many things unknown to him - he first saw tobacco, cotton clothes, hammocks.
Local Indians told about the existence of the island of Cuba in the south, and Columbus went in search of him. During the expedition, Haiti and Tortuga were discovered. These lands were declared the property of the Spanish monarchs, and the fort of La Navidad was created in Haiti. The navigator set off back together with plants and animals, gold and a group of natives, whom the Europeans called the Indians, since no one had yet suspected the discovery of the New World. All lands found were considered part of Asia.
During the second expedition, Haiti, the Jardines de la Reina archipelago, the island of Pinos, Cuba were surveyed. For the third time, Columbus discovered the island of Trinidad, found the mouth of the Orinoco River and the island of Margarita. The fourth voyage made it possible to explore the shores of Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua. The path to India was never found, but South America was discovered. Columbus finally realized that there was an entire continent to the south of Cuba - a barrier to wealthy Asia. The Spanish navigator initiated the exploration of the New World.
The continents known today as North and South America were discovered in prehistoric times. Before European explorers arrived in America, tens of millions of indigenous peoples lived here. The lands of America were repeatedly "discovered" by peoples coming from different corners peace for many generations, starting in the Stone Age, when a group of hunters first visited a land that was truly an unexplored New World.
It becomes curious why then it is believed that America was discovered by Christopher Columbus. In addition, other theories are widespread about who first discovered America: Irish monks (6th century), Vikings (10th century), sailors from China (15th century), etc.
First settlers in America
Migration route of tribes from Asia to North America The first people to settle in America came from Asia, probably about 15 thousand years ago. In the Pleistocene epoch, the ice sheets of the Laurentian and Cordillera glaciers, as a result of melting, formed a narrow corridor and a 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: On the site of the Bering Isthmus, the present Bering Strait was formed, separating Asia and North America. The strait was named in honor of Vitus Bering, an officer of the Russian fleet, who crossed it in 1728.
Population 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 took place before the Laurentian and Cordillera glaciers closed and closed the corridor. The settlement of America continued in the future by sea or on ice. After the ice plates melted and the ice age ended, the settlers who arrived in America became isolated from other continents. Thus, the American continents were first discovered by nomadic Asian tribes about 15 thousand years ago, which originally settled in North America, then spread to Central and South America and later became Native American peoples.
The history of the discovery of America is quite amazing. These events took place at the end of the 15th century due to the rapid development of navigation and shipping in Europe. In many ways, we can say that the discovery of the American continent happened quite by accident and the motives were very commonplace - the search for gold, wealth, large trading cities.
In the 15th century, ancient tribes lived on the territory of modern America, who were very good-natured and hospitable. In Europe, in those days, the states were already quite developed and modern. Each country tried to expand its sphere of influence, to find new sources of replenishment of the state treasury. At the end of the 15th century, trade flourished, the development of new colonies.
Who discovered America?
In the 15th century, ancient tribes lived on the territory of modern America, who were very good-natured and hospitable. In Europe, even then, the states were quite developed and modern. Each country tried to expand its sphere of influence, to find new sources of replenishment of the state treasury.
When you ask any adult and child who discovered America, we will hear about Columbus. It was Christopher Columbus who gave impetus to the active search and development of new lands.
Christopher Columbus - the great spanish sailor... There is little information about where he was born and spent his childhood and they are contradictory. It is known that being young, Christopher was fond of cartography. He was married to the daughter of a navigator. In 1470, the geographer and astronomer Toscanelli informed Columbus of his suggestions that the journey to India was shorter by sailing west. Apparently then Columbus began to nurture his idea of \u200b\u200ba short route to India, while according to his calculations, it was necessary to sail through the Canary Islands, and there already Japan would be close.
Since 1475, Columbus has been making attempts to implement the idea and make an expedition. The goal of the expedition is to find a new trade route to India across the Atlantic Ocean. To do this, he turned to the government and merchants of Genoa, but he was not supported. The second attempt to find funding for the expedition was the Portuguese king João II, but even here, after a long study of the project, he was refused.
The last time with his project, he came to the Spanish king. At the beginning, his project was considered for a long time, even several meetings and commissions were held, this lasted several years. His idea was supported by bishops and Catholic kings. But Columbus received the final support for his project after the victory of Spain in the city of Granada, which was freed from the Arab presence.
The expedition was organized on the condition that Columbus, if successful, will receive not only the gifts and riches of the new lands, but will also receive, in addition to the status of a nobleman, the title: Admiral of the Sea-Ocean and Viceroy of all lands, which he will discover. For Spain, a successful expedition promised not only the development of new lands, but also the opportunity to trade with India directly, since according to the agreement concluded with Portugal, Spanish ships were prohibited from entering the waters west coast Africa.
When and how did Columbus discover America?
Historians consider the year 1942 to be the year of America's discovery, although this is a rather rough estimate. While discovering new lands and islands, Columbus did not even imagine that this was another continent, which would later be called the "New World". The traveler undertook 4 expeditions. He came to new and new lands, believing that these are the lands of "Western India". For a long time, everyone in Europe thought so. However, another traveler Vasco da Gama declared Columbus a deceiver, since it was Gamma who found the direct path to India and brought gifts and spices from there.
What kind of America did Christopher Columbus discover? We can say that thanks to his expeditions since 1492, Columbus discovered both North and South America. To be more precise, the islands were discovered, which are now considered either South or North America.
Who Discovered America First?
Although historically it is believed that it was Columbus who discovered America, in fact this is not entirely true.
There is evidence that " New World"previously visited the Scandinavians (Leif Eriksson in 1000, Thorfinn Karlsefni in 1008), this trip became known from the manuscripts" The Saga of Eric the Red "and" The Saga of the Greenlanders. "There are other" discoverers of America ", but the scientific community is not takes them seriously, since there is no reliable data.For example, the African traveler from Mali - Abu Bakr II, the Scottish nobleman Henry Sinclair, the Chinese traveler Zheng He previously visited America.
Why was America called America?
The first widely known and recorded fact is the visit to this part of the "New World" by the traveler and navigator Amerigo Vespucci. It is noteworthy that it was he who put forward the assumption that this is not India or China, but a completely new, previously unknown continent. It is believed that this is why the name of America was assigned to the new land, and not its discoverer, Columbus.
October 12, 1492 is a significant date in world history, since it was on this day that the expedition of Christopher Columbus reached the island of San Salvador and thereby discovered new continent - America. Let us deal with the main prerequisites for such an "incident", isolating some facts, analyze the course of the expedition itself and briefly summarize its results for the states of that time.
Basic prerequisites
It is not entirely correct to speak about the prerequisites for the discovery of America in isolation from the context of other great geographical discoveries: in addition to the Columbus expedition, many attempts were made to reach new lands by sea. There are three main factors that are crucial for the formation of such aspirations in many states and travelers:
- Not so long ago, under the onslaught of the Ottoman Turks, Byzantium fell, which served as the birth of the Ottoman Empire. Since the latter was located in the east of the Mediterranean and in Asia Minor, all trade relations ("Silk Road") with the countries of the east were terminated.
- Spices that were purchased in India and Indochina, as well as many other goods, were extremely important for European states.
- In the 14th century, geographers misunderstood the size of the Earth. It was believed that all land is limited to the continents of Eurasia and Africa; also thought that the distance between the western point of Europe and east point Asia - no more than a few thousand kilometers.
Expedition progress
The beginning of the expedition is considered to be August 3, 1492, when: on this very day, three ships ("Santa Maria", "Pinta", "Niña") began their journey from the Spanish city of Palos de La Frontera. The first documented event was the appearance of algae on the path on September 16. We mention this fact for a reason: while passing through body of water with seaweed, the Sargasso Sea was discovered. The next event took place on October 7, 1492, when the course was seriously changed: it seemed to the crew that the ships passed Japan. That is why the expedition headed southwest.
Soon enough - October 12 - from the ships they saw one of the famous Bahamas, named San Salvador - a kind of symbolic tribute to the image of Jesus Christ. According to the available information, the land was noticed by the sailor of the "Pinta" caravel Rodrigo de Triana, who did not manage to receive the reward promised by the King of Spain afterwards.
It should be noted that the duration of the Bahamas archipelago is more than a thousand kilometers: it "stretches" from Florida to Haiti and has about three thousand islands in its composition different sizes... On October 13, Columbus decided to land, during which he raised the Castilian banner; in fact, it was an official "takeover": an appropriate document was even drawn up.
For two weeks, the expedition moved southward, during which islands such as Cuba and Haiti were discovered. Since the geographical representations of the 15th century were seriously different from modern ones, Columbus counted these lands East Asia... Subsequently, the open areas received the appropriate name - "West Indies".
The next important incident happened already in December - on the 26th the ship "Santa Maria" was unlucky enough to get to the reefs. Thanks to the help of the natives - the indigenous inhabitants - the navigators managed to cope with the misfortune: guns, supplies, valuable cargo were removed. The wreckage of the ship became the basis for the creation of the fort, which became the first settlement of Europeans on the new continent. Its name is known to many - "Navidad".
The next major date is March 15, 1493, when the expedition returned to its homeland. It is worth noting that Columbus took with him the natives ("Indians"), some gold and plants outlandish for Europeans, among which were potatoes, tobacco and corn. Subsequently, three more expeditions were carried out, which we will not describe in detail; we only note that their result was the discovery of the islands of Jamaica, Dominica, Puerto Rico, as well as the territories of Honduras, Costa Rica and Nicaragua.
A moment of awareness
Note that at the time of the return of the expedition, many did not realize the significance of the discovery. Columbus himself was deeply disappointed: the natives did not make much of an impression on him, and no wealth was found during the expedition. Already soon - in 1494 - the so-called. Treaty of Tordesillas, which divided open territories between Portugal and Spain. At that time, it was not known that the entire west Side the American continent. Soon after the return of Columbus, many travelers headed towards the open lands, but the realization of what had happened did not come immediately.
The name "America" \u200b\u200bitself appeared only in 1507: this is how cartographers named the continent in honor of Amerigo Vespucci. The latter is also a famous discoverer: it was he who first suggested that open lands - not India at all, but the so-called. "New World". He sent reports in 1502 and 1504.
Outcome
It is obvious that the results of the discovery of a new continent were stunning: the situation in the world has changed fundamentally. The active development of new lands began, the development of shipbuilding was spurred on. It is natural that for some time international ties were significantly strengthened, but soon the new territories became the cause of numerous conflicts.
Another important point is the dramatic changes in the economy. The so-called. "Revolution" of prices caused by the flow of various metals (gold, silver and some others). World trade has significantly strengthened, and a huge number of new products have appeared.
Naturally, certain areas of science and technology began to develop more rapidly. Moreover, the discovery of America was reflected even in culture: Europeans learned about a fundamentally different structure of society, which was reflected in the works of Thomas More.
