The gold of Columbus

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Gold of Columbus is a children's book by Christa-Maria Zimmermann and is about the last and at the same time most dangerous adventure voyage of the Italian navigator Christopher Columbus .

prehistory

Columbus had already made three voyages of discovery and the momentous discovery of America was ten years ago when he set out on his last and most dangerous journey, the "Alto Viaje" , the "High Voyage", during which he made the passage to "India" and hopes to find the fabulous gold treasures that will make him, the Spanish majesties and all of Spain rich.

Main storyline

Seville 1502: The simple thirteen-year-old street boy Pablo hires on one of the four ships - the "Capitana", the "Gallega" , the "Vizcaína" and the "Santiago de Palos" - in order for himself, for his destitute family, but in advance to find gold in all things for his enslaved brother. Also on board is Columbus' thirteen year old son Fernan . The boys soon become friends. But they face many difficulties. So she surprises z. B. a hurricane . The ships are also affected. Eventually the sailors land on an island with a lot of gold, which the men willingly collect. But the Indians , who own the gold, begin to fight the Spaniards, and they have to flee. When the ships finally get stranded on an island, eaten by shipworms , the friends have already drifted apart and are going different ways: Fernan devotes himself entirely to the job of an admiral's son, while Pablo befriends the Indians and in the end even marries an Indian woman.

Post-history

When Columbus returned to Spain in November 1504, he did not meet his patroness Queen Isabella : she died shortly after Columbus' arrival. A year later the king offered him a county instead of viceroyalty , but Columbus fought for his title until his death. He dies in 1506, but not lonely and impoverished. Rather, the gold from America flowed steadily into his chests all the time .

literature