Christopher Columbus

In 1492, three ships captained by the Genoese explorer Christopher Columbus arrived in the New World. Although the Viking explorer Leif Eriksson had first discovered the Americas almost 500 years earlier, Columbus and his men were the first to establish sustained contact with the continent’s indigenous populations. While his expedition brought immense wealth to the Spanish Crown and made it the preeminent colonial power in Europe, the conquistadors’ treatment of the Native Americans was brutal, and their violent imposition of European values and belief systems means that the conquest can be classed as a true ethnocide. In just 50 minutes, you will find out how Columbus’s discoveries revolutionized our understanding of the geography of the world and learn about his signifcant and controversial role in European history.

This straightforward and informative book provides a thorough discussion of Columbus’s four expeditions and the discoveries he made in each one. It also features a full biography, a valuable introduction to the political, social and economic context and an evaluation of the impact of his expeditions, giving you all the essential information about this influential explorer.

About Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus was the first European in the modern era to cross the Atlantic Ocean and reach the Americas, although his objective was actually to find a new trade route to Asia and the East Indies and he was unaware of the significance of his expeditions at the time. His journeys made a significant contribution to the development of geography and our understanding of the world, and allowed Spain to become one of the most powerful countries of the modern era. His actions also paved the way for the European colonial period, which had devastating effects on indigenous peoples around the globe.

This clear and accessible 46-page book is structured as follows:

• Introduction to Christopher Columbus
• Biography of Christopher Columbus
  • Childhood and education
  • The long-awaited venture
  • The expeditions
• Political, social and economic context
  • The dawn of the Age of Discovery
  • The fall of Constantinople and its consequences
  • The end of the Reconquista and the emergence of Europe
  • The genesis of a great adventure
• The expedition
  • Preparations
  • Reaching the East by the West
  • The first colony
  • Another world
  • In search of a passage to India
• The consequences of the expedition
  • Global European hegemony
  • The microbial shock and the ethnocide of the Native American population
  • Geography, changed forever
• Summary