Christopher Columbus died on 20 May 1506 in Valladolid, aged about 55. An Italian navigator from Genoa in the service of Spain, Columbus believed that he could reach Asia by sailing west across the Atlantic. Backed by Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand, he left Spain in 1492 with three ships and made landfall in the Bahamas, then explored Cuba and Hispaniola. He made three more voyages to the Caribbean and the coast of Central and South America, never realising that he had reached a continent unknown to Europeans. His voyages began the lasting contact between Europe and the Americas and the Spanish colonisation, which brought catastrophe to Indigenous peoples, and his legacy is much debated.
Before and after
- 17 January 1504Birth of Pius V
- 8 September 1504Michelangelo's David is unveiled
- from 16 March 1505 to 26 January 1517Mamluk–Portuguese conflicts
- 18 April 1506Construction of St. Peter's Basilica
- 20 May 1506Death of Christopher Columbus
- 1507Founding of Mumbai
- 25 April 1507The name 'America' appears on a map
- from February 1508 to December 1516War of the League of Cambrai
- March 1508Battle of Chaul
More in Exploration & discovery
- 22 February 1512Death of Amerigo Vespucci
- from 10 August 1519 to 8 September 1522Magellan-Elcano expedition
- 6 September 1522Magellan's expedition completes the first circumnavigation
- 24 November 1605Janszoon voyage of 1606
- May 1607Jamestown
- 27 October 1728Birth of James Cook
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 16th century.