Wayengubani uChristopher Columbus?

UChristopher Columbus wayengomnye wabona bahloli bamazwe badumileyo abakha baphila. Iihambo zakhe zokufumanisa zamkhokelela ekubeni akhubeke emhlabeni kwaye abeke unyawo eMelika. Nangona abantu sele behlala kuloo mmandla, abaninzi basamgqala njengomseki weLizwe Elitsha. Enoba wawafumana amazwe aseMerika okanye akunjalo, ukhenketho lukaChristopher Columbus lwavula indlela yokuhlola ngakumbi kunye nokulawulwa kwamathanga aseYurophu kuMntla noMzantsi Merika.

Ubomi bokuqala bukaColumbus

Iminyaka yokuqala yobomi bukaColumbus iyinto eyimfihlakalo. Kukholelwa ukuba wazalwa ngo-1451 kwizibuko lase-Italiya eGenoa. Ngoxa wayekwishumi elivisayo, wafumana umsebenzi kwinqanawa yabarhwebi waza wathabatha inxaxheba kwiihambo ezininzi zokurhweba kulwandle iAegean neMeditera. Ngo-1476, inqanawa yakhe yayihamba ngaselunxwemeni lwamaPhuthukezi xa yahlaselwa ngabaphangi baseFransi. Inqanawa yazika, kodwa uColumbus wakwazi ukudada ukuya elunxwemeni, ekugqibeleni waya eLisbon.

Iminyaka yaseLisbon

ILisbon yayilungile kuColumbus. Wafunda imathematika, i-cartography, navigation, kunye ne-astronomy ngelixa esebenza njengomenzi weetshathi. Wadibana waza watshata noFelipa Perestrello eMoniz, intombi yomthengisi ocebileyo, kwaye baba nonyana kunye. Ebudeni beminyaka yaseLisbon, uColumbus naye wenza iihambo ezininzi zokuya eAfrika ezamnika ulwazi oluxabisekileyo ngemisinga yeAtlantiki kunye neenkqubo zomoya zolwandlekazi. Exhobe ngalo lonke olu lwazi lutsha, uColumbus waqulunqa icebo elaliza kummisela kuhambo lwakhe lwembali.

UColumbus Uqhawula iSicwangciso

Ii-East Indies zazidume ngegolide neziqholo zazo, nto leyo eyayizenza zidume kakhulu ngabarhwebi baseYurophu. Kodwa ukufumana ubuncwane bamazwe angaphandle kwaba nzima. Ngenkulungwane ye-15, uBukhosi baseTurkey babubalasele kwezi ndlela zorhwebo, yaye ukuhamba emhlabeni kwakuphantse kube nzima. Endaweni yoko, uhambo olude nolunzima lwenziwa ngolwandle, lusingise emazantsi kwaye lujikeleze iCape of Good Hope. UColumbus wayenezinye iimbono. Wayekholelwa ukuba kuya kukhawuleza kwaye kube lula ukufikelela e-Asia ngokuhamba ngasentshona, ukuwela i-Atlantiki. UColumbus waqikelela ukuba umgama ophakathi kweCanary Islands neJapan ube ziikhilomitha ezingama-2 300, kodwa wayewubala umgama. Umgama wawungaphezu kweekhilomitha ezili-12 000. Kodwa icebo lakhe lalibonakala lilungile, ngoko abantu bexesha lakhe bavakalisa ukuba uhambo oluya ngasentshona lwaluza kuba yimpumelelo.

Imfuneko yeeNqanawa

UColumbus ucebise uhambo lwakhe lokufumanisa ukuba lwenziwe ngeenqanawa ezintathu. Kodwa ngaphambi kokuba ahambe, wayeyifuna ngamandla imali yokuzakha. UColumbus waqala waya kumagosa asePortugal naseNgilani ecela inkxaso, kodwa walahlwa omabini. Ekugqibeleni, ngowe-1492, waya kukumkani waseSpeyin uFerdinand waseAragon noIsabella waseCastille. NjengoColumbus, babefuna udumo nobutyebi baza bavuma ukulixhasa ngemali olo hambo. Bathembisa uColumbus isihloko esihloniphekileyo, uburhuluneli bawo nawaphi na amazwe awafumanayo, kunye ne-10% yabo bonke ubutyebi awabufumanayo.

Khangela i-East Indies

UColumbus waqalisa uhambo lwakhe lokuya eJapan ngoAgasti 1492, enamadoda angama-90 nomkhosi wakhe weenqanawa ezintathu owawuyiSanta Maria, iPinta noNina. Ngo-Oktobha 12, uhambo lwabo lokuwela iAtlantiki lwabazisa kwisiqithi esincinane iColumbus ekucingelwa ukuba yi-East Indies. Enyanisweni, yayisisiqithi esikwiBahamas yanamhlanje. Kwiinyanga ezimbalwa ezalandelayo, uColumbus neqela lakhe baqhubeka behlola iziqithi ezahlukahlukeneyo ezikwiCaribbean befuna amatye anqabileyo, igolide, isilivere, izinongo nayo nantoni na enexabiso. Bandwendwela eCuba - leyo uColumbus wayekholelwa ukuba yiChina- kunye ne-Hispaniola, eyayiyiHaiti yanamhlanje kwaye ingeyiyo iJapan kodwa yafumana ubutyebi obumbalwa kakhulu.

Colonising Hispaniola

Eyona nqanawa inkulu kaColumbus, iSanta Maria, yaphuka kunxweme lwaseHispaniola. Ngoncedo lwabemi bomthonyama besiqithi, bahlangula oko babenako baza bakha indawo encinane kwesi siqithi besebenzisa amaplanga enqanawa. Bayithiya le koloni iVilla de la Navidad-- Idolophu yeKrisimesi. Xa uColumbus wakhwela isikhephe esiya eSpeyin ngoJanuwari 1493, washiya ngasemva amadoda angama-39 ukuba aye kuhlala edolophini.

Ubukhoboka kunye noButhanga

Emva kokuchitha iinyanga ezintandathu eSpeyin eqhayisa kwinkundla yasebukhosini ngezinto azifezileyo, uColumbus wenza iphulo lesibini lokuya kwiiCaribbean. Ukufika eVilla de la Navidad, wafumana indawo yokuhlala itshatyalalisiwe kwaye amadoda akhe abulawa. UColumbus waziphindezela ngokukhobokisa abemi bomthonyama waza wabanyanzela ukuba bayakhe kwakhona loo dolophu. Abazalwana bakhe, uBartholomew kunye no-Diego, bashiywa bephethe ngelixa uColumbus wenza iinzame ezingenasiqhamo zokufumana igolide.

Amathanga Avukela

Uhambo lwakhe lwesithathu ngoMeyi 1498 ekugqibeleni lwazisa uColumbus kwilizwekazi, iVenezuela yanamhlanje. Ngeli xesha, iimeko zaseHispaniola zazisiya zisiba mbi. Amathanga ayevukela abazalwana ngenxa yokuphatha kakubi nenkohlakalo yabo. Amagosa aseSpain athunyelwa ukuba abambe uColumbus aze ambuyisele eSpeyin ukuba abhekane nezimangalo.

Uhambo lokugqibela lukaColumbus

Izityholo ezichasene noColumbus zayekwa, kodwa wahluthwa zonke izihloko zakhe kunye nobutyebi. Nangona kunjalo, wakwazi ukweyisela uKumkani uFerdinand ukuba axhase ngemali enye uhambo oluya kuzisa ubutyebi ngaphaya kwamaphupha enkosi. Ngowe-1502, uColumbus waqalisa uhambo lokugqibela olwaphela ngentlekele. Isaqhwithi satshabalalisa iinqanawa zakhe kwaye sakhokelela ekubeni umphathi kunye nabasebenzi babe ngabakhenkethi eJamaica. Abemi bomthonyama besiqithi babekruqukile kukuphathwa kakubi ngamathanga aseSpeyin baza bala ukubapha ukutya. UColumbus wayephethe umbhalo wealmanac owawuxela kwangaphambili ukufiphala kwenyanga, ngoko ngoFebruwari 9, 1504, uColumbus wabohlwaya abantu balapho waza wabaqhatha ukuba bacinge ukuba uyayisusa inyanga.

YaroslavGerzhedovich / Getty Imifanekiso

Ilifa likaChristopher Columbus

Ekugqibeleni, uColumbus neqela lakhe bahlangulwa baza babuyela eSpeyin ngoNovemba 1504. Kwiminyaka emibini elandelayo babeza kumbona ekwidabi elingenathemba lokuphinda afumane izihlonipho nobutyebi bakhe obulahlekileyo. UColumbus wafa ngoMeyi 20, 1506, esenenkolelo yokuba wayefumene eyona ndlela imfutshane eya eAsia. Ukufunyanwa kukaColumbus kweLizwe Elitsha kwavula iindlela zorhwebo phakathi kweYurophu neMelika. Izilwanyana, izityalo, inkcubeko, kunye nabantu bahamba ngokukhululekileyo phakathi kweNdala kunye nehlabathi elitsha. Kodwa ummandla watshintshwa ngonaphakade. Impucuko eyayifudula idlamkile yamazwe aseMerika yacinezelwa ngamathanga, nto leyo eyaphumela ekubeni uninzi lwayo luphulukane ngokupheleleyo. UChristopher Columbus ubhiyozelwa kuwo wonke uMntla noMzantsi Melika minyaka le nge-12 kaOkthobha.