Seven years ago, when he first came here with his son, he was a tramp. Today, he is an admiral, and he will soon become the governor of the newly discovered land.
He will lead three ships to explore. These boats are old. Although people promised to support him, it doesn't mean that he has everything he wants. Monarchs and capitalists are very stingy with every money that may not be recovered: they cherish their property too much and use it when they are not in use. Yes Among the three ships, the largest Santa Maria is about 120 tons, and the other two, the ace and the maiden, are much smaller.
Sailors are not easy to recruit. The theory of earth circle is not popular yet, and many people still believe in the theory of bottomless ocean. If you fall into a bottomless pit, you will never come back. So with the consent of the monarch, a group of criminals were forcibly recruited, which barely recruited enough sailors.
Nevertheless, the admiral was very excited. He was so excited that he could personally lead the expedition fleet to the unknown ocean that he stayed up all night. When the first ray of sunshine just rushed out of the horizon and dyed the white clouds floating over vilen red, palos's face was ruddy, and his best friend Rabida Abbot Perez accompanied him to the flagship.
The sailors pulled up the big anchor (máo) and the rusty cross sail began to swell. Residents who came to see me off gathered on the sand dunes and shouted loudly, full of support, concern and some loudly accused. Monks in Rabida knelt down to pray. The ship was blown away by the wind.
The fleet first sailed for the Canary Islands. On the way, Ace broke down and had to stop in the Canary Islands for maintenance, and at the same time, the Maiden was modified. On September 6, the crew went to mass, then left Canary and sailed for the vast ocean.
In the first few days, it was calm and sunny, and some sailors even jumped into the sea to take a bath. Columbus played a trick to calm the sailors. He wrote in his diary on September 9: "We sailed 60 nautical miles forward. I decided to calculate some miles less than the actual distance traveled, so as not to make our people lose courage because of the long sailing time. "
On September 14, just as the sailors complained more and more, the people on the Maiden reported seeing many birds. Does this mean that land is not far away? It was with birds that the Portuguese discovered many islands. Two days later, people were more excited, and a strand of grass could be seen everywhere, as if it had just floated from the land. The sailors thought that land was coming, but the water depth was measured again and again, and hundreds of meters of long rope could not reach the bottom, and there was no sign of approaching the continental shelf.
Columbus knew that it was impossible to reach land so soon. They actually sailed to the sargasso sea. It is located in the center of the North Atlantic circulation, with small wind and waves and gentle water flow. Sargassum gathers here to grow and breed, covering about 4.5 million square kilometers of sea surface.
The ship struggled on the grassland. For a few days, the sea breeze stopped and the fleet almost stagnated. People complain that the ocean is a monster, and there is not even a breath of wind, otherwise they can go back to Spain.
The work on the ship is monotonous, especially under the condition of15th century. At three o'clock and seven o'clock, 1 1 there are two people on duty. The personnel on duty must wash the deck with seawater to keep it clean and prevent the wooden deck from being cracked by the sun. Others do rigging work. The carpenter filled the barrel with wine and water on the deck. The helmsman is on the tiller side under the stern (bǐnɡ), and it is stifling hot. Only Wang Chen people on the bow or mast are high above and carefree. There are some benches hanging on the side of the bow and stern, which are specially used for defecation. Before handover, the dirty water in the bilge must be drained, and there are wastes and drowned insects in it, which have been stinking for (xūn) days. Hot meals are served only once a day, and the crew get together and cut the hard bacon in the wooden bowl with a knife.
Foods include mutton, salted beef, dried fish, dry bread, honey, cheese, dried peas, lentils, rice and wheat flour, all of which are added with a lot of salt to prevent insects. It is a very popular food to make wheat flour into a thick paste, make bread and bake it in the ashes. Chefs also use garlic, olives, olive oil, raisins and vinegar to improve their meals. Seasonings are put in clay pots, and water and wine are put in wooden barrels. In order to cook a hot meal once a day, a big box is put behind the upper deck, which is full of sand. When the weather is fine, burning charcoal in the box can keep the fire burning for a long time. When cooking, the chef puts the salted beef into a pot half-buried in a casserole, then pours in some fresh water and seawater, and then people step barefoot on the meat in the pot until the salty taste of the meat is reduced to be edible.
After finishing homework during the day, everyone gathered at the stern to say evening prayers, and then went back to their sleeping places for the night. This was a day's life for sailors at that time.
About two weeks later, the fleet left the sargasso sea. The front is still connected by water and sky, and it is endless. /kloc-0 at the beginning of 0/0, the sailors strongly demanded to change course. Columbus had to give in and sail from west to southwest, that is, 65438+1October 7.
Three days and nights have passed, and there is still no sign of land. The sailors said they would do nothing, and asked Columbus to turn around and sail back to Spain. Columbus had to persuade him, anyway, it was far from home, it was difficult to go back, and the destination was getting closer and closer. I hope everyone will stick to it for a few days. He also promised to give everyone more money.
The wind blew the sails, the waves creaked and splashed on the deck, and some albatrosses appeared and circled around the sails. Some green reeds also appear in the sea. Ace's sailor picked up a stick from the sea, which was obviously broken. The sailor of Maiden found a spiny branch with red berries. There are indications that land is not far away. Everyone sang the favorite religious song of Spanish sailors-"Save Rechner", with calloused hands crossed and black bearded faces looking at the bright red horizon in the distance from time to time. This day is 65438+ 10 month 1 1. The admiral asked the people watching him to pay special attention. He couldn't sleep at night and paced up and down the deck excitedly. At night 10, he seems to see flashing lights in the distance. But he didn't know whether it was an illusion or a fact.
At about 2 a.m. on June 5438+02, a sailor named Rodrigo Detrie Ana sailed in front of the Ace, and he saw the flat sand dunes in the moonlight. "Land!" He broke out suddenly; Excited and nervous. Then the sailors cried, hugged each other on the deck, danced wildly, kissed each other on their sweaty cheeks and hung crosses around their necks.
The admiral was also very excited. He tried to pray, but failed. He once promised that whoever saw the land first would give him his own silk coat and the annuity stipulated by the king and his wife. Now he announced that he was the first person to see the flash, so he was the first person to find land.
People are anxiously waiting for the dawn. According to the description in Columbus's voyage diary on the second day, this is a flat island with many green Woods and water sources. There is a big lake in the center of the island without any mountains. Later generations thought it was Watling Island in Bahaba Islands (now some people think it is another island), and Columbus named it San Salvador Island (Spanish: Savior).
The fleet circled the island and began the landing ceremony. Martin Song Ping, the king's notary and captain, accompanied the Admiral into a small sampan (shān): a small boat rowed offshore or on the river, which can only take two or three people. , landed on land. Some of them wear holiday clothes, while others wear armor, crosses and weapons. Columbus unfurled the Spanish flag, flashed his sword, announced that he would take over the island on behalf of the monarch, and asked his followers to swear allegiance to him as an "Indian" governor and let people around him kiss his hand.
The grand ceremony attracted the curiosity of Indians, who exchanged parrots and cotton balls for European glass beads and small bells in a friendly way. For these things, even broken glass, they seem willing to take anything out.
The Indians here are Arawaks, and they are still in the stage of slash and burn. According to Columbus, men and women are naked, well-built and have thick and hard hair. Some of their skin is dark, some are red, and some people paint their whole bodies red and white. Some people only paint their faces or just around their eyes and nose. The biāo gun they use as a weapon is actually just a wooden stick. Some people put a fish tooth or something sharp on the head of a stick. They didn't know iron yet, so Europeans showed them swords, and they grabbed the blade and cut their hands.
Columbus thought he had arrived in India and called them Indians ("Indians" is transliteration). But he was also puzzled that Kyle Poirot's book did not describe tall palaces and peanuts, only human beings in the early stage of development. This is not a real continent, but some islands. But Kyle Poirot said there are many islands near India, which he thought might be the Indies, and India, China and Japan are not far away.
Some Indians came to watch this exciting scene in canoes, and Columbus ordered several indigenous people aboard to show them the way. They sailed in the Bahamas for two weeks.
10 year127 October, they saw a huge island, with towering emerald mountains extending into the distance. This is the island of Cuba, which Columbus called the "most beautiful island" they have ever seen, but because the treasure has never been found, the team members are unwilling to obey his command. Columbus's Indian translator told him that there seemed to be a palace on the island. Columbus sent a mission in a hurry. But the emissary came back and said that they had been to many places and received a friendly reception, but they didn't see gold, palaces or those things that are said to have just existed in the Middle East. They saw thatched cottages, canoes and naked aborigines, just as they had seen in other places.
Perhaps the biggest discovery of Spanish people in Cuba is smoking. They saw men and women holding a burning wood in their hands, lighting a green leaf with it and smoking the smoke from the green leaf. At that time, no one thought that it had become one of the most important "gifts" given by the new world to the old world. These Spaniards brought tobacco back to their hometown, and the habit of smoking quickly became popular in Europe and all over the world. 1627 someone protested: "I am outraged by this strange fashion (máo) from the United States, which is intoxicating with cigarettes (yρnπ): it refers to arousing my inner anger because of things that violate justice. Can't help but say a few words. This is more than all old or new alcoholics. Dissolute people smoke a plant called nicotine or tobacco. They suck this plant and have an incredible desire and addiction. " At 1666, a German said, "There is no farmer in Germany who can't even find a pipe at home. I have seen all people-from dukes to beggars, from priests to hairdressers-smoking, drinking and smelling cigarettes. "
As no gold was found, the expedition was divided into several factions. On June165438+1October 2 1 day, Martin Song Ping, who had played a great role in Columbus' westward journey, left in secret.
Columbus came to Haiti in early February, and there was some gold here. Columbus wrote about the Spanish greed: "Indians are so honest and energetic, while Spaniards are so insatiable, as if their desires will never be satisfied." In exchange for a piece of broken glass, a piece of broken glass, China or something worthless, the Indians will give the Spaniards everything they want. The Spaniards don't even give them anything, they just take or take everything for nothing. "
On Christmas Day 1492, the flagship Santa Maria ran aground and crashed off the coast of Haiti Island. There was only one girl left, and Columbus ordered the valuables to be removed so as to return quickly.
The Maiden is too small to hold two ships. 39 people volunteered to stay on the island. They think it's free and they can find gold here. Columbus ordered to build a fortress for them with the boards of the wrecked ship, equipped with guns and food for a year. This is the first European settlement in America, and this day is called Navidad (Christmas) to commemorate the shipwreck of his ship.
On the way back, Columbus and his party were attacked by a strong storm. The roaring waves washed up on the deck and washed the sailors east and west. The mast of Nina, where Columbus was located, was broken and the cabin was flooded. I also lost contact with Pindar and became a lonely boat.
The wind roared and the sailors hiding in every corner of the ship prayed. Even Columbus, who had always been optimistic and confident, lost confidence. When a bigger storm hit, Columbus shouted in horror:
"God! Oh, my God! Why do we have to return home in triumph? "
"Admiral, please summon up your courage!" Only the brave Vicente is still cheering for Columbus.
Columbus was moved by the strong captain. He gave a cry of "Oh" and gradually returned to normal. He enthusiastically said to Vincent:
"You must miss your wife and children very much now."
"I think so. I miss them very much, but ... "
"Me too. My two children worry me very much. If I die, they will become orphans, orphans in foreign countries ... "
However, the most painful thing for Columbus is that after his death, his great career will never be known. He thought of this and immediately began to sort out the diary manuscript of this voyage. He handed me a sorted manuscript and kept it for himself. Then he bound another copy and wrote down the address and a paragraph to the effect that whoever can give his manuscript to the Spanish royal family will get a large reward from the king.
Finally, Columbus wrapped the manuscript in wax paper, put it in a wooden barrel, sealed it with wax, and threw it into the sea. After these, Columbus breathed a sigh of relief. He felt that even if he died unfortunately, someone would always find this bucket, and the manuscripts saved in this bucket were enough to make him immortal.
Fortunately, the day after Columbus threw the barrel into the sea, the storm that lasted for several days actually subsided. The Nina, which had been riddled with holes, did not sink, but Columbus and his companions were saved.
And the barrel that recorded Columbus' great achievements has never been found. Columbus told the world the story himself. He is very lucky.
The four-day and four-night storm did not engulf the girls, and they came to the Azores. When I walked back from here, I was attacked by a strong wind. The storm pushed Columbus' ship to the coast not far from Lisbon. The admiral sent an urgent envoy to report his return to the king.
On March 1493, the Maiden returned to palos. On the same day, the ace also sailed into this port. The fleet returned to Spain in 225 days. As a victorious general, Columbus traveled all over the country and didn't arrive in Barcelona until April 20th. Heavily armed sailors cut their way through the dense crowd. Columbus rode on horseback in a dress, followed by six Indians who were scared to death. They are wearing gold necklaces, holding gold bracelets (zhuó), parrots tied to their shoulders and spears in their hands. Finally, the rest of the sailors led mules with shiny minerals, fragrant wood, specimens of rare birds and animals, and boxes full of sand and gold on their backs.
When Columbus entered the palace, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella wouldn't let him kneel, but let him sit next to him, and the ministers stood listening to him talk to the king.
It is said that many famous nobles attended the grand banquet held by the king. One of them said enviously, "Mr. Christopher, if you haven't finished your grand pioneering work, you will find another person to complete the same pioneering work in Spain, which has many geographers and navigators." Columbus didn't answer. He just picked up an egg and said, "Dear gentlemen, try to make it stand on the table with nothing." The egg turned around on the table, and no one could stop it, but it returned to Columbus. Columbus pressed the top of the egg hard on the table and broke it. It's still. What Columbus means is that when someone does something successfully, everyone knows how to do it.
The king of Spain confirmed the right granted to Columbus before sailing and ordered him to go to India again. People flocked to sign up, and Columbus soon raised many ships and crew.
1493 On September 25th, Columbus left the port of Cadiz, Spain with 17 ships and about1500 ~ 2,500 people. There are all kinds of adventurers here: idle nobles, craftsmen, miners, farmers, court guards, officials, priests, bishops and so on.
The purpose of this westward journey is to establish a colony in India. Columbus brought horses, donkeys, dogs, vines, crop seeds and pigs that were not there. Most of these things later spread and took root in the United States.
This route is more southerly than last time, because Columbus heard from the locals on the submarine island that there is more gold on the island south of the island. I didn't expect the voyage to be longer than last time, but it took only 20 days to get from Canary to "India", less than half a month. What helped them was the northeast trade wind and the north equatorial current, and the ship sailed quickly and smoothly. Columbus inadvertently chose this route and became the golden route from Europe to America in the maritime era.
165438+1On October 3rd, the crew saw the islands with rolling mountains. It was Sunday, and the first island they saw was called Dominica (Spanish: Sunday), belonging to the Little andreas Islands. It is said that the Spanish met the cannibal Caribbean here. Caribs are an American indigenous people, and they often attack the islands where moderate and unarmed Arawaks live. Their large canoe can sail hundreds of miles at sea, and Caribbean people use it to take away all the women caught in the attack and live with them or be maids. Europeans have seen such women in more than 50 houses. Women say that Caribbean people are extremely cruel. They eat children born with them and only raise children born with Caribbean women. They also eat prisoners.
The word Caribbean was mispronounced by the Spanish as Canibal, which soon spread all over Europe and became synonymous with "cannibal".
165438+ 10/4 The fleet approached Santa Cruz Island, and Europeans learned the courage of these Caribbean people. Four men and two women were driving canoes to prevent 25 Europeans from approaching a large group of Arawak women and children captured by them. Two Europeans were injured, but a Caribbean was caught, stabbed and thrown into the sea. He stuffed his intestines into his stomach, covered the wound with one hand and swam to the shore, where he was shot.
When the Spaniards returned to Haiti by boat, they found several rotting bodies at the seaside. One of them has a beard, obviously European, because Indians don't have beards. They went ashore to the place where the fort was built. They could see neither the fort nor the people, only the wreckage and several bodies after the fire. Later, I learned that after Columbus left, these Europeans specialized in robbery, rape and murder, and everyone had several "wives". They clashed again hònɡ killed each other. Finally, the angry Indians attacked unexpectedly, killed them and burned the fort. The rest tried to jump into the sea to escape, but they all drowned.
Columbus rebuilt a "city" in a place easy to defend but difficult to attack on the north shore of the island, and named it Isabella. Because they don't know how to store food in this humid tropical area, most of the food they bring is bad. Hunger threatened the colonists, so Columbus decided to leave five ships and 500 people, and the rest returned to Spain at the beginning of 1494.
Columbus led three ships to visit Cuba again, went to Jamaica and other places, and returned to Haiti to suppress Indian resistance. Indians were also infected with smallpox brought by Europeans, many people died, and the survivors were gradually forced to work for Europeans.
Columbus did not find the cities and palaces described by Kyle Poirot, nor did he find so much gold and spices. The king and queen became more and more dissatisfied with him. 1495, they ordered the cancellation of some privileges originally promised to Columbus. Columbus was frightened and 1496 returned to Spain.
Columbus developed his gift of eloquence. He said that he had reached the Asian continent, and he found a country called Ophir in the center of the island of Haiti. According to the Bible, Solomon got gold from this country to decorate the church in Jerusalem. He also suggested sending criminals to explore the new world, which would greatly reduce the cost of immigration. These sweet words touched the monarch again and he was allowed to sail for the third time.
1498 On May 30th, Columbus led an expedition consisting of six ships and 200 people (excluding the crew), starting from Sanluca and passing through Gomera Island and Cape Verde Islands in the Canary Islands. It was not until July of 13 that he began to sail south and then crossed the Atlantic to the west. On July 28th, a piece of land with three peaks standing side by side was discovered. He named the newly discovered land Trinidad, which means the trinity island of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Columbus bypassed the island and sailed to the Gulf of Paria. He set foot on the South American continent, but mistakenly thought it was an island. When the Spaniards landed on the Paria Peninsula, they were very excited to see all the indigenous women wearing pearl necklaces, because they thought they were really in the rich East. However, Columbus observed that a large amount of fresh water rolling here flowed into the bay. In fact, all this fresh water comes from several estuaries of the Orinoco River. However, Columbus formed a strange idea in his mind: he was at the mouth of one of the four rivers in the Garden of Eden at the top of the earth, and the earth was not round, but pear-shaped.
When Columbus arrived at the island of Nyola in Espa, the power struggle of Spanish colonists on the island continued. The royal family thought Columbus was a competent commander of the expeditionary force, but not a competent governor. Therefore, the king appointed Francisco de Bobadilla, a veteran of the court, as the governor and chief executive of Niyola Island. 1500 in September, Bobadilla ordered the arrest of three Columbus brothers, because Columbus and his brothers refused to recognize the appointment. They were put in shackles (liàokào): shackles and handcuffs. Send it back to Spain and arrive in Cadiz at the end of 10. 165438+. The king and queen were shocked when they heard the news. They ordered Columbus to be released and gave him 2000 Dhaka silver coins. They also summoned three brothers. When Columbus saw the two kings, he was so excited that he stood there speechless, and then he knelt on the ground, sobbing.
Because many of Columbus's dreams about the New World were shattered again and again, he considered another grand cause in his mind full of bibles and prophecies: he wanted to liberate Jerusalem. He read all kinds of prophecies in the Bible and the Old Testament, and collected sentences that could explain that Jerusalem would be liberated by the Spanish. Then, he showed his prophecy to the monarch.
150 1 10 In June, Columbus prepared his fourth and last expedition in Seville. He bought four ships of 50 to 60 tons and selected 146 expedition members. He left his eldest son Diego, aged 2 1, as his representative in the palace, and brought his youngest son hernando, aged 13. On May 9th, 1502, the fleet set out from the port of Cadiz.
On May 25th, Columbus began to cross the Atlantic from the Canary Islands. On June 15, he discovered what he called Martinique, which belongs to the Lesser Antilles. A few days later, he went straight to Santo Domingo (now the capital of Miniga). Bobadilla's successor, Nicolas de Obando, refused to let Columbus land. In this way, he had to sail west to the port of Hermoso and escaped a storm. On July 14, a direct flight to Jamaica quelled a riot under his command. Honduras was discovered in August of 13. The next day, he landed on the Central American continent for the first time and tasted bananas for the first time. After sailing along the coast of Honduras, it arrived in Gracias-Cape Adios on September 14. Although his men rioted again, Columbus continued to explore the land of Central America. Then, Nicaragua was discovered, which is the hometown of chocolate drinks. Then I found Costa Rica. However, at that time, in his letter to the king, he said: "It takes 10 days from here to the Ganges"; Once again, I talked about the Garden of Eden on earth. At this time, Columbus's concept of geography is a mixture of scientific truth, absurd superstition and wrong opinions. 1On May 3rd, 503, Columbus thought that he had arrived in "Mungo region (Panama), which is very close to the tournament region (referring to China) and sailed from here to Niola". After Columbus left Panama, he sailed to Darien Bay in Colombia.
After experiencing many storms, chaos, praying to God and barely escaping, Columbus found himself in a small bay in Jamaica (June 23). Here he wrote a letter to the Spanish monarch in the style of the Old Testament, telling about his danger, wandering around, all kinds of dreams, and the voices he heard in the sky.
He sent an emissary to ask Obando for help. The aid boat has been towed until the spring of 1504. Columbus finally sailed to Nyola, Espa on June 28th; I began to return to Spain on September 12. When he crossed the Atlantic for the last time, he was hit by a storm again. Columbus finally landed safely in Sanluca 1654381October 7, ending his long voyage, exploration and colonial career.
/kloc-at the beginning of 0/505, the king ordered the seizure of his property because of too many debts. On May 20 of the following year, seriously ill Columbus kissed the cross handed to him before he died and clearly said the last sentence: "I gave my soul to you, God!" " "
He died peacefully. It was 27 years later that it was mentioned in a brief official statement: "The man named Admiral died."
The official indifference to him is not unreasonable. He spent a lot of money on the voyage, but he didn't get much in return. Many places he sailed are rich in gold and silver, but it takes a process to develop these precious metals. Only after the death of this great navigator did gold and silver flood into Europe from the New World, making Spain once the most powerful empire in the West. At the same time, it also triggered a price revolution and accelerated the primitive accumulation of capital.
Columbus believed to his death that his goal of westward voyage to Asia had been achieved, but he never thought that he had completed the greatest geographical discovery in history.
He never found China, Japanese and Indian, even the North American continent now, nor did he find his dream (mèi): he searched in his sleep. Describe the desire is strong and urgent. Lots of gold. He brought a criminal colonial exploitation system to the American people, and we can still see its tragic consequences today.
Spanish colonists turned Indian settlements into bones everywhere and made a fortune. Of course, it is not appropriate to blame Columbus for all these evils. From the perspective of historical development, the primitive accumulation of capitalism should not overemphasize individual responsibility, otherwise it will be like a person can make history. In fact, history always happens when many things are linked together.
Columbus pursued his dream goal persistently all his life. Although his talent is not particularly outstanding, even as an explorer who leads people, he still has some shortcomings. However, Columbus had a firm belief and extraordinary perseverance. His entrepreneurial spirit and fearless attitude, as well as his indomitable spirit of being diligent, daring to explore and mastering various skills, have great enlightenment to people and are also the premise of his success.
Columbus was a pioneer in discovering America. The success of his voyage broke the isolation of the western hemisphere, greatly broadened people's understanding of the earth and promoted the establishment of capitalist society to a certain extent, which was his great contribution to history.