What Was Columbus Trying To Reach By Sailing West?

In the late 15th century, reaching Asia from Europe by land was nearly impossible due to the long and arduous route and hostile armies. Portuguese explorers, such as Christopher Columbus, solved this problem by sailing south along the West African coast and around the Cape. Columbus believed the world was round and that by sailing west from Europe, he would eventually end up in India, a rich source of trading for Europe.

From the Spanish port of Palos, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus set sail in command of three ships—the Santa Maria, the Pinta, and the Nina—on a journey to find a new route to India, China, Japan, and the Spice Islands. He believed that sailing west across the Atlantic would be quicker and safer than sailing east from Europe.

In the 15th and 16th centuries, Europeans wanted to find sea routes to the Far East, and Columbus wanted to find a new route to India, China, Japan, and the Spice Islands. If he could reach these lands, he would be able to bring back rich cargoes of silks and spices. Columbus believed that since the earth was round, he could sail west to reach the east, which included the lucrative lands of India and China.

Despite not actually accomplishing his mission, Columbus’ explorations mostly included the Bahamas. In 1484, Columbus began seeking support for an attempt to reach Asia by sailing westward over what was presumed to be open sea. He was motivated by a strong desire to find a quicker route to Asia, but instead, he found the New World.

Who had the idea of sailing west from Europe to reach Asia?

The explorer Christopher Columbus made four trips across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain: in 1492, 1493, 1498 and 1502. He was determined to find a direct water route west from Europe to Asia, but he never did. Instead, he stumbled upon the Americas. Though he did not “discover” the so-called New World—millions of people already lived there—his journeys marked the beginning of centuries ofexploration and colonization of North and South America.

Christopher Columbus and the Age of Discovery. During the 15th and 16th centuries, leaders of several European nations sponsored expeditions abroad in the hope that explorers would find great wealth and vast undiscovered lands. The Portuguese were the earliest participants in this “Age of Discovery,” also known as “Age of Exploration.”

Starting in about 1420, small Portuguese ships known as caravels zipped along the African coast, carrying spices, gold and other goods as well as enslaved people from Asia and Africa to Europe.

What was Spain and Columbus’s goal in sailing west?

After sailing across the Atlantic Ocean, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus sights a Bahamian island on October 12, 1492, believing he has reached East Asia. His expedition went ashore the same day and claimed the land for Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain, who sponsored his attempt to find a western ocean route to China, India, and the fabled gold and spice islands of Asia.

Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy, in 1451. Little is known of his early life, but he worked as a seaman and then a maritime entrepreneur. He became obsessed with the possibility of pioneering a western sea route to Cathay (China), India, and the gold and spice islands of Asia. At the time, Europeans knew no direct sea route to southern Asia, and the route via Egypt and the Red Sea was closed to Europeans by the Ottoman Empire, as were many land routes.

Contrary to popular legend, educated Europeans of Columbus’ day did believe that the world was round, as argued by St. Isidore in the seventh century. However, Columbus, and most others, underestimated the world’s size, calculating that East Asia must lie approximately where North America sits on the globe (they did not yet know that the Pacific Ocean existed).

With only the Atlantic Ocean, he thought, lying between Europe and the riches of the East Indies, Columbus met with King John II of Portugal and tried to persuade him to back his “Enterprise of the Indies,” as he called his plan. He was rebuffed and went to Spain, where he was also rejected at least twice by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. However, after the Spanish conquest of the Moorish kingdom of Granada in January 1492, the Spanish monarchs, flush with victory, agreed to support his voyage.

What was America called before America?

My understanding was that Europeans called it Novus Mundus (New World) before it was called America. Before that “The Indies”. Also it was called New Spain. Of course all the Native peoples had their own names in hundreds of languages, although not all had an idea of the geography of a whole continent.

Why did Columbus think he was in the West Indies?

“The Indies” was a generic label used by Europeans to describe all of the lands of east Asia. So when Columbus found land that he thought was part of Asia but which other Europeans didn’t know about, he called them the West Indies.

Where was Christopher Columbus trying to go?

What did Columbus aim to do?. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Europeans wanted to find sea routes to the Far East. Columbus wanted to find a new route to India, China, Japan and the Spice Islands. If he could reach these lands, he would be able to bring back rich cargoes of silks and spices. Columbus knew that the world was round and realised that by sailing west – instead of east around the coast of Africa, as other explorers at the time were doing – he would still reach his destination.

What ships did he use?. In 1492 Columbus set sail from Palos in Spain with three ships. Two, the Nina and the Pinta, were caravels – small ships with triangular sails. The third, the Santa Maria, was a nao – a larger square-rigged ship. The ships were small, between 15 and 36 metres long. Between them they carried about 90 men.

What did he discover?. After sailing across the Atlantic Ocean for 10 weeks, land was sighted by a sailor called Rodrigo Bernajo (although Columbus himself took the credit for this). He landed on a small island in the Bahamas, which he named San Salvador. He claimed the island for the King and Queen of Spain, although it was already populated.

Where was Columbus trying to go?

What did Columbus aim to do?. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Europeans wanted to find sea routes to the Far East. Columbus wanted to find a new route to India, China, Japan and the Spice Islands. If he could reach these lands, he would be able to bring back rich cargoes of silks and spices. Columbus knew that the world was round and realised that by sailing west – instead of east around the coast of Africa, as other explorers at the time were doing – he would still reach his destination.

What ships did he use?. In 1492 Columbus set sail from Palos in Spain with three ships. Two, the Nina and the Pinta, were caravels – small ships with triangular sails. The third, the Santa Maria, was a nao – a larger square-rigged ship. The ships were small, between 15 and 36 metres long. Between them they carried about 90 men.

What did he discover?. After sailing across the Atlantic Ocean for 10 weeks, land was sighted by a sailor called Rodrigo Bernajo (although Columbus himself took the credit for this). He landed on a small island in the Bahamas, which he named San Salvador. He claimed the island for the King and Queen of Spain, although it was already populated.

How long did it take Columbus to sail to America?

And let us not forget that transatlantic journeys have shortened from several months to a matter of hours. For his first voyage in 1492, Columbus departed from Palos de la Frontera, Spain, and landed somewhere in the Bahamas. His journey took a grueling two months and nine days. The first steamship to cross the Atlantic did so in 207 hours in 1819. Today, a flight from Madrid to Nassau in the Bahamas would take an average of 9 hours on an air-conditioned plane with fresh food at the ready, proper restrooms, and most likely televisions with the latest movies.

Some may groan about the inconveniences of transatlantic flights. But they are nothing compared to the horrors of crossing the Atlantic in years past. The very first journeys were prohibitively costly, took months and involved tremendous risk. We can thank technological progress, competition and increasing prosperity for making the trip more affordable, safer and faster.

Who was the first explorer to attempt to reach East Asia by sailing west from Europe?

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus was the first explorer to attempt to reach East Asia by sailing west from Europe. Columbus underestimated the circumference of the earth.

Question:. Who was the first explorer to attempt to reach East Asia by sailing west from Europe?

Age of Exploration:. In the late 15th century, Europe was beginning to seek better routes to the east than through land or around Africa. At the time, most explorers rejected sailing west as they believed the distance was too far to be economical.

Christopher Columbus was the first explorer to attempt to reach East Asia by sailing west from Europe.

Why did Spain decide to sail west?

The Spanish were watching the seafaring and trading successes of neighboring Portugal with envy. They, too, wanted the riches of Asian trade. Columbus needed a sponsor to finance his project of a westward voyage to Asia.

What did Columbus think he would find if he continued to sail west?

Final answer: Christopher Columbus believed that by sailing west, he would reach Asia due to a fundamental misunderstanding of the Earth’s size. He made landfall in the Bahamas and Hispaniola, mistaking them for the East Indies, and continued to believe he was in Asia until his death.

What was Columbus trying to accomplish by sailing west quizlet?

Christopher Columbus originally wanted to find an all new water route to Asia, He was positive that he could get to Asia by sailing west on the Atlantic Ocean. This idea proved him to be very courageous due to the fact that no one has even discovered the true distance of the Ocean to the west.