Christopher Columbus: Hero or Villain?

By: Alex Horsfield

Christopher Columbus was a sailor, an explorer, and The Admiral of Mosquitoes. Christopher Columbus was born in Italy, and married Filipa Moniz Perestrelo. Not long after their marriage, she gave birth to a boy called Diego Columbus and Fernando Columbus. Later, Filipa Moniz Perestrelo died, and Christopher Columbus moved to Spain.

After a while he decided he wanted to trade with the Asians, yet at that time you had to sail all the way around Africa and across the Indian Ocean to get to Asia. During the 1500 they didn’t even know there was such a thing as America, so Columbus thought “if I sail west, I will surely hit India!”. Little did he know, there was going to be a long way to go. If he ever realised that he was in the wrong place, he would have to sail all the way around South America to get to Asia. He began to ask kings and queens for money and promised jewels, gold and everything that you could have dreamed of! On May 1, 1486, Columbus was finally able to see King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, but to his surprise they were at war! But they promised after the battle they would give him enough money for basically everything he would need, including a boat. After two years of waiting for Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand for an answer, Columbus tried asking King John ll of Portugal for money again, “oh please, give me some money. I swear I’ll give you everything you need once I get the gold!” But he was too busy, too busy celebrating another explorer’s return, Bartholomew Diaz. Three years later, Columbus went back to Spain finally the war was over, and it lasted for five whole years.

Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand gave him all he needed, as he started his sail with three boats called Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria. What he did not know, was what an extraordinary adventure awaited him. This trip was very different from what he pictured it to be, there were no cooks, so they had to make their own food-and fight mice, when they tried to steal their food. Twenty-two days of nothing, no land, very little food, Columbus started to realise why the other kings and queens rejected him this was an impossible task. But nothing is impossible, the word itself spells I’m possible! He could not let down King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, especially after his 5 years wait!

Nearly a month later, he finally hit land! “Oh jolly, I’ve hit India! Oh, how proud King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella will be! I will call these places… ah, West Indies!” And that’s how the West Indies get their name. First, he went searching for gold. “Finally! That took forever, goodness me! I’ll be the richest man on earth if I could just get a little more, I will, Oh I will be UNSTOPPABLE of my power!” As you can see, he’s not the friendliest man I would say. He travelled around Guanahani as we now know San Salvador because he renamed it. San Salvador is in the Bahamas. The natives, furious of Columbus stealing all their land. “Gosh, please, just give me a little more, that’s all I need!” the natives knew if they refuse maybe something bad might happen.

After a wander around the island, Columbus left, unfortunately Santa Maria got washed away to the rocks. So, Christopher Columbus left the people who were on Santa Maria, and promised he would come back. Meanwhile they would search for more gold. 26 days later, he finally arrived back in Spain. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella were very amused by his finding. So amused, in fact, that they sent him on another journey across the Atlantic!

On March 10, 1496, he left Spain for his second voyage. This time he brought seventeen ships with him, because everybody wanted to see the new world Columbus found. When he arrived, the ships hit an island now called Dominica. But when Columbus found it, he called it Domingo which was Sunday in Spanish because he arrived on Sunday., then people began calling it, Dominica. So, when Columbus came waltzing across Dominica, hearing rumours from San Salvador, all the natives hid underground, afraid of what Columbus could do. “Halloo, anybody here? I’ve come for some golds!” Christopher Columbus, annoyed with the Kalinago’s, decided to leave Dominica. Even though Columbus was gone, the Kalinago’s still didn’t come out for one year! Later, he sailed over to Jamaica. They traded and had peace with each other. But that peace didn’t last for long. One night, the 300 Jamaicans came over to their resting spot. The war lasted for 3 hours! Nearly all the boats sank. In the end, ten Jamaicans stood as seven Spanish did. Yet those people were still fighting.

Columbus forced his son Diego and another man to escape Jamaica. Obviously, his son and the man declined because they did not want to leave their soldiers to die.  Columbus “come on! So, you want to get killed by those MANIACS!” After a bargain, they accepted. And off they went. They sailed island to island, forcing people to give all their money, and if they had too little. He would put them to sleep, for a long time.

Coming back to Spain made Diego Columbus and the man feel VERY guilty. When they arrived, Queen Isabella would’ve said “My goodness, that is an incredible amount of gold! My castle could be that much, I shall send you on another voyage. Oh, how great of an explorer you are!”. Without a second thought, they immediately started planning his next journey. Calling different people, seeing the closest date he could sail. And what more, the King and Queen kept their promise. And Columbus was known as the “Admiral of the sea”. Do you want to know how he became “the Admiral of Mosquitoes”? Well, keep on reading to figure it out. Only Diego and the crew member knew his sea-cret.

This time, he was truly excited. “Oh, you two stops bickering, get to work! Pfft. Oh please, I don’t have to do anything! I’m the ADMIRAL OF THE SEA!” That was his favourite excuse to do nothing and send the crew to work. Now that was when he arrived at the West Indies. “Oh, how lovely to see you all again!” And got to “work” stealing money from poor families. “Great, this shall be enough. I’ll never have to work again! Isabella and Ferdinand will be so proud of me!”. Meanwhile back in Spain, the crew member betrayed Columbus, and told Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand everything Columbus did.

When Christopher Columbus arrived back in Spain. The King and Queen were furious, Columbus tried blaming it on his sons who were by his side. But they just argued with their dad. Then again he tried covering himself up, by telling how much gold he got “this is..a..umm.. a misunderstanding. I. err…got you…bunches. Of gold! Like. uhm..my…promise? hehe?” He got flung in jail. The elders called him “the Admiral of Mosquitoes!

Not long after returning Columbus was sent to jail. A Portuguese explorer sailed around Africa and across to Asia and came back with massive sacks of gold! Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand didn’t want Portugal to get all the money. So, they decided to give Columbus one last chance.

Across he sailed, but this time nobody wanted to sail with him. So, all his crew were criminals! He longed to hit the Caribbean. When he finally got there his adventure was a big failure! He barely got any money, and when he asked, they all laughed and left. Well, that serves him right! “Oh, all I want is just a penny! I truly can’t let down Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand! They rule me after all!

When he arrived back in Spain, Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand were dissatisfied. And then on, he was just a boring old person. It wasn’t long after he died as an ordinary man, still thinking he found India.

After learning about his life, I think Columbus is a bad man. He killed many because they were poor and didn’t give him cotton, wool and gold. He blamed his sons when they did nothing. He lied to the King and Queen. He left seven crew on shore to die and came waltzing down to other islands and pillaged them!

He still has a lot of good things about him. He didn’t give up when all the kings and queens rejected him, He didn’t surrender when everyone else would have. He believed in achieving the impossible. He was an amazing sailor and explorer.

What do you think? Is he a Hero or a Villain or an Admiral of Mosquitoes?