In the era of great navigation in the West, a large number of star figures emerged. Now they are often defined as "navigator" and "explorer", but if you know them a little, you know that the truth is not so simple.
A port of the Age of Discovery
Back in 15th-century Europe, if you were a hormone-filled teenager born in a harbor city, you would be no stranger to Marco Polo. In that era, the sailors who drank too much on the docks liked to hold a few children and brag about their adventures in three points and seven points of falsehood - as touching as "Marco Polo's Travels".
Columbus, born in Genoa in 1451, did not mingle with drunken sailors. Drunken poor sailors are generally talkative, and Columbus is likely to get the "true transmission" - growing up to become a "talking" Columbus.
Now when it comes to the age of great navigation, most people can soberly realize that grabbing land for money is the biggest driving force for these European countries - but because of the limitations of navigation knowledge and technical level, most of the early attempts are "costly and wasted", and not many rich people can afford it.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > So Columbus decided to find investment on his own. </h1>
Columbus
Columbus dreamed of making a splash in the ocean, but he had to find someone who was willing to pay for it, and for that matter he spent more than a decade around Europe lobbying.
What kind of person was Columbus? Let's see an interesting scene.
In August 1492, Columbus finally got the support of the Spaniards and led three sailing ships west in search of legendary India. As a result, everyone knows that he went to San Salvador in the Americas and insisted that this was India.
Then he led the fleet back, first back to Lisbon, Portugal — hey, you're now the "Captain of the Spanish Expedition," so why don't you just go home?
Here's the thing, a few years ago Columbus came to Portugal and was talking about his plans, but people ignored him. Now that Columbus has finally "discovered" India, he stops by Portugal to show off.
Columbus returned to Spain
In the Portuguese account, Columbus "spoke of his journey with great exaggeration, great exaggeration of the gold, silver and wealth he had acquired on this voyage." It is said that the advisers of King João II of Portugal could not listen to it anymore, and secretly suggested to João II: or we will kill this Columbus, this product is too annoying!
João II did not agree, after all, the relationship with Spain is also a little tense, bear with it. But João II also knew very well in his heart that Columbus was obviously here to humiliate himself, and you see the way he talked about it...
So João II immediately wrote a letter to the King of Spain, saying that your "expedition captain" had invaded Portuguese territory, and you should consider the consequences. (There was a previous agreement between the two sides to draw a line on a less accurate map of the world, with one country occupying half of the place, the famous Treaty of Tordesillas))
The Portuguese had always been "not a man who spoke much", so they did not look up to columbus as a "talker", so they excavated da Gama.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > Vasco da Gama, prefer hands-on. </h1>
Vasco da Gama
In the sea adventures that began in the 15th century, the Portuguese have always adhered to the spirit of "life and death are indifferent to disobedience", and they can do it without nonsense. So, you should be able to understand why they don't like Columbus anymore.
Vasco da Gama, unlike him, left little information before he was chosen as the "Captain of the Portuguese Expedition". At that time, he was evaluated as follows: "A bachelor, mature enough and strong enough to withstand the hardships of such a long voyage."
In fact, according to the Book of the Conqueror: The Rise of the Portuguese Empire by the British scholar Roger Crowley, it is likely that Vasco da Gama "engaged in piracy off the coast of Morocco" and that when the king appointed him to expedition, "he was being prosecuted for provoking a brawl."
The current portrait of Da Gama generally makes people think that he is a knowledgeable, cultured, and cultured aristocrat, in fact, people have been frivolous when they were young, and it is common to roll up their sleeves and fight in the streets - so when he was the expedition captain of Portugal, Vasco da Gama was a typical image.
Vasco da Gama was by no means a qualified "expedition captain" who was too grumpy. But anyone who is a little more sober knows that the first purpose of the expedition is to find new routes, and it is best to bring back a ship of expensive spices - fighting is secondary, and the King of Portugal spends so much money that it is not for you to go around causing trouble.
Vasco da Gama came to India
However, Vasco da Gama's temper was no ordinary cow. When several of Vasco da Gama's ships arrived in Mozambique, they finally realized that they were not far from India's great wealth. However, they entered the territory of the Arabs, which made Vasco da Gama feel bad.
Christians have always been full of hatred for the Islamic world, and they want to strangle each other to death without saying a word. Vasco da Gama was such a man who couldn't control his temper at all — in fact, many port cities in the Indian Ocean at this time had formed a very inclusive trading system. Merchants from different regions do business honestly and rarely use force.
Reasoning was something Vasco da Gama wasn't good at, so he began kidnapping local navigators and shelling the city — no nonsense, just do it. As a result, the Portuguese notoriety spread widely in the Indian Ocean. Where you could have sat down and had a good conversation and had a good time doing business, Da Gama's violent temper must be turned upside down.
It is no wonder that the British scholar Roger Crowley commented: "The Portuguese are destined to disrupt this harmonious coexistence." ”
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > the Portuguese of that era seemed to be generally irritable, as did Vasco da Gama, as did Magellan. </h1>
Magellan
Because I have written many articles about Magellan before, I will not go into detail here. Magellan was "crippled" (he was seriously injured in the leg during the war) and was a middle-aged greasy man who was not appreciated in Portugal.
So he decided to come to Spain and became the "Expedition Captain". Why is Magellan a "tyrant"? Because of what he did along the way, it fully demonstrated the Portuguese man's strong desire for control.
For example, the King of Spain was not at ease with him and arranged many Spaniards in important positions in the fleet. As the boss, Magellan can be a little patient, symbolically seek the opinions of others in everything, and give these people some face, the fleet is still very harmonious.
However, Magellan felt that he was the boss, with a stubborn temper and was not polite to anyone. As a result, he encountered a serious rebellion, and almost died without even seeing the Pacific Ocean.
Magellan was hacked to death by the natives
When you go to the Philippine Islands, you will be happy to be the "Emperor Taishang" in an indigenous tribe and enjoy life. He did not want to lead his men to participate in the internal contradictions of the Filipino natives and show his "royal demeanor", and as a result, he was hacked to death by a knife...
Now, of course, these people are navigators and are held to a very high position.
But everyone should also know that these navigators in the era of colonial expansion are not simple. The vast majority of them did not do anything bad.