A Somewhat Slanted Look at the History of the Christian Church – Article 43

hiterOne day in 1486, a fellow named Christopher Columbus approached the King of Aragon and Queen of Castile, Ferdinand and Isabella, looking for money to make a sea voyage to the East Indies.  His idea, briefly, was to sail west until he reached the east.  He stayed there, lobbying, while the two got married, fought a war against the Moslem occupiers of Spain, and eventually, in 1492, convinced them.  The story about the Queen hocking some of her personal jewelry to buy three boats may not be entirely accurate.  But, remember the history of the preceding 200 years: wars; disruption within the Church, waves of plague and pestilence all over Europe, and Islamic invasions on both the eastern and western flanks of Christendom!  But, by 1492, things were starting to look up!

It’s probably true that Columbus was far from the only guy who thought the world was round. Actually, it may have been a pretty well established theory, by that time.  But, no one had proved it.  It had been simpler, ever since the Crusades, to sail to Egypt or Turkey and trade with the East there.  It was also possible, as the Portuguese had just recently proven, to get there by sailing around Africa, and thus staying virtually in view of land, the entire trip.  It’s likely that many navigators thought you could reach the Far East by going west.  But none had tried it.  It was scary and it was expensive to try.  Thus, Columbus’s trip to visit the new monarchs of Spain.

It was the right time to hit them up for cash.  They had just finished kicking the Islamic occupiers out and establishing the new Kingdom of Spain, and they were in a gracious mood.  They were also young and interested in making a name for themselves.  A voyage of discovery was right up their alley.

It was also viewed as an opportunity for the Spanish Church.  Having been very prominent in the conquest of Granada, the Arab name for occupied Spain, the Church