 |
| Photo credit: Sebastiano Piombo (from Wikipedia) |
Alexander the Great’s conquest of the Persian Empire paved
the way for the cultural and religious exchange between Europe and Asia. In
addition, trade and commerce between the two continents were opened and
enhanced with the flourishing of lands along the Silk Route. The Roman Empire
supplanted Alexander’s Greek Empire and extended its influence into Northern
Africa and Western Europe. The conversion of Roman Emperor Constantine spread
Christianity all over the Roman Empire. The birth of Islam around 610 A.D.
eroded Christianity’s influence over much of Asia and North Africa. In just a
few years after Prophet Muhammad’s death, his followers conquered much of territories
that were once parts of Persian and Roman Empires.
The fall of the Christian City of Constantinople to the
Muslim Ottoman Turks in 1453 had a profound implication to Europe and the world. The Ottoman's conquest was significant in the sense that the city was the seat of
the Eastern Roman Empire or the Byzantine Empire. The city’s location was also
very strategic considering that it geographically links Europe and Asia, and it
was a gateway for the transport of goods and people between the two continents.
The control of trade routes by hostile powers made it
difficult for Europe to avail of commodities such as silk and spices from Asia. particularly those that came from India, China and Southeast Asia. It also made their cost became prohibitive. Christian maritime powers of
Europe such as Spain and Portugal had to find an alternative way to Asia without passing through perilous land routes. The best option was
through the sea. The competition of European powers to cross the seas to reach the spice islands in Asia ushered in the Age of Exploration.
Christopher Columbus (30 Oct. 1451-20 May 1506) a Genoese
navigator, proposed to King John II of Portugal an expedition to the East
Indies via western sea route. But the monarch was not convinced and turned down his proposal. In 1488,
Bartolomeu Dias, sailing southeast reached Cape of Good Hope which was a spring
board toward the East Indies. The success
of Dias doused any hope of Columbus to have the king agree with his proposition.
Failing in his bid, Columbus presented his idea to King
Henry VII of England who also turned it down. He later went to King Ferdinand II
and Queen Isabella of Castile, Spain. At first, the monarchs were skeptical of
Columbus’ proposal. However, it occurred to them that the eastern sea route was already taken and controlled by rival Portugal, and Columbus’ proposal if
successful would give Spain an edge in the lucrative spice trade.
 |
| Photo credit: John Vanderlyn (from Wikipedia) |
 |
| Photo credit: E. Benjamin Andrews (from Wikipedia) |
In 1492, Columbus was granted authority by Queen Isabella to
sail to Asia. He was given three ships- the Pinta, the Niña and the Santa Maria
which was his flagship. For claims on new lands to the crown Columbus was
entitled to the following privileges: a rank of “the Admiral of the Ocean”; a
designation of viceroy or governor of new found lands; a 10% perpetual share of profits earned as a result of his explorations, and the option to buy 1/8
interest in commercial venture in the new lands and to receive 1/8 of the
profits.
On August 3, 1492, Columbus with his fleet of three ships departed
from Palos de la Frontera, and sailed to his destination. After travelling
considerable distances, he saw an island and landed on it. He named it San
Salvador. He then passed through groups of islands that is now called the
Bahamas and explored the northern coast of Cuba and Hispaniola. At that time
Columbus believed that he had reached India, and even called the native
inhabitants “Indios”or Indians. The Spanish crown was pleased with Columbus’ discovery,
and was prepared to grant the condition set by Columbus in return for the successful voyage.
After meeting the monarchs, Columbus left port of Cadiz,
Spain on September 24, 1493, for a second voyage. With a fleet of 17 ships and 1,200 men composed of
soldiers, farmers and priests, he aimed to establish permanent colonies in new found lands.
In his third voyages in 1498 Columbus with a fleet of six ships made further explorations
to the islands and reached as far as the western coasts of South America. He returned to Hispaniola only to find that the Spanish settlers of the new
colony were rebellious to his role. He made peace with them, but the news of
his gross mismanagement and tyranny had already reached the Spanish monarchs
who ordered that Columbus and his brothers be arrested and returned to Spain.
Columbus was replaced as governor by Francisco de Bobadilla, a member of the
Order of Calatrava. In Spain Columbus and his brothers were imprisoned, and he
was divested of his privileges and properties.
King Ferdinand II listened to Columbus’ plea and released
him and his brothers after six weeks of confinement. They were also restored of
their wealth and privileges. Columbus was also allowed to lead another voyage
to the new found lands. But this time he would no longer serve as governor. He
left Cadiz on 11 May 1502 with a fleet of three ships. He explored several
islands and landed in Hispaniola. He explored the west coasts of Central
America and east coasts of Cuba. A fierce storm stranded his fleet in Jamaica
where he remained for almost a year. Columbus and his men then returned to
Spain. They arrived in San Lucar on June 29, 1504. In Spain, Columbus' long years of
travels took a toll on his health. He was severely stricken with diseases. Columbus
died on May 20, 1506, probably at age 54 in Valladolid, Spain.
Critics of Columbus cited the negative effects of his
explorations. They claimed that the arrival of the European settlers caused the
depopulation of the indigenous Taino and Arawak Indians. The Indians were being
exploited for forced labor such as having them worked in gold mines. Spanish soldiers
committed with impunity grave abuses such as massacres and rapes. Indigenous
people were seized, captured and sent to Spain as slaves with about half of
them dying en route. The pandemic of small pox in 1519 which was brought by the
European settlers into the islands almost brought to extinction the indigenous
inhabitants.
 |
| Map from Wikipedia |
Columbus’ erroneous view that the lands that he found were
part of Asia denied him the honor of having the continent named after him.
Amerigo Vespucci, a Florentine navigator, who came to the new lands a year after
Columbus, correctly speculated that the land Columbus discovered was not Asia. Amerigo's
travel journals also convinced German cartographer Martin Wadseemuller to reach
the same conclusion. Wadseemuller published a world map in 1507 referring to
the big new found continent as “America”, which is the Latinized version of Amerigo. With
that map, people at that time also followed suit to refer to the continent as “America”. For it, Vespucci was unintentionally and undeservedly accorded an honor that should have rightfully belonged to Columbus.
It is claimed that Vikings came to America before Columbus
did, and therefore he was not the first European to discover it. But there is
no doubt that Columbus’ explorations were the ones which certainly opened the
door of the American continent for European settlement. After Columbus had claimed
lands for Spain, other European powers such as Portugal, England, France and
Netherlands followed to explore the hitherto huge unknown continent. This
resulted to the influx of immigrants who brought along with them their
languages and cultures, and created new Independent nations with
predominantly European cultures and demographics. The predominantly Christian roots
of the immigrant people have also brought about the Christian evangelization of
the American continent, thus making Christianity the largest religion of the
world.
No comments:
Post a Comment