We do know that on October 16th 1492 Christopher Columbus’ fleet anchored at “Fernandina”
He, an Italian, thought he had reached America! But, in fact, he hadn’t he had reached Long Island in the Bahamas.
However, he goes down in history as having found America, which of course he didn’t, well not this time. He crossed the Atlantic another three times starting the Spanish exploration and colonisation of the Americas.
Columbus wasn’t a Spaniard!
Take note I just wrote that he started the Spanish exploration of the Americas, but, actually, he was an Italian!
How did Spain benefit from the voyage of Columbus?
Well, he was an Italian, who was born in Genoa, then it gets complicated as he married a Portuguese noblewoman, Filipa Moniz Perestrelo, so naturally he moved to Lisbon.
He was self-educated and then became an intrepid explorer, who came up with a plan to seek a western sea passage to the East Indies. Basically, his plan was to profit from the money-spinning spice trade, but, unfortunately, the Portuguese wouldn’t fund him.
This is where Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand II of Spain came in, they came up with a clever idea. They agreed to fund his mad expedition with one condition. They insisted that every country he found must become Spanish territory, the result of this simple condition resulted in the creation of the vast Spanish Empire.
Columbus wasn’t the first to America.
You see Leif The Lucky in Leif Eriksson landed in Newfoundland around 1000 AD, nearly five centuries before the voyage of Christopher Columbus. The problem is that he felt he couldn’t see a future for the country he landed in, so he left. However, that wasn’t why he was called Leif The Lucky!
Schools Musicals
We have two musicals on the discovery of America.
Christopher Columbus- The World is Round is written for 7 to 14 year old children, and you can find it at https://history-portal.com/product/christopher-columbus/.
It tells about Christina and Pablo, so desperate to see the world, that they volunteer for the next ship to leave town. Unfortunately, they find themselves on a ship captained by a madman, called Christopher Columbus, who claims that the world is round, and if they sail far enough West, then they will eventually arrive in the East. Will they make it to the East or will they, as our two sailors believed, fall off the edge of the world?
The other is The Lucky Viking – The Discovery of America which you can download at https://history-portal.com/product/the-lucky-viking/.
Leif the Lucky, one of the unluckiest Vikings in his village, decides to prove himself a successful explorer by finding the mythical new land spotted by the merchant, Bjarni, 15 years before. With the help of the Norse Gods, Odin and Thor, Leif finally makes it to the new land, which he calls Vinland.
Let’s Make History Fun!
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© Tony Dalton