Ferdinand Columbus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ferdinand Columbus
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| Born | 15 August 1488 |
| Died | 12 July 1539 (aged 50) Seville, Castile
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| Parent(s) | Christopher Columbus Beatriz Enríquez de Arana |
Ferdinand Columbus (born August 15, 1488 – died July 12, 1539) was a Spanish scholar. He was known for collecting many books and for studying maps and the universe. Ferdinand was the second son of the famous explorer Christopher Columbus. His mother was Beatriz Enriquez de Arana, but she and his father never married.
Contents
Ferdinand Columbus's Life Story
Ferdinand Columbus was born in Córdoba, Spain, on August 15, 1488. His parents were Christopher Columbus and Beatriz Enríquez de Arana. He had an older brother, Diego Columbus, from his father's first marriage. Even though his parents never married, Ferdinand was always accepted by his father. This was normal for the time.
Early Life and Education
When Ferdinand was young, his father, Christopher Columbus, was not yet famous. Christopher spent a lot of time trying to get support for his voyages. Meanwhile, Ferdinand and his brother Diego lived with their mother's family in Cordoba.
After Christopher Columbus returned from his first voyage in 1493, he became very famous. In 1494, Ferdinand and Diego were invited to serve as pages for Prince Juan. This was a great honor and showed how important their father had become.
Ferdinand was one of over 200 pages. He received an excellent education alongside the prince. He learned about religion, Latin, Spanish, history, philosophy, and music. Famous teachers like Antonio de Nebrija taught him. Ferdinand was a very good student. After Prince Juan died in 1497, Ferdinand became a page for Queen Isabella. This allowed him to continue his studies.
Voyage with His Father
In 1500, Ferdinand's father returned from his third voyage. He had been arrested for problems in the new colony. To improve his reputation, Christopher Columbus worked with Ferdinand to create a book called the Book of Prophecies. This book used religious texts to show that Columbus's journeys were part of God's plan. Ferdinand helped with this book, but we don't know exactly how much.
By 1502, Christopher Columbus got permission for a fourth voyage. He wanted to find a western route to the Indian Ocean. Ferdinand, who was only thirteen, went with his father. They left Cadiz on May 9, 1502, with four ships. Ferdinand was still a royal page and received a good daily payment.
This fourth voyage was very difficult and dangerous. They faced storms, sickness, and fights with native people. They explored the coast from Honduras to Panama. After losing one ship, they got stuck in Jamaica for almost a year. They were finally rescued in August 1504. Ferdinand and his father returned to Spain in September 1504.
After Christopher Columbus's Death
When they arrived in Seville in November 1504, Ferdinand stayed to care for his very ill father. The queen, Isabella, who had supported them, died that same month. This was a sad time for both Ferdinand and his father.
Christopher Columbus died in May 1505. He was a wealthy man, not poor, as some stories say. Ferdinand and his brother inherited a large estate. Diego, as the older brother, received his father's titles. However, the value of these titles was unclear. This led to many years of legal battles.
Ferdinand did not return to court. Instead, he focused on these legal fights. He wanted to make sure the agreements between his father and the Crown were honored. These lawsuits, called the pleitos colombinos, started in 1508 and lasted until 1536. In 1509, Ferdinand went with Diego to Hispaniola, where Diego was named governor. Ferdinand stayed only a few months. He then returned to Spain to continue the lawsuits for his family.
Ferdinand Columbus's Amazing Library
As an adult, Ferdinand Columbus became a famous scholar. He had a lot of money from his father's discoveries in the New World. He used much of this money to buy books. Ferdinand traveled all over Europe to collect books. He gathered a personal library of over 15,000 books! Many educated people, including the Dutch philosopher Erasmus, visited his library.
Ferdinand's huge library was special in several ways:
- He personally wrote down details for every book he bought. This included the date, place, and price. He also had his helpers write summaries of each book. He even created a special system to organize his library. In 2013, a professor found this massive catalog, called the Libro de los Epítomes. It had been lost for a long time.
- He bought mostly printed books, which was a new technology at the time. This meant his library had many "incunabula." These are books printed between 1453 and 1500.
- He hired full-time librarians. They had to live at the library to make sure it was their top priority.
Ferdinand Columbus inherited his father's personal library. The books that remain from this collection have important information about Christopher Columbus. They tell us about his interests and his explorations.
Ferdinand's will asked that his library be kept safe after his death. He wanted it to be maintained and for more books to be bought. However, his nephew, who inherited the collection, did not care for it. The books were left uncared for five years. Even after the collection moved to the Seville Cathedral, many books were lost or damaged.
Over time, the library's size shrank. It went from 15,000 books to about 7,000, and then to fewer than 4,000. This is about a quarter of the original library. Still, the remaining books are kept at the Seville Cathedral today. They are part of the Biblioteca Colombina. Scholars, students, and book lovers can still visit and study them.
The Libro de los Epítomes, which is a book of summaries of Columbus's collection, was found in 2013. It was found at the University of Copenhagen.
Ferdinand's Print Collection
Ferdinand Columbus also collected many old master prints and popular prints. He had about 3,200 prints, which is a large number. What's even more amazing is the detailed catalog he had his secretaries make. This catalog describes each print carefully. The print collection itself is gone, but the catalog still exists.
Biography of His Father
Ferdinand Columbus wrote a biography of his father in Spanish. It was later translated into Italian. The book was titled Historie del S. D. Fernando Colombo; nelle quali s'ha particolare, & vera relatione della vita, & de fatti dell'Ammiraglio D. Cristoforo Colombo, suo padre: Et dello scoprimento ch'egli fece dell'Indie Occidentali, dette Mondo Nuovo. This means The life of the Admiral Christopher Columbus by his son Ferdinand.
In his book, Ferdinand corrected some false stories about his father's family. He mentioned that his father was not related to certain famous people. He also listed several possible places where his father might have been born in Italy. Historians use Ferdinand's book to learn more about Christopher Columbus's life.
Death
Ferdinand Colón died in Seville in 1539. He is buried in the Cathedral of Seville.
See also
In Spanish: Hernando Colón para niños
