Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer and navigator born in Genoa in 1451. He is best known for completing four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean sponsored by the Spanish Catholic Monarchs, Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand II. His first voyage in 1492 led him to the Caribbean, where he landed on an island in the Bahamas, mistakenly believing he had reached the East Indies. Columbus’s expeditions opened the way for the widespread European exploration and colonization of the Americas, marking the beginning of the Columbian exchange of plants, animals, cultures, diseases, and ideas between the Old World and the New World. Although Columbus never realized he had discovered a new continent and believed he had found a route to Asia, his voyages inaugurated an era that profoundly changed world history. His role as a colonial governor was controversial, involving accusations of brutality against indigenous peoples. Columbus died in 1506 still convinced he had reached Asia. His legacy remains complex, both celebrated for his contributions to European expansion and criticized for the negative impacts on native populations.
