Pros And Cons Of Christopher Columbus

1) Privileges and Prerogatives Granted by Their Catholic Majesties to Christopher Columbus : 1492
Essentially, in their letter to Columbus, “by the Grace of God, King and Queen of Castile, of Leon, of Arragon, of Sicily, of Granada, of Toledo, of Valencia, of Galicia, of Majorca, of Minorca, of Sevil, of Sardinia, of Jaen, of Algarve, of Algezira, of Gibraltar, of the Canary Islands, Count and Countess of Barcelona, Lord and Lady of Biscay and Molina, Duke and Duchess of Athens and Neopatria. Count and Countess of Rousillion and Cerdaigne, Marquess and Marchioness of Oristan and Gociano, &c,” as they introduce themselves, are telling the “Genoese opportunist, who spoke their language with a Portuguese accent,” (Murrin et. al 16) of the rewards

With regards to historical significance, Columbus’s fourth point is interesting: Columbus insists that in each town there will be a church for sacraments, worship and “the conversion of the Indians.” Though conversion had occurred between Muslims and Christians within the Eastern Hemisphere, this is a very early example of forced conversion in the “New World.” Similarities occur between the time period of the letter and today in that Columbus required his colonists to have a license to seek gold; the requirement of a license today is common to practice many professions. Culturally, obviously Columbus valued his relationship to the monarchs, he spends many lines describing the methods by which they will receive the gold and how the appropriate amount of funds will be collected from the communities. This is not dissimilar from the values of today; generally speaking, if a person has a close tie to a person of power, they will respect that relationship and do what they can to preserve it. Socially, Columbus’s value of the relationship reflects the hierarchy that was in place at the time. All of Columbus’s power stems from his relationship to the monarchy (as evidenced by the first letter, also) but because, in the islands, he is so closely tied to the royalty that he has much control and can guarantee the points he has listed in his