History UsefulNotes / ChristopherColumbus

* In a case of BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy, he appears in a short but crucial role in ''Film/AssassinsCreed2016'', played by Gabriel Andreu.

[[caption-width-right:300:[-Columbus probably looked nothing like this.-]]]

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/christophercolumbus.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:[-Columbus probably looked nothing like this.-] ]]

!!Tropes related to Christopher Columbus:

* TheCaptain: Columbus was this, obviously.
* ContractualObligationProject: Both his first and his second voyage was financed by people who invested in him, expecting to get their loans back with interest. This led to the first desperate attempt to pay the investers back, and is the primary reason Columbus took 500 native prisoners back to Spain, of whom 300 died from illness during the trip. His intent was to sell them as slaves to cover expences, when he discovered that gold was more sparse in the Carribean than he had thought.
* DownerEnding: Columbus discovered two new continents, and yet he died in poverty. [[BittersweetEnding It wasn't all bad though]], as his tomb in Seville is topped with a statue of four Spanish kings holding up his casket, indicating just how important they thought he was to them.
* FatherNeptune: Columbus was this in his later years.
* 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 this fact had been known since at least the time of Ancient Greece. He's seen more positively in english-speaking nations and tend to portray him as a visionary explorer while his more negative aspects are given to other figures, be fictional or real.
* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: Other re-tellings of his voyage tend to condemn him and blame the entire plight of the Native Americans on him. In Latin America specifically, the early 90s saw a wave of progress in the recognition of amerindian rights (to a certain extent) and a sudden shift in the perception of America's "colonization" (now it's called "conquest") so rather than a demonization of the man personally, he is seen simply as the most prominent figurehead and instigator of a chain of events that destroyed many cultures that are now embraced, relegating the original inhabitants of the continent to a second class citizens status that still last to this day.
* InHarmsWay: Colombus could have returned to Spain and retired peacefully after his first voyage. Instead, he went back on many more voyages.
* TheMissionary: Columbus mentions several times in his journal how he would like to convert the natives to Catholicism. He brought missionaries with him on his second voyage.
* TheMutiny: On Columbus's first voyage, his crew thought they would die in the middle of the ocean and almost did this. [[AvertedTrope But then he found land.]]
* RagsToRiches: 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.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Columbus's voyages opened up the Americas to the Old World, bringing over disease which wiped out 90% of the Native Americans. This probably wasn't what he planned for the New World.
* 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.

A famous historical figure, known as the sailor who wanted to [[BoldExplorer 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 at L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland (Canada) 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]] (albeit mostly for [[ThePlague reasons not intended by anybody]]).

* 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 this fact had been known since at least the time of Ancient Greece.
** He's seen more positively in english-speaking nations and tend to portray him as a visionary explorer while his more negative aspects are given to other figures, be fictional or real.
* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: Other re-tellings of his voyage tend to condemn him and blame the entire plight of the Native Americans on him.
** In Latin America specifically, the early 90s saw a wave of progress in the recognition of amerindian rights (to a certain extent) and a sudden shift in the perception of America's "colonization" (Now it's called "conquest")so rather than a demonization of the man personally, he is seen simply as the most prominent figurehead and instigator of a chain of events that destroyed many cultures that are now embraced, relegating the original inhabitants of the continent to a second class citizens status that still last to this day.

** In Latin America specifically, he's seen as a ruthless explorer that ordered the death and enslavement of hundreds of natives in Central America. [[note]]Ironically, there's the city of ''Colón'' in ''UsefulNotes/{{Panama}}'' and the currentcy of ''UsefulNotes/ElSalvador'' before the dollarization of 2001 was called the ''Colón'' in his honor.[[/note]]

* In ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'', he appears as the Rider of the Resistance in the Agartha chapter. The game shows both the good and the bad side of him, as while he did do a lot of immoral things once he discovered America, he is still an excellent leader and a bold adventurer.

* In a case of BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy, he appears in a short but crucial role in ''Film/AssassinsCreed2016'', played by Gabriel Andreu .

->Columbus sailed the ocean blue
->Back in Fourteen-Ninety-Two.
->He sailed across and spotted land,
->A beach, and people on the sand.

->He called them Indians because
->He had no idea where he was,
->India was just a guess.
->When in doubt, declare success.

* InHarmsWay: Colombus could have returned to Spain and retired peacefully after his first voyage. Instead, he went back on many more voyages.

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

He landed first in the Bahamas, and the natives he met there were peaceful. However, not all natives were [[NobleSavage Noble Savages]].

* George Corraface portrayed him in ''Christopher Columbus: The Discovery'', which, like ''1492'' above, came out in 1992, [[MilestoneCelebration for the 500th anniversary]] of Columbus' discovery.

* In ''Literature/PastwatchTheRedemptionOfChristopherColumbus'', he turns out to have led a crusade against Muslims in an alternate timeline. A time traveler's attempt at preventing this resulting in him discovering the Americas and enabling the centuries of genocide to follow. A second time travel attempt seeks to [[TitleDrop redeem Columbus]] and lead the Old World and New World civilizations to meet peacefully.

Columbus was born in October 1451, before the 31st. He was born in [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/UsefulNotes/TheCityStateEra?from=Main.CityStateEra Genoa]], which was a [[TheRepublic 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, [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/UsefulNotes/Britain England]]. After that, he might have even sailed to [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/UsefulNotes/Iceland Iceland]] in 1477. In the fall of 1477 he sailed to Libson, [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/UsefulNotes/Portugal Portugal]]. There, he met up with his brother and based himself there. [[BabiesEverAfter 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. [[CunningLinguist He taught himself Latin, Castilian, and Portuguese]], and he read up on astronomy and on the travels of Marco Polo and John Manderville.

Columbus was born in October 1451, before the 31st. He was born in [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/UsefulNotes/TheCityStateEra?from=Main.CityStateEra Genoa]], which was a [[TheRepublic 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, [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/UsefulNotes/Britain England]]. After that, he might have even sailed to [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/UsefulNotes/Ireland Iceland]] in 1477. In the fall of 1477 he sailed to Libson, [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/UsefulNotes/Portugal Portugal]]. There, he met up with his brother and based himself there. [[BabiesEverAfter 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. [[CunningLinguist He taught himself Latin, Castilian, and Portuguese]], and he read up on astronomy and on the travels of Marco Polo and John Manderville.

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. However, Columbus was an experienced sailor and was fully aware that the trade winds could carry across the Atlantic with ease. While many would say that Columbus just got lucky, in actuality his feat was impressive. He had to sail in open waters for over a month (longer than anyone else in history up to that point) and had to quell his mutinous sailors who knew less about geography and were afraid they were too far out from land. Eventually, against the odds, they reached land.

Columbus was born in October 1451, before the 31st. He was born in [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/UsefulNotes/TheCityStateEra?from=Main.CityStateEra Genoa]], which was a [[TheRepublic 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 Portuguese, and he read up on astronomy and on the travels of Marco Polo and John Manderville.

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 Portuguese, and he read up on astronomy and on the travels of Marco Polo and John Manderville.

* 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 [[BoldExplorer 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]] (albeit mostly for [[ThePlague reasons not intended by anybody]]).

* TheMutiny: On Columbus's first voyage, his crew thought they would die in the middle of the ocean and almost did this. [[AvertedTrope But then he found land.

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]] (albeit mostly for [[ThePlague reasons not intended by anybody]]).

On his most famous voyage, the 1492 transatlantic 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.

* BoldExplorer: Just look at the page's picture.

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

* TheMutiny: On Columbus's first voyage, his crew thought they would die in the middle of the ocean and almost did this. [[AvertedTrope But then he found land]].
* ThePlague: Columbus's voyages brought diseases over to the Americas which killed off ninety percent of the native population. It is important to remember that he didn't intend for this to happen and that medical science of the day was not good enough for him to have known to take precautions.

* RedHeadedHero: Columbus had red hair. Subverted in that his hair turned grey when he got old.

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]].

On his most famous voyage, the 1492 transatlantic 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.

* DownerEnding: Columbus discovered two new continents, and yet he died in poverty. [[BittersweetEnding It wasn't all bad though]], as 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.

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