Even though he was brought back from his latest voyage in chains, Columbus did not suffer much consequence. He was stripped of his governorship, but King Ferdinand granted him his freedom and even subsidized a fourth voyage. The fourth expedition left Spain in May 1502 and made landfall at Martinique before sailing on to Santo Domingo. As soon as he arrived there, he was denied permission to land. His ships encountered a hurricane but managed to weather it, and then sailed to Guanaja Island and Honduras. After that, Columbus tried to return to Santo Domingo once again, but his vessels were rotted by shipworm and were abandoned in Jamaica. He was forced to stay there for about a year before he was rescued and finally reached Spain in November 1504.
Columbus’ …show more content…
In the years nearing the end of his life, Columbus wrote a book titled “Book of Privileges”. The text listed all the promises that the Spanish crown had given him over the years of his expeditions, and the ways in which they had not honored their promises. Even later, Columbus started working on a bizarre book called “Book of Prophecies”, in which he wrote about his idea that all his voyages had been divine missions directed by God.
Columbus' Heritage Was Fought Over at Courts for Hundreds of Years after His Death
Even though Christopher Columbus’ death went by pretty much unnoticed, the aftermath was quite interesting. His heirs and the Spanish monarchy spend years and years in litigation, which only ended in 1790. Columbus' heirs claimed that the monarchy short-changed them on money and profits that were due to the explorer. Most of the lawsuits were resolved in the first 30 years that followed Columbus’ death; however, some of the legal proceedings lasted nearly up until the 300th anniversary of Columbus’ first voyage.
Columbus Sailed the Atlantic Even after His