Christopher Columbus

2 Pages 568 Words

Christopher Columbus is often described as “one of the greatest mariners in history, a visionary genius, a mystic, a national hero, a failed administrator, a naïve entrepreneur, and a ruthless and greedy imperialist”. Throughout history, his story has been referred to in all situations, some were good and some were bad. But all who teach and hear the story agree that without him, the world would be different. There were many different ways Christopher Columbus’ voyages were viewed. His voyages expressed the general political, social, and scientific outlook of the fifteenth century in many ways. Through every thing he had the determination and strength to get through even when he had no support.
From the political outlook, not many “high up” people believed in what Christopher Columbus was setting out to accomplish. He had tried unsuccessfully to enlist support for his project. He presented his intentions to many different people to ask for support. Through a combination of good luck and persuasiveness, he finally was offered help from Catholic monarchs, Queen Isabel and King Fernando, who agreed to back him up. They agreed to Columbus’s demands on the condition that he would be successful on his first voyage. He was to be rewarded with “being knighted, appointed Admiral of the Ocean Sea, made the viceroy of any new lands, and awarded ten percent of any new wealth. He took his three ships, the Santa Maria, the Nina, and the Pinta. After the voyage of 1492, the widely published reports made Columbus famous. Political support was no longer hard to come by, and he earned the title of “Admiral of the Ocean Sea” and further royal patronage.
Not only did the political outlook change, so did the social outlook. Before Christopher Columbus set sail, his fellow mariners thought he was wasting his time with mere dreams and idealistic fantasies. After receiving support from Queen Isabel and King Fernando, he se...