Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was an Italian explorer and navigator who completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean, opening the way for the widespread European exploration and colonization of the Americas. His expeditions, sponsored by the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, were the first European contact with the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. 

Columbus was looking to find a westward sea route to the East Indies but instead landed in what is now known as the West Indies. His voyages ultimately resulted in lasting contact and colonization of European countries in the Americas. Prior to Columbus's voyages, the people (including Columbus himself) who were living in the continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa were unaware that the North and South American continents even existed.

The name "Christopher Columbus" is the Anglicisation of the Latin Christophorus Columbus. Scholars generally agree that Columbus was born in the Republic of Genoa and spoke a dialect of Ligurian as his first language. He went to sea at a young age and travelled widely, as far north as the British Isles and as far south as what is now Ghana. He married Portuguese noblewoman Filipa Moniz Perestrelo and was based in Lisbon for several years, but later took a Castilian mistress; he had one son with each woman. Though largely self-educated, Columbus was widely read in geography, astronomy, and history. He formulated a plan to seek a western sea passage to the East Indies, hoping to profit from the lucrative spice trade. Following Columbus's persistent lobbying to multiple kingdoms, Catholic monarchs Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand II agreed to sponsor a journey west. Columbus left Castile in August 1492 with three ships, and made landfall in the Americas on 12 October (ending the period of human habitation in the Americas now referred to as the pre-Columbian era). His landing place was an island in the Bahamas, known by its native inhabitants as Guanahani. Columbus subsequently visited the islands now known as Cuba and Hispaniola, establishing a colony in what is now Haiti. Columbus returned to Castile in early 1493, bringing a number of captured natives with him. Word of his voyages soon spread throughout Europe.

Columbus made three further voyages to the Americas, exploring the Lesser Antilles in 1493, Trinidad and the northern coast of South America in 1498, and the eastern coast of Central America in 1502. Many of the names he gave to geographical features—particularly islands—are still in use. He also gave the name "indios" ("Indians") to the indigenous peoples he encountered. The extent to which he was aware that the Americas were a wholly separate landmass is uncertain; he never clearly renounced his belief that he had reached the Far East. As a colonial governor, Columbus was accused by his contemporaries of significant brutality and was soon removed from the post. Columbus's strained relationship with the Crown of Castile and its appointed colonial administrators in America led to his arrest and removal from Hispaniola in 1500, and later to protracted litigation over the benefits that he and his heirs claimed were owed to them by the crown. Columbus's expeditions inaugurated a period of exploration, conquest, and colonization that lasted for centuries, helping create the modern Western world. The transfers between the Old World and New World that followed his first voyage are known as the Columbian exchange.

Columbus was widely venerated in the centuries after his death, but public perception has fractured in recent decades as scholars give greater attention to the harm committed under his governance, particularly the near-extermination of Hispaniola's indigenous Taíno population from mistreatment and European diseases, as well as their enslavement. Proponents of the Black Legend theory of history claim that Columbus has been unfairly maligned as part of a wider anti-Catholic sentiment. Many places in the Western Hemisphere bear his name, including the country of Colombia and the District of Columbia.
Q50001
Italian
Concept
Q18578423
four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean
ORG
Q133641
exploration
TIME
Q184716
colonization
Concept
Q186851
Catholic Monarchs of Spain
ORG
Q664609
Caribbean
LOC
Q27611
Central America
LOC
Q18
South America
LOC
Q540885
Anglicisation
Concept
Q397
Latin
Concept
Q36106
Ligurian
MEDIA
Q117
Ghana
LOC
Q2410239
Filipa Moniz Perestrelo
PER
Q597
Lisbon
LOC
Q213137
East Indies
LOC
Q1778604
spice trade
UNK
Q45859
Queen Isabella I
PER
Q12860
King Ferdinand II
PER
Q202390
pre-Columbian era
Concept
Q778
the Bahamas
LOC
Q1144797
Guanahani
LOC
Q241
Cuba
LOC
Q25277
Hispaniola
Concept
Q1798978
a colony
LOC
Q790
Haiti
LOC
Q3825721
Word of his voyages
ORG
Q93259
Lesser Antilles
LOC
Q128323
Trinidad
LOC
Q36747
indigenous peoples
Concept
Q217196
Crown of Castile
LOC
Q3823766
protracted litigation
Concept
Q160381
Western world
Concept
Q174807
Old World
LOC
Q127834
New World
Concept
Q767253
Columbian exchange
TIME
Q210623
Taíno
PER
Q8463
enslavement
Concept
Q1501447
Black Legend
UNK
Q1063123
anti-Catholic sentiment
Concept
Q3299657
places
UNK
Q1112443
his name
PER
Q739
Colombia
LOC
Q61
District of Columbia
LOC
Q7322
Christopher Columbus
PER
Q7322
Christopher Columbus
PER
1451-10-31T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
31 October 1451
DATE
1506-05-20T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
20 May 1506
DATE
1492-08-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
August 1492
DATE
1493-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1493
DATE
1493-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1493
DATE
1498-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1498
DATE
1502-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1502
DATE
1500-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1500
DATE
+25^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
25
NUMBER
+12^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
12
NUMBER
spouse
allegiance
crew member(s)
spouse
part of