Columbus
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In his letter to Luis de Santangel, Christopher Columbus states that he is extremely pleased with the outcome of his first voyage. He describes his praise and gratitude towards Ferdinand and Isabella in the following quote. “I passed from the Canary Islands to the Indies with the fleet which the most illustrious king and queen our sovereigns gave to me.” Columbus describes the king and queen as illustrious because he believes that the support of Ferdinand and Isabella towards his voyage was a notably outstanding action resulting in this marvelous achievement. The main purpose of Columbus’ voyage was to explore and discover unknown lands. His voyage was successful because he discovered many different islands, which he named San Salvador, in remembrance of the Divine Majesty, Isla de Santa Maria de Concepcion, Ferdinand, Isabella, and Isla Juana. Columbus describes the joy he is filled with towards this discovery in the following passage. “All are most beautiful, of a thousand shapes, and all are accessible and filled with trees of a thousand kinds and tall, and they seem to touch the sky. Espanola is a marvel.” Overall, this letter regarding his first voyage illustrates Columbus’ joyful tone towards his marvelous discovery.
In his letter to Ferdinand and Isabella regarding his fourth voyage, Columbus clearly illustrates his sorrow, discontentment, and absolute loyalty with his choice of words. In the following quote, he describes his sorrow towards the discovery. “Of Espanola, Paria, and the other lands, I never think without weeping.” This shows his sense of regret and depression. During his third voyage, Columbus encounters Spanish settlers in a rebellion against his authority, which later leads to his arrest caused by the many charges against him due to the mistakes of the men he ordered to protect the discovered land. Columbus attempts to repair his damaged