Explorer biographies and summaries

 

 

 

Explorer biographies and summaries

 

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Explorer biographies and summaries

 

Christopher Columbus

Known as 'the man who discovered America', Columbus was in fact trying to find a westward sea passage to the Orient when he landed in the New World in 1492. This unintentional discovery was to change the course of world history.
Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa between August and October 1451. 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. Finally, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella agreed to sponsor the expedition, and on 3 August 1492, Columbus and his fleet of three ships, the Santa Maria, the Pinta and the Niña, set sail across the Atlantic.
Ten weeks later, land was sighted. On 12 October, Columbus and a group of his men set foot on an island in what later became known as the Bahamas. Believing that they had reached the Indies, the newcomers dubbed the natives 'Indians'. Initial encounters were friendly, but indigenous populations all over the New World were soon to be devastated by their contact with Europeans. Columbus landed on a number of other islands in the Caribbean, including Cuba and Hispanola, and returned to Spain in triumph. He was made 'admiral of the Seven Seas' and viceroy of the Indies, and within a few months, set off on a second and larger voyage. More territory was covered, but the Asian lands that Columbus was aiming for remained elusive. Indeed, others began to dispute whether this was in fact the Orient or a completely 'new' world.
Columbus made two further voyages to the newfound territories, but suffered defeat and humiliation along the way. A great navigator, Columbus was less successful as an administrator and was accused of mismanagement. He died on 20 May 1506 a wealthy but disappointed man.

 

 

Vasco DaGama

Da Gama was a Portuguese explorer and navigator, and the first person to sail directly from Europe to India.
Vasco da Gama was born in about 1460 into a noble family. Little is known of his early life. In 1497, he was appointed to command an expedition equipped by the Portuguese government, whose intention was to find a maritime route to the East.
Setting off in July 1497, da Gama's expedition took advantage of the prevailing winds by sailing south down the coast of Africa, then veering far out into the Atlantic and swinging back in an arc to arrive off the southern African coast. This established a route still followed by sailing vessels. The expedition then rounded the Cape of Good and, after sailing up the coast of east Africa, took on an Arab navigator who helped them reach the Indian coast, at Calicut (now Kozhikode) in May 1498. This voyage launched the all-water route from Europe to Asia.
Da Gama returned to Portugal. The king immediately dispatched another expedition to secure a trading post at Calicut. After hearing of the massacre of all those at the trading post, da Gama sailed for India again in 1502 attacking Arab Muslim ships he met on the way. He forced the ruler of Calicut to make peace and, on his return voyage along the east African coast established Portuguese trading posts in what is now Mozambique.
Back in Portugal, da Gama was granted further privileges and revenues and continued to advise the king on Indian matters. After 20 years at home, in 1524, he was nominated as Portuguese viceroy in India and sent to deal with the mounting corruption among Portuguese authorities there. Arriving in Cochin, he fell ill and died on 24 December 1524. In 1539, his body was taken back to Portugal for burial.

 

 

 

Marco Polo

Polo was a Venetian traveller and writer who was one of the first westerners to visit China.
Marco Polo was born in around 1254 into a wealthy and cosmopolitan Venetian merchant family. Polo's father and uncle, Niccolò and Maffeo Polo, were jewel merchants. In 1260, they left Venice to travel to the Black Sea, moving onwards to central Asia and joining a diplomatic mission to the court of Kublai Khan, the Mongol ruler of China. Khan asked the Polo brothers to return to Europe and persuade the pope to send scholars to explain Christianity to him. They arrived back in Venice in 1269.
In 1271, they set off again, accompanied by two missionaries and Marco, and in 1275 reached Khan's summer court. For the next 17 years the Polos lived in the emperor's lands. Little is known of these years, but Marco Polo was obviously popular with the Mongol ruler and was sent on various diplomatic missions which gave him the opportunity to see many parts of China.
Around 1292, the Polos offered to accompany a Mongol princess who was to become the consort of Arghun Khan in Persia. The party sailed from a southern Chinese port via Sumatra, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), southern India, and the Persian Gulf. After leaving the princess in Iran, the Polos travelled overland to Constantinople and then to Venice, arriving home in 1295.
The Polos eventually departed for Europe and reached Venice in 1295. Marco became involved in a naval conflict between Venice and Genoa and in 1298 was captured by the Genoese. In prison, his stories attracted the attention of a writer from Pisa, Rustichello, who began to write them down, frequently embellishing them as he went. The resulting book was extremely popular and was translated into many languages under a number of titles, including 'The Million' and the 'Travels of Marco Polo'.
After Polo was released he returned to Venice, where he remained for the rest of his life. He died on 8 January 1324.

 

 

Bartholomeu Diaz

Bartolomeu Dias was born in Portugal sometime around 1450. Little is known about his early life, but it is believed that he came from a long line of navigators that may have included Dinis Dias, who rounded Cape Verde in 1455, and Joao Dias, who rounded Cape Bojador in 1437. King John II appointed him on October 10, 1486, as the head of an expedition to sail around the southern end of Africa for the purpose of establishing a sea route to the rich trading grounds of India.
The expedition left Lisbon in late July or early August, 1487, with two armed caravels of fifty tons each and one supply ship. It sailed first towards the mouth of the Congo River, then followed the African coast southward to Walfisch Bay, where Dias erected a stone column. After passing 29° south latitude he lost sight of the coast and was driven by a violent storm, which lasted thirteen days, far beyond the southernmost point of Africa. When calm returned he sailed again in an easterly direction and, when no land appeared, turned northward, finally landing at Mossel Bay (in present-day South Africa). Following the coast he reached Algoa Bay and the Great Fish River before being forced by the crew's fears to turn around and head back to Portugal. Although some controversy surrounds who named that point the Cape of Good Hope, most historians generally give credit to Dias rather than King John II, who may have named it Cape Tormentoso (Cape of Storms). The expedition returned to Lisbon in December, 1488, after an absence of sixteen months and seventeen days.
Despite his success at sailing around the southern tip of Africa, Dias was not given credit within Portugal for locating and mapping the Cape of Good Hope -- probably because he had failed to reach India. Nevertheless, in 1494 he was appointed to oversee the construction and outfitting of a fleet of ships for an expedition to reach India by way of the Cape of Good Hope. This expedition, led by Vasco da Gama, left Portugal in 1497; Dias accompanied the voyage, but in a subordinate position and only as far as the Cape Verde Islands.  In 1500 he joined Pedro Alvares Cabral's westward expedition. Dias's ship went down in a storm and he perished at sea sometime in late May.

 

 

 

Ferdinand Magellan
This Portuguese-born navigator was one of the great explorers of his era - the first European to cross the Pacific Ocean, he also played a crucial role in the first circumnavigation of the world.
Ferdinand Magellan was born in 1480 into a noble Portuguese family. His parents died when he was still a boy and he became a court page in Lisbon. In 1505, he enlisted in the fleet of the Portuguese viceroy to the Indies, and spent the following years involved in a series of Portuguese expeditions in India and Africa. In 1511, he was with the fleet that conquered Malacca (on the Malay Peninsula), thus gaining control of the most important trade routes in the region. He also explored the islands of present-day Indonesia as far east as the Moluccas (also known as the Spice Islands).
In 1512, Magellan returned to Lisbon, and the following year, he was wounded during an expedition to Morocco, which left him with a permanent limp. After a disagreement with the Portuguese king, in 1517 Magellan went to Spain to try and enlist the Spanish king's support for an expedition to reach the Moluccas by sailing westwards. The Spanish wanted a share in the valuable spice trade from the Moluccas, but the Portuguese controlled the eastwards route round southern Africa. Magellan was successful and in September 1519 set out with a fleet of five vessels. In spite of a mutinous crew, rough weather, scurvy, a desperate lack of provisions and unknown waters, Magellan managed to cross the Atlantic and navigate through the straits at the southern point of South America which were later named after him.
Now with only three ships, Magellan sailed on into the Pacific with rapidly diminishing supplies, which led to many of the crew dying of starvation and scurvy. After around 14 weeks they reached an island, probably Guam, in the western Pacific. They then sailed on to the Philippines. On 27 April 1521, Magellan was killed there after becoming involved in a battle between two rival local chieftains.
One ship from the fleet eventually reached Spain in September 1522, having completed the first ever circumnavigation of the globe.

 

 

Hernan Cortes
Soldier, explorer, conquistador. Born around 1485 in Medellín, Spain. Cortés first served as a soldier in an expedition of Cuba led by Diego Velázquez in 1511. In 1519 Cortés was to command his own expedition to Mexico, but Velázquez cancelled it. Cortés ignored the order and traveled with about 500 men and 11 ships to Mexico.
Cortés became allies with some of the native peoples he encountered, but with others he used deadly force to conquer Mexico. He fought Tlaxacan and Cholula warriors and then set his sights on taking over the Aztec empire. He marched to Tenochitilán, the Aztec capital and home to ruler Montezuma II. Cortés took Montezuma hostage and his soldiers raided the city. Cortés left the city after learning that Spanish troops were coming to arrest him for disobeying orders. He returned to Tenochitilán to find a rebellion in progress. The Aztecs eventually drove the Spanish from the city, but Cortés returned again to defeat them and take the city in 1521. After this victory, Cortés continued to seek opportunities to gain wealth and land. He sent more expeditions out into new areas, including what is present-day Honduras. He spent much of his later years seeking recognition for his achievements and support from the Spanish royal court. He died in Spain in 1547.

 

Francisco Pizarro
Explorer, soldier, conquistador. Born around 1474 in Trujillo, Spain. As a soldier, he served on the 1513 expedition of Vasco Núñez de Balboa, during which he discovered the Pacific Ocean. Desirous of making his own discoveries and his own fortune, Pizarro formed a partnership with Diego de Almagro. They travel to Peru in 1526 and then returned to get permission to claim the land for Spain. In 1531, their expedition—which included Pizarro's three half-brothers—sailed from Panama. The next fall Pizarro entered the city of Cajamarca and took the Inca leader Atahuapla hostage. Despite having paid a ransom to spare his life, Atahuapla was killed in 1533. Pizarro then conquered Cuzco, another important Inca city, and founded the city of Lima, now the capital of Peru.
Pizarro's rivalry with Almagro led to conflict in 1537. Almagro had taken over Cuzco after one of Pizarro's half-brothers, Juan Pizarro, was killed during a revolt. Pizarro did not want Almagro to have the city, but was too old to fight himself so he sent his brothers to Cuzco to fight. They defeated Almagro and killed him afterward. In retaliation, Pizarro was assassinated in June of 1541 by one of Almagro's followers.

 

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Explorer biographies and summaries

Christopher Columbus – background
Christopher Columbus, as we know him, was a very famous explorer. But only few know about his family and personality. He was born in Genoa, Italy, in 1451, to a large family of 7, a mother, father 3 other brothers and 1 sister, the entire family moved to the nearby port city of Savona, west of Genoa, in 1470.
Both of his parents were wool weavers.
Columbus was the eldest child and started to get into the family wool weaver business at the age of 11, however, as did many other young men who grew up in a major seaport, Columbus soon began a life of seafaring, at the age of 14.
Beginning his seagoing career at age 14, Columbus served on various ships in various roles, including messenger, common sailor, and, perhaps, even as a 21-year-old privateer
In 1478 or 1479 Columbus met and married Felipa Perestrello e Moniz, the daughter of a respected, though relatively poor, noble family. Columbus and Felipa moved to the larger island of Madeira in 1480 or 1481, soon after their son Diego was born. It is believed that Felipa died soon thereafter.
Upon his move to Spain in 1485, Columbus established a liaison with a young peasant woman named Beatriz Enríquez de Arana. During the years prior to his Spain expeditions in 1492, Columbus leaved with Beatriz, in 1488 they had a son named Ferdinand, who later accompanied his father on his final voyage to the Americas.
His personality was very serious; he was focus on accomplishing his goals, to reach the east by going west. He died in 1506, in Spain.

Christopher Columbus Explorations
Beginning his sea going adventures at the age of 14, Christopher was a messenger and a common sailor. His first expedition was to Tunis, Northern Africa.
In 1474, Columbus was hired as a sailor on a ship heading for the Island of Khios, in the Aegean Sea. This was his first long voyage and was very profitable. The trip to this small island in the Aegean brought him the closest he would ever get to Asia.
Columbus conducted several other expeditions, into the Atlantic Ocean, to the Portuguese fortress of Elmina, in what is now Ghana, on the western coast of Africa. Columbus was impressed with the riches Africa offered, especially gold. In addition, like all good navigators, he was eager to learn about winds and ocean currents from the local pilots and sailors.
The experiences of these years led directly to the genesis of Columbus’s plan to reach the east by going west, what he called his “Enterprise of the Indies.” (To Europeans in Columbus’s day, all lands to the east of the Indus River in Asia were “the Indies.”)
Columbus’s idea of sailing west to get to the east was not original with him. It was known that there was only one body of water on the surface of the Earth and that it connected Europe and Asia. Therefore, one could theoretically sail from the west to get to the east. Only the distance was disputed.
Columbus decided to seek patronage for his plan first in Portugal. In 1484 the king listened to Columbus’s proposal to sail to the east by going west but denied it. Columbus took his young son and moved to Spain in 1485 where King Ferdinand V and Queen Isabella I finally agreed to fund his plan in 1492, when Columbus set out for his most famous expeditions on behalf of Spain.
In 1492 Columbus sailed with 90 men and 3 ships with food to last for a year of journey. First he sailed through the Canary Islands and then westward. The choice of sailing from the Canary Islands proved to be a good one, as the Canaries Current speeded their journey. After long days of exploring, his crew started to get worried that they would never come back. Columbus promised his crew that if they won’t find land in 2 days, they would turn back, but 2 days was all Columbus needed to find land and on October 12th, 1492 they reached the Caribbean Islands.
By the end of October, Columbus reached the coast of Cuba. After sailing north and then south along its coast, he was convinced that it was one of the lands described by Marco Polo.  Crossing the Windward Passage to the east of Cuba, Columbus sailed to another large island, which he called “The Spanish Island”.
On January 6 1493 they headed home. Upon return to Spain, Columbus received all the rewards promised to him.
The second voyage departed from Cádiz on September 25, 1493, 17 ships and about 1,200 colonists accompanied Columbus. Included in the crew were two of Columbus’s brothers. The purposes of the voyage were to return to La Navidad in Hispaniola to relieve the men left behind from the first voyage, settle more colonists on the islands, and explore and claim other islands. Discovering the islands of Guadeloupe and Puerto Rico along the way, Columbus reached Hispaniola at the end of November. Before returning to Spain in 1496, Columbus explored more of Cuba and discovered Jamaica.
The third voyage left Sevilla with a fleet of six ships on May 30, 1498, but ended with aggravating the situation in the colony and the return of Columbus to Spain to face trial. Columbus was cleared from charges, but his titles were taken away from him.
The fourth and final voyage was on May 9, 1502 with purpose of search for gold, silver, precious stones, spices, and other riches. Columbus sailed with four ships and 150 men his son Fernando, age 14, and his brother Bartholomew. Columbus, now 50 years old, could not captain his fleet because of ill health and poor eyesight. Columbus reached Central America. On November 7 he, his son, and his brother arrived back to Spain.
The summary of his 4 major expeditions is -

 

Christopher Columbus Impact
Christopher Columbus was a very important person in history, because of his expeditions. Extraordinary changes resulted from his voyages. Although he failed to find a new route to Asia, Columbus made the lands and peoples of the western hemisphere known to Europeans. The interactions Columbus initiated between the peoples of Europe and the Americas led to what scholars refer to as the Columbian Exchange, the two-way transfers of diseases, plants, animals, and cultures that followed Columbus’s voyages.

European diseases such as diphtheria, measles, smallpox, and malaria devastated the indigenous American population, which previously had not been exposed to them. At the same time, however, the Americas received European crops, such as wheat, rice, coffee, bananas, and olives; and animals, including horses, cows, pigs, and chickens. The Americas, in turn, contributed a virulent form of syphilis to Europe as well as important crops, such as corn, potatoes, tomatoes, lima beans, squash, peanuts, cassava, cacao, and pineapple.
The indigenous cultures—as well as indigenous peoples—began to disappear as the European invaders advanced. Disease, forced labor, invasion, and conquest inflicted by the Europeans caused the deaths of millions of American indigenous peoples.

Christopher Columbus Later life
After his return from his 4th and last voyage in 1502, Columbus was very ill and spent many months in Sevilla recuperating at Las Cuevas. Until his death, Columbus tried to regain his lost titles of governor and viceroy back. In May 1505 King Ferdinand finally granted Columbus 2 percent of the riches of the Indies, a considerable amount. Combined with Columbus noble status, this afforded the Columbus family a lifestyle equal to that of the richest nobility in Spain.

In late 1505 Columbus became too ill to travel any more. He remained in the city of Valladolid until his death. On May 20, 1506, both of his sons, his brother Bartholomew, and his faithful friend Diego Méndez were at his side when the admiral murmured “Into thy hands, O Lord, I commit my spirit” and passed away.

 

Conclusion and summary
Christopher Columbus was the first European since the Vikings to "discover" the New World. He did it in a series of 4 major expeditions.  Columbus died on May 20, 1506, never getting to the Indies. Still, Columbus may have been the greatest sailor of his time. He sailed across almost 5,000 miles of ocean and was able to find the same island over and over, without the knowledge of how a compass worked or an accurate map. He was the first European to travel to the island of the Caribbean Sea, and he would touch on South America and Central America. He never made it to the United States, but he did make it as far north as Cuba, only 90 miles from Florida

 

Bibliography

• Frit, Jean. Where do you think you’re going, Christopher Columbus?            New York :  Tandem Library,  1997
• Smiler Levinson, Nancy. Christopher Columbus – Voyage to the unknown. New York : Lodestar, 1990
• Baryon, Andy. “Christopher Columbus Biography”. Microsoft Encarta. Nov 25th, 07. < http://columbus-day.123holiday.net/christopher_columbus.html>
• Johns, Richards.  “The Journal of the Admiral of the Ocean Sea”.  Think Quest. Nov 22nd, 07, < http://library.thinkquest.org/J002678F/columbus.htm>

 

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