Christopher Columbus Essay

INTRODUCTION

On every sidewalk, in every school, in every country, in every district in the world, the name Christopher Columbus is known and recognized amongst many. Many view him as an outstanding navigator and explorer while others tend to look at him as a terminator and destroyer. Columbus is supposedly one of the most biographical man in the fifteenth Christopher Columbus
Century and onwards. It can be said also that Columbus was an adventurer classified as a modern man. “Christopher Columbus belonged to an age that was past, yet he became the sign and symbol of this new age and hope, glory and accomplishment.” 1 Columbus childhood was arguably one of the most unique and interesting. “The exact date of Christopher Columbus birth is not known. He was born sometime between August 25 and October 31, 1451.” 2 Though he was born in Genoa, Italy, there have been various theories, which may be disturbing. “He has been presented as Castilian, Catalan, Carsican, Majorcan, Portuguese, French, German, English, Greek, and American.” 3 Christopher’s name was Christoforo Colombo, but after settling in Spain he called himself Cristobol Colon. He was named after Saint Christopher, a name familiar to every child in the Middle Ages. It was “in the Parish Church of Santo Stefano the baby was baptized…after the patron saint of travelers and the bearer of Christ. The boy was not at all typically black-haired and olive, complexioned Latin. He had the Grey-blue eyes, fair reddish hair, fiery countenance and big boned frame of a northerner.” 4
BODY
As the family continued to grow, Columbus mom whose name was Susanna Fontanarossa and his dad’s name was Domenico Colombo were both traditional wool weavers. His dad was a master weaver and his mother, the daughter of a weaver. “Christopher’s birth was followed a year or so later by that of his brother Bartholomew who was destined to play a large part of his elder brothers life. There was also a sister, Bian Chetta, another brother who died while young and finally the youngest of all Giacomo who was born about seventeen years after Christopher.” 5 His family could be considered as a type that came together intimately because they were a loving group. Christopher’s mother was an indistinguishable figure while his dad “was the kind of father who would shut up shop when trade was poor and take the boys fishing; and the sort of wine seller who was his own best customer.” 6 Because of the mis-documentation of certain years in history, there was a time that “for fifteen years the records tell us nothing of Columbus.” 7 Raised a catholic it seems strange that “Christopher had only a very rudimentary education.” 8 Christopher Columbus was a genius in his own right so it wasn’t hard to believe that his knowledge in Portuguese and Spanish and all the mathematics and astronomy used on his navigation’s were self taught. It soon became obvious that Columbus would become a sailor because of the many journeys the family made. By the time Columbus was the age of four, his parents moved to house with a courtyard and garden near the Porta Sant Andrea. Today the house is marked as Casa di Colombo. Columbus and his brother loved the house so much that his parents decided to live there longer than planed instead of selling the house. Columbus was a person who took his religious duties seriously. He without question was eager for adventure and was assured of his high mission. So the question many people ask is when did Christopher Columbus start sailing? It is one of the most contradicting questions asked about Columbus. “At a very tender age I entered upon the sea sailing and so I continued to this day.” 9 He made this statement to the sovereigns in 1501. In his journal for he claims he had been sailing for twenty-three years. Ferdinand, his son, in another place said he began sailing at fourteen years old. “When he was fifty, Columbus was to say in a

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