Uche egbuka biography of christopher columbus

His expeditions marked the beginning of extensive transatlantic exchange, known as the Columbian Exchange. This exchange involved not only the transfer of goods but also the sharing of cultures, ideas, and, unfortunately, diseases. The arrival of Europeans led to the introduction of horses, wheat, and coffee to the Americas while crops like potatoes and corn became integral to European diets, significantly impacting agricultural practices on both sides of the Atlantic.

However, the legacy of Columbus is complex and controversial. While his discoveries contributed to the rapid expansion of European power, they also resulted in significant suffering and destruction for Indigenous populations. The introduction of Old World diseases like smallpox devastated native communities, effectively decimating their populations.

As a result, the once vibrant cultures of Indigenous peoples were irrevocably altered, leading to loss of identity and heritage. This duality highlights how Columbus, often celebrated as a pioneering explorer, also stands as a symbol of conquest and colonization that irrevocably changed the world. Christopher Columbus, originally known as Cristoforo Colombo, married Filipa Perestrelo in the late s while he was residing in Lisbon, Portugal.

Filipa was the daughter of a prominent nobleman, and their union provided Columbus with valuable connections that might have aided his later expeditions. Together, they had one son, Diego, who was born around Tragically, Filipa passed away when Diego was still a child, which left Columbus to navigate his early fatherhood without her support.

Columbus eventually had a second son, Fernando, born inwith Beatriz Enriquez de Arana, a woman with whom he had a long-term relationship. Unlike Diego, who was recognized as Columbus's legitimate heir, Fernando's status was more complicated due to his illegitimate birth. Columbus's children played varying roles in his legacy; while Diego officially inherited many of Columbus's titles and fortunes, Fernando distanced himself from some of his father's controversial actions.

Together, these children contributed to Columbus's personal life story, reflecting both his ambitions as an explorer and the complexities of his family relationships. Columbus was deeply religious and his tendency to be sanctimonious and judgemental of personal failings was not popular with sailors who took a more earthy and realistic approach to life.

Yet, whilst he was pious in some regards, he also shared the view, common at the time, that European Christians had a moral superiority due to their following the one true faith. Although Columbus held back some of the worst excesses of his sailors, he took back human slaves and looted property from the indigenous people. As part of the deal, the Spanish monarchy appointed Columbus Viceroy and Governor of the Indies in the island of Hispaniola.

He also delegated the governorship to his brothers. However, inon the orders of the Spanish monarchy, Columbus was arrested and placed in chains. There were allegations of incompetence, misrule and barbaric practices in the governorship of the new colonies. After several weeks in jail, Columbus and his brothers were released, but Columbus was not allowed to be governor of Hispaniola anymore.

Towards the end of his life, Columbus became increasingly religious. He was also frustrated with his lack of public recognition and seeming demotion in the eyes of the Spanish monarchs. This time he traveled along the eastern coast of Central America in an unsuccessful search for a route to the Indian Ocean. A storm wrecked one of his uche egbuka biographies of christopher columbus, stranding the captain and his sailors on the island of Cuba.

On February 29,a lunar eclipse alarmed the natives enough to re-establish trade with the Spaniards. A rescue party finally arrived, sent by the royal governor of Hispaniola in July, and Columbus and his men were taken back to Spain in November In the two remaining years of his life, Columbus struggled to recover his reputation. Although he did regain some of his riches in Mayhis titles were never returned.

Columbus probably died of severe arthritis following an infection on May 20,in Valladolid, Spain. At the time of his death, he still believed he had discovered a shorter route to Asia. There are questions about the location of his burial site. In MayColumbus made headlines as news broke that a team of archaeologists might have found the Santa Maria off the north coast of Haiti.

After a thorough investigation by the U. Columbus has been credited for opening up the Americas to European colonization—as well as blamed for the destruction of the native peoples of the islands he explored. Ultimately, he failed to find that what he set out for: a new route to Asia and the riches it promised. The horse from Europe allowed Native American tribes in the Great Plains of North America to shift from a nomadic to a hunting lifestyle.

Wheat from the Old World fast became a main food source for people in the Americas. Coffee from Africa and sugar cane from Asia became major cash crops for Latin American countries. And foods from the Americas, such as potatoes, tomatoes and corn, became staples for Europeans and helped increase their populations. The Columbian Exchange also brought new diseases to both hemispheres, though the effects were greatest in the Americas.

Smallpox from the Old World killed millions, decimating the Native American populations to mere fractions of their original numbers.

Uche egbuka biography of christopher columbus

This more than any other factor allowed for European domination of the Americas. The overwhelming benefits of the Columbian Exchange went to the Europeans initially and eventually to the rest of the world. The Americas were forever altered, and the once vibrant cultures of the Indigenous civilizations were changed and lost, denying the world any complete understanding of their existence.

As more Italians began to immigrate to the United States and settle in major cities during the 19 th century, they were subject to religious and ethnic discrimination. Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa between August and October His father was a weaver and small-time merchant. As a teenager, Christopher went to sea, travelled extensively and eventually made Portugal his base.

It was here that he initially attempted to gain royal patronage for a westward voyage to the Orient - his 'enterprise of the Indies'. When this failed, and appeals to the French and English courts were also rejected, Columbus found himself in Spain, still struggling to win backing for his project. Ten weeks later, land was sighted.