The Oxford Companion to American Literature | Columbus, Christopher
Columbus, Christopher( c.1446–1506), whose name in Italian is Cristoforo Colombo, and in Spanish Cristóbal Colón, was probably born in Genoa, to whose authorities he is said to have first proposed his expedition of discovery. He is supposed to have been influenced toward exploration by his older brother Bartholomew, an expert chart maker, and by his marriage (1477) to the daughter of a Portuguese navigator. After repeated rebuffs at the Portuguese and Spanish courts, he received the aid of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, and set sail (Aug. 3, 1492) with three small ships, the Santa Maria under his own command, the Niña under Vicente Pinzón, and the Pinta under Martin Pinzón. He landed in the Bahamas (Oct. 12) at an island that he named San Salvador, now generally identified with Watling Island. After discovering Cuba and Hispaniola (Haiti), he returned to Spain. For these discoveries he was made “admiral of the...
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