Christopher Columbus

Born in Genoa in 1451, Christopher Columbus became a skilled sailor and navigator long before winning support from the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella. Convinced he could reach Asia by sailing west, he crossed the Atlantic in 1492 and arrived in the Caribbean, opening the way for sustained European expansion into the Americas.

He made four voyages across the Atlantic between 1492 and 1504. Although he never reached the Asian lands he was seeking, his expeditions transformed trade, conquest, and cultural exchange on a global scale.

Columbus died in Valladolid in 1506. Remembered for ambition, persistence, and daring seamanship, he is also a deeply controversial figure because of the violence, exploitation, and colonial systems tied to the voyages he led.