Cristopher Columbus
And His
Great Voyages




By Chino Gambino


Cristopher Columbus was probably one of the greatest explorers of all time. His accomplishments are extra ordinary. Everyone knows that he came to find The New World, but theres much much more that he's done than that.

Christopher columbus was born in Genoa, Italy in fouteen fifty-one. As a child he recieced little schooling, and the schooling he got was less than satisfactory. He grew with a real education and because of this he was not very book smart but did have a lot of knowledge. This was not uncommon in those days and it really didn't make a difference Most people in Genoa bacame sailors anyway, which didn't really call for much schooling. That was the path that columbus too would end up taking.

Columbus wasn't always a great captain. Heading voyages, finding new lands, and expanding the spanish empire. Everyone has to start somewhere and work they're way up, which is exactly what he did. At the young of ninteen he got his first job as a sailor. That was not his first time on a voyage though. It is said that he had already sailed as far south as New Guinea before his sixtenth birthday. It was voyages like these wher he learned to develop his navigational skills, which he found he was quite good at. Navigation was not all he was good at. He found a love for astronymy that he learned as much as he could about. With the skills he learned he became quite a good sailor at a very young age.

In late fourteen seventy-one he tried in vain to get support from the portuguses king to explore the far east by sailing westward, A plan that his brother had thought up. The king would not fund his explorations or even help get him any supplies. This Prompted Columbus to leave Portugal for Spain and try his luck elsewhere.

Once in Spain Columbus received some assistance form Duke of Medina Celi, Don Luis de la Cerda. Who gave him a place to stay and minor jobs around the city. He was again unsecessful to get finiancial backing for his maritime endeavours. You really couldn't blame him to undertake such an endeavour that only rulers of nations could fund. While therehe started a relationship tha would result in the coming of his son diego.

Finally in Fourteen ninety-one columbus pleaded to King Ferdinand for the financial aid for his voyage to the far east and got it. Though an Italian Columbus would sail for portugal and claim land in its name, so by April of the same year he went before the crown again and was awarded twenty-thousand maravedis out of Queen Isabellas private resources. He then got all the supplies needed to make a voyage that would take some time and go down in history forever.

The squadron Columbus took on his first voyage consisted of three ships. The Santa Maria, completely decked and carried the flag of Admiral Columbus. The Nina and the pinta, both were undecked, with cabin and forecastles. Between all the ship they carried a total of one-hundred and twenty men. Before leaving it Columbus received the Sacraments of Pennance and Holy Eucharists from the hands of Father Juan Perez. With that the voyage departed from Palos on August the third in nine-teen fourty-two.