
Columbus’s Ultimate Goal: Jerusalem (2006) [pdf] - danielam
https://www.amherst.edu/system/files/columbus.pdf
======
thirteenfingers
Ms. Delaney has also written a full-length book, "Columbus and the Quest for
Jerusalem", which I haven't read all the way through but which appears to be a
more thorough treatment of the material covered in this article.

(Disclaimer: personally acquainted with the author.)

------
fauria
For some reason, in the English wikipedia article for Christopher Columbus [1]
you can read: " _Christopher Columbus... was an Italian master navigator
who..._ ".

On the other hand, the article about the theories of Christopher Columbus'
origin [2] says: " _The exact ethnic or national origin of Christopher
Columbus (1451-1506) has been a source of speculation since the 19th century_
".

Considering this, and the fact that Italy became the nation we know around the
19th century, I wonder why the (semi-protected) article reads like that. I
think it should be updated.

[1] -
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus)
[2] -
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_theories_of_Christopher...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_theories_of_Christopher_Columbus)

~~~
evmar
I don't know about Columbus in particular, but most famous people like him
have people from different countries continuously edit warring over which
country gets to "claim" him. I'll check the talk page ... yep, half the talk
is arguing about this.

(As an American, I find this phenomenon extremely silly and very foreign
feeling. I don't really care whether "my" ancestors get credit for something
or not, especially given that national boundaries and people move around all
the time. I find it vaguely nationalistic in the ugly sense. Maybe it's
because there were plenty of great Americans who were clearly not born here in
the first place?)

~~~
jcranmer
> (As an American, I find this phenomenon extremely silly and very foreign
> feeling. I don't really care whether "my" ancestors get credit for something
> or not, especially given that national boundaries and people move around all
> the time. I find it vaguely nationalistic in the ugly sense. Maybe it's
> because there were plenty of great Americans who were clearly not born here
> in the first place?)

Most of the countries in the America are largely populated by immigrants and
their descendants, and have a relatively shallow history of culture [1], which
gives them few opportunities to engage in these arguments, and little reason
to care about the result.

[1] I should note here that the fact that the modern countries do not derive
authority from any pre-existing indigenous polities gives them little
influence in the development of culture.

------
082349872349872
Very tangential: wondering what Montaigne had to say about the New World led
me to his _OF CANNIBALS_ (somewhat in the genre of Tacitus' _Germania_ ), in
which I learned that Seneca had foreshadowed Monty Python's Black Knight.

"sed etiam si cecidit de genu pugnat": And when he falls he fights on his
knees. ( _On Providence_ II.VI)

compare
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRwCPUEND1U](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRwCPUEND1U)

------
empath75
It's interesting that the author seems to think that focusing on the
religiousness of Columbus somehow mitigates the horror of what he did, as if
any religious person of the time would have behaved the same way, but there
were other religious people with him who objected strenuously to his treatment
of native americans and slavery.

~~~
requin246
Columbus’ poor treatment of the natives is a popular myth. He actually
rigorously promoted their well-being (to the disappointment of his men), to
the point where his soldiers chained him and sent him back to Spain on a boat
to be rid of him.

This author (a practicing anthropologist) has a book going into more detail
about his treatment of the natives.

~~~
empath75
> As governor and viceroy of the Indies, Columbus imposed iron discipline on
> what is now the Caribbean country of Dominican Republic, according to
> documents discovered by Spanish historians in 2005. In response to native
> unrest and revolt, Columbus ordered a brutal crackdown in which many natives
> were killed; in an attempt to deter further rebellion, Columbus ordered
> their dismembered bodies to be paraded through the streets.

[https://www.history.com/news/columbus-day-
controversy](https://www.history.com/news/columbus-day-controversy)

------
vondur
Well, it's not surprising giving the time period and the Chivalric ideas that
went with it. (Late Medieval period) The Reconquista had just finished up in
Spain, and the Ottomans were now bursting on the scene in the Eastern
Mediterranean. Columbus was a bit of a Zealot and believed that god spoke to
him personally.

