Kolumbus - Entdeckung von Amerika - Klasse 5

1. Christopher Columbus
(1451 – 1506)

2.  Name: Christoforo Colombo (engl.: Christopher Columbus)
 Date of birth: He was born between August & October 1451
in Genoa (Italy)
 Date of death: He died on 20 May 1506
in Valladolid (Spain)
 Nationality: Italian
 Profession: explorer, navigator & colonizer
Personal Data
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3. 
Christoforo Colombo (ital.)
Christóbal Colón (span.)
Christopher Columbus (engl.)
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4. 
 Who was Columbus?
Columbus was an explorer.
 In 1492, he sailed from Europe to America.
He and his sailors crossed the Atlantic Ocean,
not knowing where they would land.
 It was a voyage into the unknown.
After Columbus, other Europeans began to explore
and settle in America.
Who was Columbus?
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5. 
 Christopher Columbus was born in 1451.
 What times was he born into?
It was a time of new ideas and discoveries in Europe.
We call this time the Renaissance - a word that means
'rebirth'.
 People were making maps of new lands. They were
building ships to explore places they had never visited
before.
When did he live?
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6. 
Looking for new Lands…
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7. 
 What did Columbus do?
Columbus actually did not 'discover' America.
 There were many people already living there. Vikings
from Europe had landed in America 500 years before.
But Columbus did not know that.
 His voyage started regular contact between America and
Europe.
Why is he famous?
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8. 
Columbus – the Explorer
A map of the world from
the late 1400s.
This map was used by
Columbus to plan his trip to
India…
… but he ended up
discovering America!
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9. 
Columbus – the Explorer
A replica of
Columbus' ship:
The Santa Maria.
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10. 
 Childhood
Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa in Italy.
Genoa was a busy port in the 15th Century.
 His father was a small-time wool merchant and weaver.
 We don't know if Columbus went to school much. He
may have had lessons from monks.
Early Days
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11. 
The young Columbus
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12. 
 Going to sea
The Columbus family hoped to get rich by trade.
Columbus went to sea for the first time at the age of 13.
 Life at sea was exciting, but dangerous. He hoped to come
home as a rich man.
 Columbus learned how to sail a wooden ship with sails. He
learned about the winds and tides. He learned to navigate
(find the way), by looking at the sun & the stars.
Teenage years: going to Sea
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13. 
Navigation Instruments of
15th Century
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14. 
 Travelling & Trading
As a teenager, Christopher went to sea, travelled
extensively and eventually made Portugal his base.
 One story says he swam ashore after his ship was
attacked by pirates!
 He and his brother Bartholomew made and sold maps.
Making & selling Maps
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15. 
World Map drawn by Columbus
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16. 
 Columbus finally went to live in Portugal.
 It was here that he initially attempted to gain royal
patronage for…
 … a westward voyage to the Orient - his 'enterprise of
the Indies'.
 But in Portugal no-one wanted to finance his idea.
Young Columbus in Portugal
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17. 
How the World was seen in 1470
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18. 
 Finding the sea route to India
People in Europe wanted to find a new sea route EAST, to
trade with Asia.
They wanted to send ships to India, China and the
East Indies.
 The Portuguese tried sailing South, around Africa.
It was a long way to Asia at that time!
 Columbus wanted to sail WEST to find a shorter way.
Columbus Dream
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19. 
 Sailing WEST
Columbus wanted to find a better and shorter way to
travel to Asia. He wanted to find a sea route west.
 Because maps of the time made the oceans look smaller
than they are…
 … Columbus hoped to reach China in a few days.
Why all this? Columbus Idea
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20. 
Well-known Atlantic in 1474
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21. 
 Columbus needed money to make his dream come true.
 Help from Spain
Columbus tried to persuade rich people to help him. Most
laughed at him.
 At last, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain
gave him money for ships.
 In return he promised them new lands, spices, gold and
new people to rule.
Finding Donators in Spain
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22. 
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Money for the Expedition:
King Ferdinand & Queen Isabella of Spain

23. 
 Columbus set sail on 3rd August 1492.
 He had three ships: the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria.
 They were wooden ships with sails. There were about 90
men in the ships.
 Food for the voyage was kept in the ship's hold.
 The men took salted fish in barrels, cheese, wine, water, live
pigs and chickens.
Setting Sails in 1492
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24. 
A fleet of three Ships
 The Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria set sail
across the Atlantic Ocean on 3rd August 1492.
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25. 
 Life on the ships was hard.
The sailors worked shifts. The time for each shift was
measured using a half-hour glass.
 The men had no cabins, but slept on deck.
 Every morning, they said prayers.
 The ships let in water all the time.
The men had to work pumps, to keep the ships afloat.
Sailing in 15th Century
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26. 
A „Caravelle“ of the 15th Cent.
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27. 
 Finding the way
Columbus used a compass to help him navigate.
He used a traverse board to plot (mark) the direction they
wanted to sail in.
 The voyage took longer than Columbus expected.
There was no land, just ocean. The men got scared.
 They were running out of food and water.
 Many men were sick. They suffered from scurvy.
The first Voyage 1492
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28. 
 Ten weeks after their departure, land was sighted.
 After 36 days a sailor on the Pinta spotted an island.
 On 12th October 1492 the explorers went ashore.
Columbus called the island San Salvador.
The first Voyage 1492
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29. 
Columbus first Voyage
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30. 
 A New World
On 12th October 1492, Columbus and a group of his men
set foot on the island San Salvador in what later became
known as the Bahamas.
 Columbus sailed on to a number of other islands in the
Caribbean, including Cuba and Hispaniola.
 He explored a world new to Europeans. People later called
it the New World.
What was dicovered?
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31. 
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Landing of Columbus
(San Salvador 12th October 1492)

32. 
 Native Americans
Native American people lived on the islands.
 Columbus called these natives 'Indians', because he thought
that they had landed in 'the Indies' (Asia).
 At first the Native Americans were pleased to see the visitors.
Columbus gave them cheap presents and bells. But he also
claimed their islands for Spain!
The „wrong“ Indians
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33. 
Columbus meeting the Indians
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34. 
 The initial encounters were friendly, but indigenous
populations all over the New World were soon to be
devastated by their contact with Europeans.
 Columbus returned to Spain in triumph. He was made
'admiral of the Seven Seas' and viceroy of the Indies.
 Within a few months he set off on a second and larger
voyage. This time, he took 17 ships.
 More territory was covered. Conflicts with the Indians grew.
Conquering Indian Territory
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35. 
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Coming home after the 1st Trip
(received by king & queen of Spain)

36. 
 Native Americans made slaves
People from Europe sailed to America to start colonies.
Some wanted to make the Native Americans become
Christians.
 The Europeans began treating the
Native Americans badly.
They made many of them work as slaves.
 Many of the Indians died or were killed.
Christianisation & Slavery
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37. 
The native Americans
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38. 
 Columbus in disgrace
More and more territory was covered, but the Asian lands
that Columbus was aiming for remained elusive.
 On his third voyage, Columbus saw South America for the
first time. But he came home in disgrace.
 Spain ruled the lands Columbus had found.
What happened to Columbus?
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39. 
 Columbus was a great navigator, but he was less successful
as an administrator and was accused of mismanagement.
 His enemies said, he had ruled Hispaniola to make
himself rich. He was sent back to Spain in chains.
But the king and queen set him free.
 Others began to dispute whether the “new land” was in fact
the Orient or a completely 'new' world.
Jealous Enemies
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40. 
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Defending himself in front of
the queen of Spain

41. 
 Although he was already old, Columbus made two
further voyages to the newfound territories, but suffered
defeat and humiliation along the way.
 He sailed to America for a third time in 1498-1500 and a
fourth time in 1500. He was still hoping to land in China.
 This time he explored Central America.
His ships were too leaky to sail home, so he had to wait a
year before being rescued.
The last Years
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42. 
The 4 Voyages of Columbus
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43. 
 Other explorers followed Columbus.
In 1497-1498, John Cabot sailed from England to North America.
 In 1501 Amerigo Vespucci from Italy sailed to South America.
'America' was named after him…
People knew that the New World was not Asia, but a new
continent.
 When Columbus got back to Spain, he was sick and sad.
 Columbus died on 20th May 1506 – as a wealthy but deeply
disappointed man.
Sad End of a great Man
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44. 
The 2 Tombs of Columbus
The tomb of Christopher
Columbus inside
the Cathedral of Sevilla
in Spain
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45. 
The 2 Tombs of Columbus
The tomb of Christopher
Columbus
inside the Cathedral of
Santa Maria La Menor
in the Dominican
Republic.
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46. 
 Columbus and his sailors sailed bravely into the unknown.
He did not give up, even when people laughed at his ideas.
 Explorers brought home gold, new foods and new
knowledge.
 However, they brought misery to many Native Americans:
The Europeans took their land.
Many Native Americans were killed in wars with the
Europeans, or died from European diseases.
How Columbus changed history
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