How Europe knew America - Historum

**AlpinLuke** · April 25th, 2012, 12:34 AM

Columbus was sailing back to Europe from his first travel to the "Indias", he was writing a letter for the King and he was concerned about his mate of adventure, Martin Alonso Pinzon who had the intention to arrive first at Spanish coasts to take the merit of the great result of the journey.

After a shipwreck the two gathered again and Columbus accepted the excuses of Pinzon.

Anyway, have you ever wondered what happened when Columbus was back to the European coasts?

Columbus had intention to reach Spain, but after a storm he lost a bit the rout and he reached the river Tago, in Portugal and so he took land near the tower at Belem, close to Lisbona.

In the port of Lisbona [this is a historical meeting for real!] he met a galera commanded by Bartolomeo Diaz [just the man who passed the Cape in South Africa].

Diaz welcomes Columbus on his ship with all the honors and on 8th March he invited him to the Portuguese Royal Court.

King John listens to Columbus with a very kind stance and the presence of Natives from he "Indias" are an evidence that Columbus hadn't entered far Portuguese lands.

As Columbus feared, in the meanwhile Pinzon had landed to Palos and he was trying to communicate the result of the journey, but after some days he died [without forces, it seems].

Columbus, expected by Ferdinando and Isabella, entered Palos port on March 15th.

And then? How Europe knew about Columbus and how did they discuss his deeds?

Letters ...

Pietro Martire d'Angheria, for example, on May 14th 1493 writes from Barcellona to Giovanni Borromeo saying that

[original content and my translation from Italian]

Quote:

"Da pochi giorni è tornato dagli antipodi occidentali un tale Cristoforo Colombo, un ligure che dai mei Re aveva a stento ottenuto tre imbarcazioni per questa missione poichè ritenevano fantasiose le cose che diceva; è tornato, ha portato testimonianze di molte cose preziose, ma soprattutto di oro, che quelle regioni producono spontaneamente ..."

"A few days ago returned from the antipodes West, such a Christopher Columbus, a Ligurian from my King had hardly got three boats for this mission because it believed the fanciful things he said, he returned, he brought testimonies of many precious things, but above of gold, that those regions produce spontaneously..."

**AlpinLuke** · April 25th, 2012, 12:44 AM

Pietro, who acted as a press agency in this occasion, I would say, On October 1st wrote to the Archbishop of Braga [Diego de Sousa].

This letter is really precious because it reports also academical comments about the geographical conceptions of the Ligurian sailor.

Original in Italian an my translation

Quote:

Un tale Colombo ha navigato verso gli antipodi occidentali fino alle coste dell'India (come egli crede). Ha trovato parecchie isole, si pensa che queste siano quelle a cui accennano i cosmografi, situate al di là dell'oceano orientale, vicino all'India. E io non lo sconfesso del tutto, sebbene la grandezza della sfera sembri provare diversamente, e non mancano infatti quelli che credono che la costa dell'India disti poco dai confini della Spagna. Comunque sia, vanno dicendo di aver fatto grandi scoperte. Ha portato prove di ciò che dice, promette che ne troverà di più grandi. Per noi è sufficiente che venga alla luce la metà parte del mondo che si nasconde; anche i Portoghesi, di giorno in giorno, si avvicinano sempre più al circolo equinoziale. Così coste finora sconosciute, diventeranno ben presto tutte accessibili poichè l'uno, per emulazione dell'altro, si espone a grandi fatiche e pericoli ..."

"Such Columbus sailed to the western antipodes, to the shores of India (as he believes). He found several islands, we think that these are the ones that mention the cosmographers, located beyond the eastern ocean, next to India. And I do not disavow the whole, although the magnitude of the ball seems to prove otherwise, and there are indeed those who believe that the coast of India is distant from the borders of Spain shortly. Anyway, keep saying that he made great discoveries. He turned up evidence of what he says, promises that he will find the largest. Is sufficient for us to discover that half the world that is hidden, even the Portuguese, every day, drawing ever nearer to the equinoctial circle. So far unknown shores, soon all will become accessible as the one for emulation of others, is exposed to great hardships and dangers ... "