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Christopher Columbus, known as Cristoforo Colombo in Italian and Cristóbal Colón in Spanish, sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in 1492 and opened the New World to Europe for trade and exploration. But though these facts are undisputed, it might surprise you to know how little is truly known about him. Furthermore, there is wide disagreement on how to even interpret what his voyages mean to us today.

Most believe that Columbus was born in Genoa, a city in what is now the northern part of Italy. The precise date of his birth seems to be between August 26 and October 31 in 1451. In Columbus’s own testament of 1498, he claims to have been born in a Christian household. Some experts point to evidence in other writings that show he had a fairly deep understanding of Judaism and they believe he actually converted from Judaism to Christianity. Others question whether he was even born in Italy and believe that he was born in Spain, Portugal or some other country.

Columbus is generally believed to be the son of Domenico Colombo who worked in Genoa as a wool worker and merchant. Columbus’ mother is thought to be Susanna Fontanarossa, the wife of Colombo.

As a teen, Columbus began working for the Portuguese merchant marine. He survived a shipwreck in 1476 and moved to Lisbon afterward. His brother, Bartholomew, joined him in Lisbon where the two worked as chart makers. In 1477 and 1478, Columbus made voyages with the merchant marine and as an agent of a Genoese business.

In 1479, he met and married Felipa Perestrello e Moniz. Moniz was a member of a noble family but they had no money. The two had one son, Diego, in 1480.

From 1482 to 1485, Columbus repeatedly sailed to West Africa. He gained valuable knowledge about navigation and the wind systems in the Atlantic Ocean.

In 1485, his wife died. He took a mistress, Beatriz Enríquez de Harana of Córdoba. She gave birth to his second son, Ferdinand, in 1488.

In 1486, Christopher_Columbus began seeking patronage from the Spanish crown in order to explore a trade route to the Indies in Asia by sailing west across the Atlantic. In January of 1492, after having turned him down at least twice before, the Spanish monarchs granted their support to his voyage.

In a letter he wrote before his first voyage to the New World, Columbus spells out his hopes for the trip. He was looking to accumulate riches, gain a rank in the Spanish nobility, aid the Spanish in their Crusades against the Muslims, and beat the Portuguese to find a route to the Indies that bypassed the Muslim countries which were increasingly hostile to the Europeans.

Sailing in the famed Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria, Columbus, and his crew crossed the Atlantic in 36 days to land in what is now known as the Bahamas. He didn’t stay long before continuing his journey to “Japan” and “China” which he believed he had reached when his ships arrived in Cuba. And Hispaniola.

The Santa Maria wrecked off the coast of Hispaniola so the crew used the lumber from the ship to build a settlement named Villa de la Navidad. Thirty-nine men were left to man the settlement. Columbus, meanwhile, returned to Europe and impressed the royal court in Spain with exaggerated tales of his exploits in “Asia.” Columbus made his second voyage in 1493 where he discovered that the settlement had been raided and all the men had been massacred. Despite the Queen’s aversion to slavery, he forced the native men to rebuild the settlement and search for gold. He then sailed around the Caribbean Islands convinced he had found the western route to China before returning to Europe.

On his third voyage, Columbus finally reached the mainland of the Americas. But settlers in Hispaniola complained about mistreatment and false claims by Columbus and his brothers so Columbus was arrested and returned to Spain in chains to answer to the crown. He was stripped of the titles he had been granted after his first voyage and much of the wealth he had obtained.

He convinced the monarchy that one more trip would lead to the riches he had promised them all along and was allowed to return. He was shipwrecked during this voyage but managed to reestablish trade with the natives.

After returning to Spain, he lived two more years. He was able to recover some of the money he had lost, but never regained the titles he had sought.