1 Age of Exploration In the film, “Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992)”, Christopher Columbus is presented as a Genoan explorer who sets his ambitions on discovering an alternative sea route to the Indies. He plans to do so by navigating through an unchartered ocean. Since the Portuguese refused to grant him the help and support that he required, Columbus went to the Spanish court to seek aid from Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. Upon overcoming a thorough questioning by Tomas de Torquemada, who served as the Head Inquisitor in Spain, he got Queen Isabella 's favor and permission to embark on his mission. With royal backing, he set sail in three sailing ships to venture in search of new routes. Throughout the journey, he experienced a variety of challenges, including a disgruntled crew, sabotage by Portuguese agents, and insurrection. . A comparison between official historical records and the film reveals that there are inconsistencies in the movie (The Journal of Christopher Columbus (1492), 2009). While discovering a new sea route to the Indies was the primary objective, Christopher Columbus sought to help promote and spread Christianity, find riches and glory. These primary motivations, referred to as the 3G's, are not delineated in the film. Additionally, the film fails to account for the promise he gave the Spanish royalty in exchange for their permission to set sail. Columbus promised his patrons merchandise from the voyage and established Spanish rule wherever he deemed valuable. Instead, the film tries to insinuate that Queen Isabella was romantically involved with Columbus hence was willing to help him. The King and Queen of Spain agreed to finance Christopher Columbus' voyage because they hoped to gain an advantage over the Portuguese. The two rulers decided to fund the journey in 1492, providing him with ships: the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa María (Portuguese Exploration and Spanish Conquest, 2019). They realized Portuguese sailors had penetrated . 2 Africa's south coast and explored the Indian Ocean. They believed that perhaps the Portuguese would eventually find a route to Asia; thus, the Spanish government wanted to participate in this aggressive quest to conquer Asia. Spain's leaders wanted to find a pathway to the East Indies, which did not overlap explicitly with that of Portugal. Portugal had been carrying out discovery expeditions trying to find new, shorter, and safer pathways. Thus far, they had already reached the Southern cape of Africa. Bartolomeu Dias, a Portuguese sailor, reached South Africa in 1488, and Vasco da Gama found a direct route to India from East Africa. Spain planned to counter the Portuguese development by creating their independent route to the Indies. Previously they had to circumvent a longer route, which was dangerous. A variety of different items were brought to the indigenous people by the Western immigrants who came to America: modern livestock (such as sheep), armaments, and ways of life. The colonists never accepted the Native American culture. Conversely, the natives had to conform to their way of life. They introduced with them their religions, preached it, and attempted to make believers throughout various regions of native inhabitants. It is necessary to note how influential Catholicism was during the Age of Exploration in the typical European society. At the time, state and religion were integrated and considered one. When navigators found new land, they were obligated to claim the land in the name of the monarchs and God. Additionally, they had to nationalize the religion. The Spaniards were rather enthusiastic about evangelistic practices. They established churches across the Americas, whereby bishops, as well as other officials, sought to spread the gospel to Native American communities. Catholicism became the national faith in Spain, Besides gaining riches and influence, Spanish adventurers and soldiers, christened conquistadors, attempted to propagate Christianity in their jurisdictions. Many Spanish priests have been . 3 compassionate and generous towards Native Americans, while some have been brutal to the degree that reformation has occurred violently. The Spanish used religion to gain control over indigenous American cultures, which explains why these regions still have a strong Catholic presence. Native North American history revolves mainly around England, France, and Spain's efforts to seize power in the region (English, French, and Spanish Colonies: A Comparison, 2020). For numerous purposes, the colonists penetrated the area and established colonial rule. Their administrations followed specific methods in their colonization initiatives. These disparities produced both benefits and drawbacks that strongly influenced the development of the Americas. For example, the French and Spanish people were ruled by authoritarian rulers whose regime was dictatorial; their settlers had gone to America as servants of the state and had to follow the monarchs' commands strictly. Conversely, the English colonists had even greater independence and could establish their independent authority as long as they practiced English law and remained obedient to the Crown (English, French, and Spanish Colonies: A Comparison, 2020). Furthermore, unlike France and Spain, England promoted mass migration from their territories, thereby boosting its colonial population (English, French, and Spanish Colonies: A Comparison, 2020). By 1763 the English had established hegemony in the North American, defeating France and Spain (English, French, and Spanish Colonies: A Comparison, 2020). Nevertheless, these other territories that the French or Spanish conquered would preserve the cultural identity that has persisted up to this day (English, French, and Spanish Colonies: A Comparison, 2020). . 4 References English, French, and Spanish colonies: A comparison. (2020). https://www.granburyisd.org/cms/lib/TX01000552/Centricity/Domain/287/Fact_Sheet_U 1_Comparison_of_Eng_Fr_Sp_Col.pdf Portuguese exploration and Spanish conquest. (2019). Lumenlearning.Com. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-ushistory1os2xmaster/chapter/portugueseexploration-and-spanish-conquest/ The Journal of Christopher Columbus (1492). (2009). Historyguide.Org. http://www.historyguide.org/earlymod/columbus.html
