In what century was South America discovered? Who discovered America - Columbus or Vespucci? The true goals of Christopher Columbus

The continents known today as North and South America were discovered in the prehistoric period. Before the arrival of European explorers in the Americas, tens of millions of indigenous peoples lived here. The lands of the Americas have been repeatedly "discovered" by peoples coming from different parts of the world over many generations, beginning with the Stone Age, when a group of hunters first visited a land that was really an unexplored New World.

It becomes curious why then it is believed that America was discovered by Christopher Columbus. In addition, there are other theories about who first discovered America: Irish monks (6th century), Vikings (10th century), sailors from China (15th century), etc.

The first settlers in America

Migration route from Asia to North America

The first people who settled in America came there from Asia, probably about 15,000 years ago. During 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. Land bridge between west coast Alaska and Siberia, known as the Bering Isthmus, opened up due to falling ocean levels and connected the continents of Asia and North America.

Interesting fact: In place of the Bering Isthmus, the current Bering Strait was formed, separating Asia and North America. The strait was named after the officer of the Russian fleet Vitus Bering, who crossed it in 1728.

Settlement of the Americas 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 occurred before the Laurentian and Cordilleran 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 the Americas became isolated from other continents. Thus, the American continents first discovered nomadic Asian tribes about 15,000 years ago, who initially settled North America, then spread to Central and South America and became the Native American peoples.

America is a part of the world that Columbus is credited with officially discovering, but history is full of dark spots.

The modern United States plays one of the key roles in political strife, has a serious impact on other countries and the global economy. But the path to such a high level was long and thorny. It all started with the discovery of America.

Christopher Columbus was a Spanish navigator who discovered two new continents for Europeans. He made 4 expeditions, each of which was sent by kings, hoping to find a short trade route with India.

The first expedition consisted of three ships with a total of 91 people. She ended up on the island of San Salvador on October 12, 1492.

The second expedition, consisting of 17 ships and 1500 people, lasted from 1493 to 1496. During this time, Columbus discovered Dominica, Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and about 20 more Lesser Antilles. In June, he already reported to the government about his amazing finds.

The third expedition, which included 6 ships, set off in 1498, and two years later returned to their native shores. Several more lands were discovered, including Trinidad, Margarita, the Araya and Paria peninsulas.

The last expedition, which sailed in 1502, included 4 ships. Within two years, the islands of Martinique, Panama, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica were discovered. Columbus crashed near Jamaica, and help arrived only a year later. The travelers arrived in their native Castile in November 1504.

Date when America was discovered - Vikings in 1000

Eric the Red was known as a great Viking. His son, Leif Erickson, was the first to set foot on American soil. After wintering in its open spaces, Erickson and his expedition returned to Greenland. This happened around the year 1000.

Two years later, brother Thorvald Erikson, the second son of Eric the Red, founded his settlement on the territory discovered by his brother. Less than a month later, local Indians attacked his people, killing Torvald and forcing the rest to return home.

In the future, the daughter of Erik the Red Freydis and his daughter-in-law Gudrid also tried to conquer new territories. The latter even managed to trade with the Indians, offering various goods. But the Viking settlement could not survive in America for more than 10 years, despite constant attempts.

When did Amerigo Vespucci discover America?

Amerigo Vespucci, after whom, according to some historians, the continents are named, first visited New World as a navigator. Alonso de Ojeda's expedition route was chosen using a map created by Christopher Columbus. Together with him, Amerigo Vespucci took about a hundred slaves, who were the indigenous inhabitants of America.

Vespucci visited the new territory twice more - in 1501-1502 and from 1503 to 1504. If the Spaniard Christopher wanted to stock up on gold, then the Florentine Amerigo wanted to discover as many new lands as possible in order to gain fame and save his name in history.

What does Wikipedia say about the dates of the discovery of America?

The famous Wikipedia tells about the discovery of the continents of America with unprecedented detail. In the vastness of the world encyclopedia, you can find information about all the expeditions to the New World, about each of the possible discoverers, and the further history of the Indians.

Wikipedia calls the date of the discovery of America October 12, 1492, referring to Christopher Columbus.

It was he who managed not only to discover new territories, but to capture them on his map. Amerigo Vespucci was able to provide Europeans with a more complete picture of how the continents look. Although his "complete" map was significantly different from the modern one.

In what year after the discovery did the settlement of America begin?

The settlement of American soil began many thousands of years before its official discovery. It is believed that the ancestors of the Indians were the Eskimos, Inuit, Aleuts. The Vikings, as you know, also tried to take over the territories of the New World. But they did not succeed - the indigenous people protected it too jealously.

After the discoveries of Columbus and Vespucci, almost 50 years passed before the first European settlements appeared.

In the American city of St. Augusting in 1565, the first small settlement of the Spaniards was organized.

In 1585, the first British colony of Roanoke was created, which was destroyed by the Indians. The next attempt by the British was a colony in Virginia, which appeared in 1607.

And finally, the first colony in New England was the village, located in Plymouth in 1620. It is this year that is recognized as the official date for the colonization of the New World.

Possible discoverers before Christopher Columbus

There are many people on the list of possible discoverers. Historians cannot find reliable facts about this, but there are sources indicating that the information is still correct.

Of the hypothetical discoverers, it is worth highlighting:

• Phoenicians - 370 BC;
• ancient Egyptians;
• Hui Shen, who was a Buddhist monk who did the first, as it turned out, trip around the world- V century;
• Irish monk Brendan, who followed in the footsteps of Shen - VI century;
• Malay Sultan Abubakar II - 1330;
• Chinese explorer Zheng He - 1420;
• Portuguese Juan Corterial - 1471.

These persons had pure intentions, they were not looking for fame and gold, therefore they did not tell the general public about their find. They weren't trying to bring back evidence or enslave the Native Americans.

Perhaps that is why their names are not familiar to most contemporaries, and the discoverer of the new land is indicated by the more cruel and greedy for gold Christopher Columbus.

The fate of the natives of America

The story of the discovery of America is presented in modern history as a joyful event that laid the foundation for a new nation of "emigrants." But it also became a nightmare for many Indians who had to endure the indescribable horrors created by the conquerors.

The Spaniards killed several thousand native Americans, and took several hundred into slavery. They made fun of the Indians, killed with particular cruelty, not sparing even babies. The “whites”, who arrived in the new lands, sprinkled them with blood, reducing the joyful discovery to a bloody massacre.

One of the Indians watching the fate, the priest Bartolome de Las Casas, who arrived with Columbus, tried to protect the Indians, even went to the Spanish court in the hope of pardoning them. As a result, the court decided whether it was worth calling the Indians people at all, whether they had a soul.

The negative attitude is explained by the fact that Columbus left his team to look after the New World and went home. When he returned, he saw all his people dead. As it turned out, the Spaniards became impudent, beating the men and raping the women of the tribe, as well as killing the recalcitrant. The Indians, who initially considered the “whites” to be gods, quickly realized how things were and began to defend themselves. This is what led to further tragic incidents.

In any case, the discovery of America – significant event, which today is considered one of the loudest in the history of civilization.

In what century Columbus discovered America, you will learn from this article.

In what century was America discovered?

The year that marked the discovery of America is rightfully considered pivotal year in the life of all Europe. The appearance of a new continent on the world map has inspired people on sea expeditions to explore and develop new territories. The most significant was the navigation of Columbus, who, looking for ways to India, stumbled upon previously unknown lands. But in what century he discovered America to the whole world, we will tell you right now.

America was discovered in the 15th century.

Who discovered North America?

The discovery of North America belongs to a Norwegian with Icelandic roots - Leif Erikson. He is believed to have been born in Iceland. But Erikson really wanted to go to the service of the Christian king of Norway, Olav Triggvason, and moved to a new country. Being engaged in sea expeditions, he reached Greenland. Here he met Bjarni Herjolfson, a navigator who discovered unknown lands west of Greenland, but he did not land on them. Leif Erickson bought a ship from a navigator and decided to go to new lands in order to explore them. According to the current Greenlanders saga, Leif and 15 of his sailors reached the ground covered with stones. This is the island now known as Baffin Island. It is located between Greenland and Canada. The next stop was land with forests and sandy beaches. It is assumed that it was a Labrador. Not stopping there, the Norwegians continued swimming and stopped in modern Newfoundland, building a village here for the winter.
Exact date when it was opened North America, No. Researchers agree that it was discovered at the beginning of the 11th century, based on the date of the chronology of Erikson's life - 970-1020.

Who discovered South America?

Until the end of the 15th century, Europeans knew about the existence of only three continents - Europe, Africa and Asia. They did not suspect about America at all, despite the fact that the mainland was inhabited by peoples and tribes.
The first who tried to open India by the southern route (and we all know that he discovered America), was the navigator Christopher Columbus. The discoverer was born in the family of a weaver in Italy. He knew how to make geographical maps, studied the works of scientists and notes of sailors. He was sure that our planet has a spherical shape and wanted to make a voyage to prove it.

Having moved to Spain, Christopher Columbus for 8 years sought the consent of the king to the expedition through Atlantic Ocean to find sea routes to India. The Spanish king agreed and appointed the persistent navigator as master of the lands he had discovered.
In 1492, 3 caravels on board with a crew of 90 people set off. A long voyage led to the fact that the sailors began to demand the commander to turn the ships home. But Columbus' faith was strong. After 70 days, finally, the earth was visible in the distance. These were the big Antilles. Next was the island of Trinidad, off the coast of South America. Continuing south towards the mainland, Columbus discovered the islands of Haiti and Cuba. Thus, in 1492, South America was discovered to the world.

When and who discovered America? The issue remains controversial to this day. Because first you need to decide: what is considered the discovery of America? First proven European visit to the New World? This happened half a millennium before Christopher Columbus (remember the Normans). The first settlement of Europeans on the new mainland arose at the same time. Although the Vikings did not appreciate their discovery…

But so is Columbus! The discovery of America at the end of the Middle Ages is of particular importance: it was from that time that the colonization of the new continent by Europeans began, and then its study. However, uncertainty remains. Consider: in the first two expeditions, Columbus explored only the islands adjacent to the New World. Only in the summer of 1498 did he set foot on the land of South America.

A year earlier, members of the English expedition, led by John Cabot, an Italian by birth, reached North America. And in this case, it was assumed that the "Kingdom of the Great Khan" (China) was discovered. In the spring of next year, the voyage was repeated. But the lack of economic benefits, income from such enterprises cooled the interest of the British in the development of new territories. Scientific achievements should be recognized and connected with the expansion of horizons of knowledge. And here - a complete misunderstanding of the essence of what has been achieved. It is more logical to determine the moment when the truth was first revealed. And then the name of Amerigo Vespucci comes to the fore.

But we must pay tribute to the feat of Columbus and his contribution to the knowledge of the Earth. It was he who obtained the evidence (albeit later significantly refined), received facts confirming the idea of ​​the Earth's sphericity. It is no coincidence that he conceived a round-the-world trip and tried to implement it. Let Columbus imagine the Earth much smaller than it really is. More importantly, not only speculatively, in his imagination, but also really, thanks to his travels, he was convinced of the sphericity and closedness of the earthly space.

And yet, the oceans have turned from a great barrier into great connecting links connecting all the continents and all the peoples of the planet. Conditions have developed for the creation of a single all-terrestrial civilization (“oceanic”, according to the idea of ​​L.I. Mechnikov). In the following centuries, it remained only to develop vehicles and make contacts.

A significant fact: almost at the same time with the entry of Columbus into the land of South America, and Cabot - North, the Portuguese flotilla under the command of Vasco da Gama for the first time reached India by sea. Dozens of years later, the Spanish conquistador Vasco Balboa with a military detachment, having overcome the mountain slopes and dense thickets, crossed the Isthmus of Panama and was the first European to visit the shores of the unknown “South Sea”.

The World Ocean somehow immediately, almost overnight, submitted to people. Why did it happen? First of all, as a consequence of the appearance of navigational instruments, which make it possible to navigate on the high seas, as well as geographical maps lands and oceans. Although the instruments and maps were imperfect, they made it possible to navigate in space, set specific goals and pave the way to them.

Christopher Columbus

Amerigo Vespucci was a fairly experienced helmsman and cartographer, he knew navigation; the last years of his life he was the chief pilot of Castile (he checked the knowledge of ship helmsmen, supervised the compilation of maps, and was involved in compiling secret reports to the government on new geographical discoveries). He took part in one of the first expeditions that reached the "Southern Continent" (as South America was originally called) and, perhaps, was the first to realize the essence of the achievement. In other words, he made a scientific theoretical discovery, while Columbus practically discovered new lands.

At the time of Amerigo, his letter was allegedly printed, which reported on his visit to the southern mainland as early as 1497, that is, before Columbus. But this is not documented. It looks like nothing like that ever happened. But Amerigo's non-involvement in such misunderstandings is beyond doubt. He did not claim the laurels of the discoverer and did not try to assert his priority. This was affected by the popularization of knowledge and the spread of printing.

In Europe, reports of new lands and peoples were in great demand. People understood all the greatness of the deeds performed, their enormous significance for the future. Printing houses promptly printed messages about travels to the west. One of them appeared in 1503 in Italy and France: a small pamphlet entitled The New World. The preface says that it has been translated from Italian into Latin, "so that all educated people know how many wonderful discoveries have been made these days, how many unknown worlds have been discovered and how rich they are."

The book was a great success with readers. It is written vividly, interestingly, truthfully. It reports (in the form of a letter to Vespucci) about sailing in the summer of 1501 on behalf of the King of Portugal across the stormy Atlantic to the shores of the Unknown Land. It is not called Asia, but the New World.

A little later, another message was published about the voyages of Amerigo Vespucci. And in the end, a collection appeared, including stories by various authors about the voyages of Columbus, Vasco da Gama and some other travelers. The compiler of the collection came up with a catchy title that intrigues readers: "The New World and New Countries Discovered by Alberico Vespucci of Florence."

Thousands of readers of the book could decide that it was Amerigo (Alberico) who discovered both the New World and new countries, although this does not follow from the text at all. But the title is usually better remembered and more impressive than any paragraphs or chapters of the book. In addition, the descriptions written by Amerigo were vivid and convincing, which, no doubt, strengthened his authority as a discoverer.

A little later, Vespucci's "New World" was published in Germany under the title "On the Antarctic Belt." And then the same work, already under the guise of a letter to the lord of a small German kingdom, appeared as an addition to Ptolemy's famous and now classic Cosmography. The whole work was called as follows: “Introduction to cosmography with the basics of geometry and astronomy necessary for it.

Amerigo Vespucci

To this, 4 voyages of Amerigo Vespucci and, in addition, a description (map) of the Universe both on the plane and on the globe of those parts of the world that Ptolemy did not know about and which are open in modern times. About the discovery of America, it is said as follows: "Amerigo Vespucci, truly speaking, has informed mankind more widely about this." The authors of the supplement were sure that Amerigo was the first to set foot on the new continent back in 1497. Therefore, it was proposed to name the discovered land "by the name of the wise man who discovered it."

Rather fantastic outlines of the New World with the inscription: "America" ​​were put on the world map. The sound of this word turned out to be attractive to many people. He was willingly put on the cards. Spread - spontaneously - the opinion of Amerigo as the discoverer of the New World. And among the specialists, the image of a clever rogue, an ambitious swindler who appropriated his name to an entire continent, was becoming more and more definite.

So, a sincere fighter for justice, Las Casas, angrily denounced Amerigo in his writings. But there was not a single document confirming such accusations. Vespucci himself never suggested naming open lands by your own name. He quite definitely wrote: "These countries should be called the New World" and referred to facts obtained in travels and research.

The Austrian writer Stefan Zweig said well about Vespucci: “And if, in spite of everything, the sparkling ray of glory fell on him, then this happened not because of his special merits or special guilt, but because of a peculiar combination of circumstances, mistakes, accidents, misunderstandings... A person who talks about a feat and explains it can become more significant for posterity than the one who accomplished it. And in the uncalculable play of historical forces, the slightest push can often cause the strongest consequences ...

America should not be ashamed of its name. This is the name of an honest and courageous man who, already at the age of fifty, set sail three times in a small boat across an unknown ocean, as one of those “unknown sailors”, hundreds of whom at that time risked their lives in dangerous adventures ... This mortal name was transferred to immortality not by the will of one person - it was the will of fate, which is always right, even if it may seem that she is acting unfairly ... And today we use this word, which was invented by chance, in a fun game, as a matter of course, the only conceivable and the only correct one is the sonorous, light-winged word America.

True, there is reason to believe that the New World was named after the Bristol philanthropist Richard America (England), who financed the second transatlantic voyage of John Cabot in 1497, and after that Amerigo Vespucci took the nickname in honor of the continent so named. To prove this version, the researchers cite the facts that Cabot reached the shores of Labrador two years earlier, and therefore became the officially registered first European to set foot on the new land.

Navigators such as John Davis, Alexander Mackenzie, Henry Hudson and William Buffin continued to explore the continent of North America. And thanks to their research, a new continent was explored up to the Pacific coast. But history knows many other names of sailors who visited the new land even before Amerigo Vespucci and Columbus. This is Hui Shen - a Thai monk who visited there in the 5th century, Abubakar - the Sultan of Mali, who sailed to the American coast in the 14th century, the Earl of Orkney de Saint-Clair, the Chinese explorer Zhehe He, the Portuguese Juan Korterial, etc.

What Christopher Columbus did, you will learn from this article.

What did Christopher Columbus discover? Discoveries of Christopher Columbus

The navigator is the most mysterious person of the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries and travel. His life is full of mysteries, dark spots, inexplicable coincidences and deeds. And all because mankind became interested in the navigator 150 years after his death - important documents have already been lost, and Columbus's life remained fanned with speculation and gossip. Plus, Columbus himself hid his origin (for unknown reasons), the motives of his actions and thoughts. The only thing that is known is 1451 - the year of his birth and the place of birth - the Republic of Genoa.

He made 4 expeditions, which were supplied by the Spanish king:

• The first expedition - 1492-1493.
• The second expedition - 1493-1496.
• The third expedition - 1498 - 1500.
• The fourth expedition - 1502 - 1504.

During four expeditions, the navigator discovered many new territories and two seas - Sargasso and Caribbean.

Lands discovered by Christopher Columbus

It is interesting that all the time the navigator thought that he had discovered India, and behind it he would find rich Japan and China. But it wasn't. He owns the discovery and exploration of the New World. The islands discovered by Christopher Columbus are the Bahamas and Antilles, Saman, Haiti and Dominica, the Lesser Antilles, Cuba and Trinidad, Jamaica and Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe and Margarita. He is the discoverer of the lands of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, as well as the northern coast of South America and the Caribbean part of Central America.

Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus

But the most important thing is that during his expedition Christopher Columbus discovered America. It happened on October 12, 1492, when he landed on the island of San Salvador.

And it all started like this: on August 3, 1492, the expedition of the European navigator, consisting of the ships Santa Maria, Nina and Pinta, set out on a long journey. In September, the Sargasso Sea was discovered. They walked along German for three weeks. On October 7, 1492, the Columbus team changes its course to the southwest, believing that they missed Japan, which they so wanted to discover. After 5 days, the expedition stumbled upon an island named by Christopher Columbus in honor of the savior of Christ San Salvador. This date - October 12, 1492 is considered the official day of the discovery of America.

A day later, Columbus landed and hoisted the Castilian banner. Thus, he formally became the owner of the island. Having explored the nearby islands, the navigator sincerely believed that these were the vicinity of Japan, India and China. At first, the open lands were called the West Indies. Christopher Columbus returned to Spain on March 15, 1493 on the ship Nina. As a gift to King Ferdinand II of Aragon, he brought gold, natives, plants unprecedented to Europeans - potatoes, corn, tobacco, as well as bird feathers and fruits.

We hope that from this article you have learned what discoveries of Christopher Columbus became famous all over the world.