Talk:Voyages of Christopher Columbus

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Cristoforo Colombo

Why does this article only mention his name name in English? 124.170.102.102 (talk) 09:50, 19 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Fixed I've added a note next to his English name with his name in other relevant languages. Thanks for pointing this out. Carlstak (talk) 14:04, 19 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

The papal interregnum

Pope Innocent VIII's article says:

The inscription below his tomb in Saint Peter's states: "Nel tempo del suo Pontificato, la gloria della scoperta di un nuovo mondo" (transl. "During his Pontificate, the glory of the discovery of a new world."). Writer Ruggero Marino, in his book Cristoforo Colombo e il Papa tradito (transl. Christopher Columbus and the betrayed Pope) argues that since Innocent died shortly before the departure of Christopher Columbus on his presumedly first voyage over the Atlantic, this suggests that Columbus actually traveled before the known date and re-discovered the Americas for the Europeans before the supposed date of 12 October 1492.

Innocent died on 25 July 1492. Columbus left for the New World on 3 August. The new pope Alexander VI was elected on 11 August. Is there anything in the literature about the significance of the date Columbus chose to leave, and the fact that is was in the midst of an interregnum? And could that be connected to the para I quoted above? I'd never heard any suggestion that his 1492 voyage to the New World was not in fact his first. What's on the record about Innocent VIII's involvement with Columbus? He's considered one of the weakest popes of the 15th century, and one modern-day critic calls him a "belligerent nonentity". But is there more to his story than meets the eye? -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 12:34, 30 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Ruggero Marino's article says he is "a journalist, writer and poet" not a historian. There is absolutely no support in scholarly literature for his "argument" about Columbus having a voyage before 1492. The 1492 voyage was very well-documented for that time and it clearly was the first. Nor is their any known connection between Columbus and Pope Innocent VIII.

In all likelihood, the inscription was made at a later date and someone confused the timeline. Either way, this theory clearly falls under the domain of pseudohistory and shouldn't be mentioned here. Jack234567 (talk) 14:56, 30 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the quick response. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 09:58, 31 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Claim that Columbus severed hands for failing to pay tribute is NOT supported by historical record

This allegation against Columbus is not supported by the historical record. It was first stated by Hans Koning, a source with questionable authority and motive, in 1976. It appears nowhere prior to that. It was popularized by Howard Zinn's People's History of the United States which borrowed heavily from Koning's book. But the primary source record does NOT state what the punishment for failing to pay the tribute was. Therefore, this CANNOT be stated as fact.

For an extensive analysis of this claim, I explain it here, with a comprehensive look at what the historical record says on the matter: https://historyinfocus.net/2024/09/27/columbus-and-the-myth-of-severed-hands/ 2601:18C:8202:5A40:DA:C230:8704:888B (talk) 09:34, 27 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]