Christopher Columbus
was born in 1451 in Genoa, Italy. His father was a weaver.
He and his brother moved to Portugal and became chartmakers.
At fourteen, Christopher went to sea. As a young man, he
lived in Portugal. His wife died in 1485 and Columbus moved,
with his son Diego, to Spain. Columbus believed that the
world was round. So he thought that by sailing west, he
would arrive in Asia. No one knew about the existence of
North and South America at that time. Christopher Columbus
approached the King of Portugal and the King and Queen of
Spain for 10 years trying to get them to finance his
exploration to Asia. Finally, King Ferdinand and Queen
Isabella of Spain decided to give Columbus the ships, men
and supplies he needed. In return, he promised to bring back
gold, spices and silks from the Far East. He told them that
he would spread Christianity and lead an expedition to
China. Columbus asked for and got the title "admiral of the
ocean seas" and became governor of all discovered lands.
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