Five hundred years after he set sail, the prevailing view of Christopher Columbus
holds him responsible for everything that went wrong in the New World. Now,
anthropologist Carol Delaney reveals Columbus’s real motive for undertaking his
voyage—one that stands to radically change our understanding of him.
Through field work at the key sites of Columbus’s life and extensive archival
research, Delaney discovered that Columbus himself had clearly stated the ultimate
purpose of his voyages: He intended to sail to Asia and obtain gold, through trade,
in order to finance a crusade to take back Jerusalem from the Muslims. In
Columbus’s day, it was widely believed that Jerusalem must be in Christian hands
before Christ would return prior to the end of the world. Columbus believed he had
an important role to play in this apocalyptic drama. Delaney shows him to have
been neither a greedy imperialist nor a ruthless adventurer, as he has lately been
depicted, but a man driven by an abiding religious passion.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT THE BOOK AND THE AUTHOR.
5 comments:
What a load of crap. In 1453 the Turks captured Constantinople, the main transit point to Asia and all trade ceased. That is why all of Europe went on an exploration binge, to find the sea route to fabled Cathay, not so much for gold but for silk and spices.
I would have no idea, Ciccio. I don't know much about this time in history.
I read about this book today and I thought the premise was interesting. If it is wrong, then it is wrong.
The author has excellent credentials.
I'd like to see those papers she mentions on her web site. What DID Columbus write on this topic?
I seem to recall that the routes that Ciccio mentioned were, more or less, under the control of marauding bands of the Sons of Allah.
I just ordered the book from Amazon. I want to evaluate this book for myself!
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