|
| The Early Years: |
| 1451 | Columbus is born in Genoa, the son of a prosperous wool merchant and weaver.
By the age of 14, he takes to the sea. |
| 1476 | Columbus swims ashore after his ship is sunk in a battle with pirates off Portugal.A christopher columbus timeline map A christopher columbus timeline mapA christopher columbus timeline map of the worldChristopher columbus voyage timelineWhat did christopher columbus discoverChristopher columbus years of explorationHe joins his brother Bartholomew, a cartographer, in Lisbon. |
| 1477-1484 | As a master mariner, Columbus makes merchant voyages as far as Iceland and Guinea. |
| 1479 | Columbus marries Felipa Perestrella e Moniz, daughter of a Portuguese nobleman.
They settle on the island of Porto, near Madiera. |
| 1480 | Eldest son Diego is born. |
| 1484 | Columbus conceives of "The Enterprise of the Indies," but fails to convince King John II of Portugal to back the plan.
Wife Felipa dies. |
| 1485 | Columbus moves to Spain, settling at Palos in Andalusia. |
| 1488 | Second son Fernando is born out of wedlock, to Beatriz Enriquez de Harana. |
| 1492/1/2 | Ferdinand & Isabela capture Granada, the last Moorish city in Spain. |
|