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What issues drove Christopher Columbus to search for, and then take possession of the Indies?

Much like the man himself, the issues that drove Christopher Columbus to search for and take possession of the Indies is shrouded in controversy. Whilst it is true that his desire to find a western sea route to the riches of Asia were his primary motivation, it is far too simplistic to argue that a lust for material gain was his sole objective, as many biased historians would argue. Rather, Christopher Columbus was influenced to go to sea for a host of reasons. The traditional historian's argument that the Columbian exploration of the Indies was motivated by "God, gold, and glory" appears to encapsulate Columbus's drive. Despite our contemporary skepticism of religious motivation, Columbus's "Enterprise of the Indies" had a strong Christian influence. The desire to spread Christianity to "all peoples, races, tribes, and tongues" appears to be a dominant theme in Columbus's journal. Along with the desire to spread the Bible to the pagan world, Columbus was driven by another significant religious issue. The impulse to reconquer Jerusalem from the Muslims was also an essential driving force for Columbus, as he believed this to be a necessary condition for the Second Coming of Jesus. Columbus truly saw himself as God's chosen instrument to spread the Gospel and recover the Holy Lands from the Muslim infidels. However, Columbus was also significantly affected by more worldly concerns. His compulsion for personal glory and wealth is very much evident in his requests to the Spanish monarchs for a share of all of the profits and his insistence on titles of nobility. Whilst all the aforementioned were part of Columbus's personal motivations, the Admiral had to first take into consideration his obligation to the Crown of Spain. As his patrons, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella were ultimately the one's who determined the objectives of the voyage to the Indies. Whilst the monarchs undoubtedly shared Columbus's missionary zeal and desire to reconquer Jerusalem, they were also interested in empire building, "catch(ing) up with their maritime rival Portugal" and increasing their coffers.

Although there were several issues that drove Christopher Columbus to take sail to the Indies, the most significant and apparent motivation was the desire to find a westward sea route to the Asian markets. The desire to seek wealth in international trading ventures had a long and appealing history in Europe. During Columbus's age of discovery, explorers from all European states searched for a sea route to Asia, or the Indies as they named it, because of the wealth of goods to be trafficked and the potential of fortunes to be made were too attractive to ignore. However, the fall of Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire in 1453 to the Muslim Turks meant that the main land trade link between Europe and Asia had been severed. As a result, European explorers such as Columbus began to consider alternative routes to the East, the main source of riches. Christopher Columbus believed that sailing westward was a faster and more economically viable option to reach the Indies and avoid the Ottoman Empire than sailing around the whole of the African continent. As Europeans had grown accustomed to the use of the pungent spices, herbs, cotton, silks and perfumes, all from the Asian region, the cut off of the Asian trade link was quite devastating. Thus, the desire to once again access the Asian markets and therefore wealth played a major role in Columbus's exploration to the Indies. The riches on offer in Asia were an attractive incentive to go in search for the Indies for both Columbus and his patrons. Thus, the primary motive that drove Columbus in search of the Indies was basic materialism and the human impulse for wealth.

Nevertheless, the Indies offered more enthralling riches than spices, in the form of gold. Columbus envisaged a voyage of exploration in search of the wealth and gold of the Orient, looking for the fabled " City of Gold". Most western liberal historians argue that the Admiral was driven purely by this quest for gold. Certainly, the contents of his journal would not contradict this argument. The pursuit for gold is the one perennial ambition apparent in his journal. As Gianni Granzotto argues, Columbus's search for the mineral gold was nothing less than an obsession as he construed every signal and every conversation with the natives as evidence that he was on the brink of discovering gold on the following island:

there is a lot of god [October 15]....there is a mine of gold [October 16]....Samaot is the island or city where the gold is [October 16]....[on another island] there were mines of gold and pearls [October 28]....in Bohio there was an infinite amount [November 4].... [in Veneque] he had news, as he understood, there was much gold [November 13]....[on a] neighboring island....very much gold was produced [December 18]....[on other islands there was] more gold than earth [December 22]

It was only when Columbus failed to find any "Pearls, Precious Stones, Gold, or Silver" that he resorted to slavery.

Thus, Columbus's voyage to the Indies was driven by the common motives of human greed and the quest for dominance.

As illustrated above, Christopher Columbus's exploration and possession