Upon requesting ships to voyage across the ocean, Columbus promised the monarchs of Spain that he would find and bring back gold and spices. However, by his third voyage, Columbus was still unsuccessful in finding anything close to the amount he was sure he would discover. In a letter back to Castile, Columbus only mentions the gold he said he would find towards the end of the letter. He writes, “concerning the gold that I promised to give” (275). After this he gives some justification about why he has not yet found any gold, blaming his failure partly on attacks of “wicked Christians” and “Indians”. Columbus further writes that, “the Lord miraculously comforted me, saying: take courage. Be not dismayed nor afraid: I will provide for everything: the seven years of the gold concessions have not elapsed. And in this matter, as in all others I will remedy your fortunes” (275). I found this passage interesting because Columbus ultimately aligns his will with God’s. He says explicitly that God has told him he will provide and allow him to find this promised gold. It seems like Columbus is trying to save himself because he knows he has failed again. Now if the Spanish monarchs doubt Columbus or his mission they essentially doubt God and His will. I think Columbus is manipulating them in order to gain favor again and get a fourth voyage. This can be seen a lot in Columbus’ writings through his half-truths and some blatant lies.
3 Replies to “Columbus’ Broken Promise”
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I thought Columbus’s Biblical references throughout the voyages were interesting, too. Obviously, the Bible was the foremost authority for Spain and Christians of the time, and so references were common. However, Columbus almost exclusively mentions the Bible just to justify his own mistakes or false ideas. When he begins to unravel in the fourth voyage, he realizes that his reputation is slipping and that he has not delivered on his promises of gold and spices. In order to rectify this, he begins listing Biblical figures who also failed but who were still great men. By aligning himself with this great men, he is essentially putting himself on the same level – a Biblical one. I see this as potentially dangerous, as going down this road could border on blasphemy.
You make a really cool point about the way in which Columbus’s rhetoric helps to gain him a fourth voyage. In addition to using his own definition of God’s will, Columbus uses Christian language and the Christian mission, in general, to persuade the Spanish monarchs. One passage that stood out to me in the third voyage was when Columbus addresses the monarchs directly in his narrative. He exclaims, “in every land to which your Highnesses’ ships sail, I have a tall cross erected on each cape, and I proclaim your Highnesses’ greatness to all the people” (224). In this address to the king and queen of Spain, Columbus blends religious language with praise for the king and queen. Immediately following his statement claiming that he has a “cross erected on each cape,” he “proclaims” the majesty of the king and queen. This sequence of phrases is interesting to me because, at a quick glance, it would seem as if he is glorifying God to please the king and queen. Yet, with further examination, the quote may seem borderline blasphemous. Columbus has a complex and problematic relationship with religion in The Four Voyages.
I totally agree. In fact, Columbus’s later letters reminded me of a child making excuses to his parents. Page after page of excuses! An important difference between his earlier laters and those of the last couple voyages is that at first he doesn’t remind the sovereigns of their promises. As it becomes clearer and clearer that he’s not going to find gold, he starts to use phrases like, “But remember you said it was about Christianity, not just about gold!” “Remember you gave me control over the entire Caribbean!” The development of this behavior betrays his growing desperation.