Simon Mattacks
speaker
2,981 appearances
17 recordings
3 series
first heard Dec 2024
last heard 13 Sep
Simon Mattacks’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.
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Appearances
Now, let's go back to Columbus.
In May 1498, he set off on his third voyage, the one where it all went wrong.
Traveling west once again, he resumed his search for mainland Asia.
Instead, Columbus found himself on a different continent, landing on the shores of what is now Venezuela.
It was an intriguing discovery.
But by August, Columbus was forced to turn his attention to Hispaniola, where some of the Spanish settlers were rebelling against his rule.
To make matters worse, accusations about Columbus had reached Spain.
An official named Francisco de Bobadilla was sent to investigate.
Bobadilla was investigating not just Christopher Columbus, but also his brothers Bartholomew and Diego.
In his report, Bobadilla gave an account of numerous acts of cruelty committed by the Columbus family.
It's worth noting that Bobadilla likely had his own agenda, wanting to take over Columbus's position.
But although his report may be biased, it seems there was certainly some truth in it, given other accounts about Columbus.
At any rate, in 1500, Columbus and his brothers were arrested and shipped back to Spain.
While on board the ship, Columbus wrote a fascinating letter in self-defense.
In this letter, he emphasizes the difficulty of his position, justifies his actions, and highlights his achievements.
He writes, I ought to be judged as a captain who went from Spain to the Indies to conquer a numerous and warlike people whose customs and religion are very contrary to ours, and where
By the divine will, I have placed under the dominion of the king and queen, our sovereigns, another world, through which Spain, which was reckoned a poor country, has become the richest.
Columbus goes on to say that the gate to the gold and pearls is now open.
and plenty of everything, precious stones, spices, and a thousand other things may surely be expected.
The letter also contains another interesting line.
Showing 1941–1960 of 2,981 · page 98 of 150
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