History UsefulNotes / ChristopherColumbus

* DashingHispanic: Played with. Christopher Colombus was actually was Italian, but he spent a lot of time among spanish people and undoubtably took up a few of their customs.

* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: Other re-tellings of his voyage tend to condemn him and blame the entire plight of the Native Americans on him. Even worse, he is blamed for atrocities that he either A. had no way of knowing about, B. had no way to prevent, or C. happened long after he died. But since he started it and is the most well known of the colonizers, people seem to think he's scum of the earth.

* RagstoRitches: Colombus was born the son of a poor weaver. While the Crown refused to pay him what was promised, he still died with more money than he was born with.

Many historians have credited Columbus for the European colonization of the Americas, which involves [[HegemonicEmpire many Europeans battling each other for colonies and land in the New World]], [[RapePillageAndBurn looting and destroying many tribes for gold and valuable resources]], [[AMillionIsAStatistic massacres of populations to take their land]], and [[CulturePolice forced destruction of native cultures]]. Most Indian victims however were claimed by the European diseases, which their immune systems could not handle. Although obviously, how many Europeans approached the New World and the Native American tribes varied. [[note]]The Spanish and the Portuguese pretty much were the worst in their relations with the indigenous populations; meanwhile, the French's goal was less seeking to take control of the natives lands and more [[ProudMerchantRace establishing peaceful and lucrative trading with them]]. It should be noted that most of the atrocities occurred after Colombus arrived, [[HistoricalVillainUpgrade so people blaming them on him might not be entirely fair]].[[/note]] Many countries celebrate Columbus Day on October 12th as an official holiday since the early 20th Century, although considering the bloody events that followed the event, there are controversies about celebrating the anniversary.

* WoodenShipsAndIronMen: Columbus's sailors sailed across the open ocean without seeing land for a month. This is impressive because all European sailing at the time (late Middle Ages / early Renaissance) involved hugging the coast.

As for his legacy, several things in the new world were named for him, including the [[{{UsefulNotes/Colombia}} Republic of Colombia]], [[UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC The District of Columbia]] (no relation to the Republic), the Territory of Columbia (no relation to the District) which later became the state of Washington, the cities of Columbus in Ohio and Columbia in South Carolina (each the capital of their respective states) [[LondonEnglandSyndrome no relation to the city located in the District]]), and [[NationsAsPeople Columbia]], the AnthropomorphicPersonification of the United States of America (before she was overshadowed by Uncle Sam).

* DownerEnding: Columbus discovered two new continents, and yet he died in obscurity and poverty.
** Obscurity? Maybe not. His tomb is Seville is topped with a statue of four Spanish kings holding up his casket, indicating just how important they thought he was to them.

* GottheCallonSpeedDial: Columbus went on several voyages, each one lasting years.
* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: Many re-tellings of his voyage tend to embellish details. He is also frequently (and incorrectly) credited for "discovering" that the earth is round, when in fact none of his peers doubted this.

* UnwittingInstigatorofDoom: Columbus's voyages opened up the Americas to the Old World, bringing over disease which wiped out 90% of the Native Americans.
* WoodenShipsandIronMen: Columbus's sailors sailed across the open ocean without seeing land for a month. This is impressive because all European sailing at the time (late Middle Ages / early Renaissance) involved hugging the coast.

* DownerEnding: Columbus discovered two new continents, and yet he died in obscurity and poverty.

* TheCaptain: Columbus was this, obviously.

* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: Many retellings of his voyage tend to embellish details.
** He is also incorrectly credited for "discovering" that the earth is round, when in fact none of his peers doubted this.
* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: Other retellings of his voyage tend to condemn him and blame the entire plight of the Native Americans on him. Even worse, he is blamed for atrocities that he either A. had no way of knowing about, B. had no way to prevent, or C. Happened long after he died. But since he started it and is the most well known of the colonizers, people seem to think he's scum of the earth.

* UnwittingInstigatorofDoom: Columbus's voyages opened up the Americas to the Old World, bringing over disease which wiped out 90% of the native americans.

A famous historical figure, known as the sailor who wanted to find an easier trade route from Europe to Asia (NOT to prove the Earth was round, contrary to popular belief) only to discover the Americas during his travels. As you probably know, he was not the first European to discover the Americas [[note]]The credit goes to Leif Erikson and the [[HornyVikings Vikings]] 500 years before Columbus. Ultimately their settlements failed and were largely forgotten until more recent times.[[/note]], but it was his efforts that led directly to the the Colombian Exchange, through which European exploration colonization shaped the Western Hemisphere, and with it, the entire world, into its current form. An inestimable boon for the nations of Europe, though [[ThePurge considerably less advantageous]] for the [[UsefulNotes/NativeAmericans American indigenous natives]].

* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: Other retellings of his voyage tend to condemn him and blame the entire plight of the native americans on him. Even worse, he is blamed for atrocities that he either A. had no way of knowing about, B. had no way to prevent, or C. Happened long after he died. But since he was a european discovering the land of Native Americans, people seem to think he's scum of the earth.

* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: Other retellings of his voyage tend to condemn him and blame the entire plight of the native americans on him. Even worse, he is blamed for atrocities that he either A. had no way of knowing about, B. had no way to prevent, or C. Happened long after he died.

* HistoricalVillianUpgrade: Other retellings of his voyage tend to condemn him and blame the entire plight of the native americans on him. Even worse, he is blamed for atrocities that he either A. had no way of knowing about, B. had no way to prevent, or C. Happened long after he died.

A famous historical figure, known as the sailor who wanted to find an easier trade route from Europe to Asia (NOT to prove the Earth was round, contrary to popular belief) only to discover the Americas during his travels. As you probably know, he was not the first European to discover the Americas [[note]]The credit goes to Leif Erikson and the [[HornyVikings Vikings]] 500 years before Columbus. Ultimately their settlements failed and were largely forgotten until more recent times.[[/note]], but it was his efforts that led directly to the the Colombian Exchange, in which European exploration colonization that shaped the Western Hemisphere, and through it, the entire world, into its current form. An inestimable boon for the nations of Europe, though [[ThePurge considerably less advantageous]] for the [[UsefulNotes/NativeAmericans American indigenous natives]].

On his most famous voyage, the 1492 trans-Atlantic trip in the ships ''Niña'', ''Pinta'', and ''Santa Maria'', he was searching for a route to "India," which at the time meant Asia -- specifically, he was hoping to find Japan. When he finally reached land, all he could tell was that the natives were neither Japanese nor Chinese, and so he was at a loss to figure out where he really was. Figuring he'd landed on some previously-unknown part of Asia, he referred to the natives generically as "Indians," and the island chain as the "East Indies." (Today, we've corrected this second mistake, and refer to these islands as the ''West'' Indies.) On his third voyage, in 1498, he realized he'd found a hitherto-unknown continent (South America), but he never learned that he hadn't come close to reaching Asia.

Columbus was born in October 1451, before the 31st. He was born in Genoa, which was a maritime republic. His father was a middle class weaver who also sold cheese, but his brother worked in a cartography workshop. In 1473, he began his apprenticeship as a sailor for a merchant family. He sailed to the Genoese colony of Chios. After that in 1476, he was a sailor in an armed convoy sailing from Genoa to Bristol, England. After that, he might have even sailed to Iceland in 1477. In the fall of 1477 he sailed to Libson, Portugal. There, he met up with his brother and based himself there. He married and had children. Between 1482 and 1487, Columbus sailed along the west african coast to the Portuguese colony of Elmina. His wife died, and he started dating a twenty year old orphan. He taught himself Latin, Castilian, and Portugese, and he read up on astronomy and on the travels of Marco Polo and John Manderville.

He and his brother Bartholomew together conceived of an "enterprise of the Indies," a way to sail directly to the Orient without having to go through the Turkish-controlled land route or the very long route beyond Africa. Columbus argued that the world was smaller than what common scholarship held, and that Japan was very, very far east of China, which was in turn very, very far east of where it actually was. He believed the world was smaller than it was because while he was sailing in the portugese Canary Islands, he would often hear rumors of driftwood floating over from west. So while he was right in assuming something was close by, he was wrong in thinking it was Asia. He was right on one more count though, that the "Easterly" winds off the coast of Africa could propel a sailing ship a great distance in relatively little time.

He landed first in the Bahamas, and the natives he met there were peaceful. However, not all natives are NobleSavage. Even if the has spanish not arrived there, those peaceful tribes would have been wiped out anyway (except by the bloodthirsty Carib).

After returning to Spain, Columbus was given 1500 men and 14 ships, and sent to set up a colony. After it was set up, he left his brother in charge to explore more. In his absence, the other spanish there brutalized the natives and he was unfairly blamed for it. He was sent back to Spain in chains, but Queen Isabella soon saw how innocent he was and he was released. Though his property was returned to him, he did not get his governorship back. He explored more, landing in Venezuela and sailing along the Panama coast to find a strait from which he could dial to Asia (there was no strait).

Many historians have attributed Columbus for the European colonization of the Americas, which involves [[HegemonicEmpire many Europeans battling each other for colonies and land in the New World]], [[RapePillageAndBurn looting and destroying many tribes for gold and valuable resources]], [[AMillionIsAStatistic massacres of populations to take their land]], and [[CulturePolice forced destruction of native cultures]]. Most Indian victims however were claimed by the European diseases, which their immune systems could not handle. Although obviously, how many Europeans approached the New World and the Native American tribes varied. [[note]] The Spanish and the Portuguese pretty much are the worst with the in the indigenous population relations while the French never really sought to take control of the natives lands but instead [[ProudMerchantRace establishing peaceful trade with them]]. However, it should be noted that most of the atrocities occurred after Colombus arrived, [[HistoricalVillianUpgrade so it is unfair that people blame them on him]].

[[/note]] Many countries celebrate Columbus Day on October 12th as an official holiday since the early 20th Century, even with some of its controversies surrounding what the anniversary of the event really involved.

Columbus's descendants hold the Spanish noble title Duke of Veragua, and the hereditary title of "Admiral of the Ocean Sea." Both the current Duke and his father were named Cristobal Colon (Christopher Columbus) and the father was actually a naval officer, which means he was an Admiral even when he was a Lieutenant.

As for his legacy, several things in the new world were named for him, including the [[{{UsefulNotes/Colombia}} Republic of Colombia]], [[UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC The District of Columbia]] (no relation to the Republic), the Territory of Columbia (no relation to the District, later became the state of Washington, the cities of Columbus in Ohio and Columbia in South Carolina (each the capital of their respective states) [[LondonEnglandSyndrome no relation to the city located in the District]]), and [[NationsAsPeople Columbia]], the AnthropomorphicPersonification of the United States of America (before she was overshadowed by Uncle Sam).

Tropes related to Christopher Columbus

* WoodenShipsandIronMen: Columbus's sailors sailed across the open ocean without seeing land for a month. This is impressive because all other sailing at the time involved hugging the coast.

He landed first in the Bahamas, and the natives he met there were peaceful. However, not all natives are NobleSavage. Even if the has spanish not arrived there, those peaceful tribes would have been wiped out anyway (except by the much more bloodthirsty Carib).

Columbus was (most likely) Genoese. He and his brother Bartholomew together conceived of an "enterprise of the Indies," a way to sail directly to the Orient without having to go through the Turkish-controlled land route or the very long route beyond Africa. Columbus, a relatively inexperienced sailor, argued that the world was smaller than what common scholarship held, and that Japan was very, very far east of China, which was in turn very, very far east of where it actually was. He was right on one count, though, that the "Easterly" winds off the coast of Africa could propel a sailing ship a great distance in relatively little time.

In 1492, hurting for cash after defeating Muslim Granada, Ferdinand and Isabella decided to give him what he wanted (although Isabella initially turned him down). Most likely, Ferdinand didn't think he'd come back. Columbus was actually a pretty bad sailor - most of the other experienced men on his ships knew more about navigation than he did. Luckily for him and all of the others with him, there just happened to be the Americas in the middle of the ocean and they didn't die of starvation. It wouldn't be inaccurate to say that Columbus merely stumbled his way into changing history.

Many historians have attributed Columbus for the European colonization of the Americas, which involves [[HegemonicEmpire many Europeans battling each other for colonies and land in the New World]], [[RapePillageAndBurn looting and destroying many tribes for gold and valuable resources]], [[AMillionIsAStatistic massacres of populations to take their land]], and [[CulturePolice forced destruction of native cultures]]. Most Indian victims however were claimed by the European diseases, which their immune systems could not handle. Although obviously, how many Europeans approached the New World and the Native American tribes varied. [[note]] The Spanish and the Portuguese pretty much are the worst with the in the indigenous population relations while the French never really sought to take control of the natives lands but instead [[ProudMerchantRace establishing peaceful trade with them]].[[/note]] Many countries celebrate Columbus Day on October 12th as an official holiday since the early 20th Century, even with some of its controversies surrounding what the anniversary of the event really involved.

Oh, and he once got into an ''epic'' [[WebVideo/EpicRapBattlesOfHistory rap battle]] with [[Franchise/StarTrek Captain Kirk]].

As for his legacy, several things in the new world were named for him, including the [[{{UsefulNotes/Colombia}} Republic of Colombia]], [[UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC The District of Columbia]] (no relation to the Republic), the Territory of Columbia (no relation to the District, later became the state of Washington, [[LondonEnglandSyndrome no relation to the city located in the District]]), and [[NationsAsPeople Columbia]], the AnthropomorphicPersonification of the United States of America (before she was overshadowed by Uncle Sam).

-->''Ramon Montaigne''

[[quoteright:220:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/220px-Christopher_Columbus__3548.png]]
[[caption-width-right:220:[-Columbus probably looked nothing like this.-] ]]

A famous historical figure, known as the sailor who wanted to find an easier trade route from Europe to Asia (NOT to prove the Earth was round, contrary to popular belief) only to discover the Americas during his travels. As you probably know, he was not the first European to discover the Americas [[note]]The credit goes to Leif Erikson and the [[HornyVikings Vikings]] 500 years before Columbus. Ultimately their settlements failed and were largely forgotten until more recent times.[[/note]], but it was his efforts that led directly to the European exploration and colonization that shaped the Western Hemisphere into its current form. An inestimable boon for the nations of Europe, though [[ThePurge considerably less advantageous]] for the [[UsefulNotes/NativeAmericans American indigenous natives]].

On his most famous voyage, the 1492 trans-atlantic trip in the ships ''Niña'', ''Pinta'', and ''Santa Maria'', he was searching for a route to "India," which at the time meant Asia -- specifically, he was hoping to find Japan. When he finally reached land, all he could tell was that the natives were neither Japanese nor Chinese, and so he was at a loss to figure out where he really was. Figuring he'd landed on some previously-unknown part of Asia, he referred to the natives generically as "Indians," and the island chain as the "East Indies." (Today, we've corrected this second mistake, and refer to these islands as the ''West'' Indies.) On his third voyage, in 1498, he realized he'd found a hitherto-unknown continent (South America), but he never learned that he hadn't come close to reaching Asia.

A famous historical figure, known as the sailor who wanted to find an easier trade route from Europe to Asia (NOT to prove the Earth was round, contrary to popular belief) only to discover the Americas during his travels. As you probably know, he was not the first European to discover the Americas [[note]]The credit goes to Leif Erikson and the [[HornyVikings Vikings]] 500 years before Columbus. Ultimately their settlements failed and were largely forgotten until more recent times.[[/note]], but it was his efforts that led directly to the European exploration and colonization that shaped the Western Hemisphere into its current form. An inestimable boon for the nations of Europe. Which also left a legacy [[ThePurge that was worse]] for the [[UsefulNotes/NativeAmericans American indigenous natives]].