The Columbus Enigma: Who Really Was The Legendary Explorer? | Secrets & Lies Of Columbus | Timeline 

When I was in elementary school, we were taught that Columbus was Portugese. In later years he became Italian. Will the real Christofer Columbus please stand up..

I live on the south tip of nova scotia, all those explorers sailed right by 100s of years ago...pretty cool. and thank you for uploading.

I had a phenomenal fourth grade teacher, who taught us that CC was Portuguese. I have always thought this. How interesting. This teacher won no contests for being pleasant, but this woman taught us so much, in public school. Those were the days. The most important thing she did for me was to recommend library books to me, one of which was Maya Angelo's, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. How did she know this book would touch my heart so?

Christopher Columbus was an Italian Jew from Genoa. A 'Marrano' who was forced to convert to Christianity to avoid persecution.

What about using oxygen isotopes from Christopher Columbus' teeth? This should be a direct link to the area a very young and growing Columbus grew up in.

I love historical mysteries like this.

His Jewish ancestry is probably true because there are many Jewish cemeteries in and around Jamaica. My Grandfather is buried Falmouth, Jamaica of which is a Jewish Cemetery. In the hamlet of Kettering, Jamaica a Cable and Wireless mobile transmitter had been installed over the burial site of his brother, Robert. East of St. Ann's, Jamaica, I stumbled upon a well that was built by the crew of members of one of his ships. I think it was La Nina. The locals, at the time were very upset because a German salvage team had discovered it's wreckage and had hauled up it's many treasures in return for 200 Mercedes buses - which didn't materialise! We must remember that Columbus never ever set foot on what we call present day America but he did live in Jamaica for over two years in and around Discovery Bay, Jamaica.

Is it not great to live in a time when we can find out so much? and also find out by doing our own research what facts may be be not quite as they seem, when i think back to school circa 1970s i didn't learn anything compared to now. i think schooling is way more fun when your older and actually want to learn hahah / thanks for vid x

Let me guess..... by the end we still won't know anything

I would compare him which another very mysterious character: Shakespeare. Both claimed this humble origin and I believe it is not true of either.

Evaristo’s sense of style, as seen by his choice in suit coat shown at the beginning, is on point! I’ll edit later if I have any other comments, but long coats should make a comeback!

“Secret agent man, secret agent man; we’ve given you a number and taken away your name!” CC=001?? License to explore and grab gold.

So many of these documentaries end with "we are awaiting the results of further testing". Why can't they just wait for the results before finalising the doco? Maybe they don't want to risk a result that would negate the whole doco. Not saying this is the case here or in all docos like this, but it's so frustrating. It's like "let's finish on the same mystery we started with", and maybe we can make another doco in the future.

Say what you want about Columbus, but it took some serious balls to sail thousands of miles into the abyss without knowing whether they would reach land

It seems odd to me that the person in question i.e. Christopher Columbus does not want to reveal his identity even on his death bed but here are we are spent so many time, effort, and money to find it.

I would think that the fact that Columbus’s own sons did not know the truth of their origins says a lot. There were questions even during his life that he would not clarify. To me that means any obvious answer can’t be right or he would have admitted it. Many Jewish families at the time “converted” but quietly continued to practice their private observances. Later generations had no idea these little rituals were Jewish traditions.

I live in Jamaica and some years ago I saw a local documentry about our local Jews who made clames that Columbus was a Jew and one purpose of his voyage was to find countries to resettle Jews. I have visited the Jewish synagogue in Kingston (the capital) and the floor is covered with sand and I was told this is so to remind them of the Spanish Inquisition. From other local historical sores I learn that it was the Jews living in Jamaica piloted the English into Jamaica and organised the Spinish surrender and as a result the were allowed to live freely on the island. Their are many Jamaicans with Jewish ansecery but are not aware.

History has to be checked all the time...in the past several thousand years, access to true information was not available to all and literacy became widely accessible only in the past 2 centuries. History has been written by the victors and often by book burnings, humankind lost lots of information about previous era.

Portuguese rejected both Columbus and Magallanes and now regret and spend most of their time trying to prove that they did everything for Portugal...we also have many who say Columbus was a Spaniard. The fact is that both Columbus and Magallanes did what they did thanks to Spanish initiative and support and that is what allowed them to leave their track in history

I'm in my 70's. Our education about Columbus in grade school was that he was a great explorer. His rep has changed to a rap.

How regal and unassuming is the Portuguese duke? I’d love to be a tea guest and listen to this gentleman’s stories all afternoon 🤗 🎩 🍵 👑

It's a shame people are already questioning the truth or quality of this documentary. Using terms like ''I don't believe this'' or ''ham-fisted, cheesy dramatizations''. What a shame! I've been fascinated by the history of Columbus my whole life. I thought this was an excellent documentary and deserves a follow up on their outstanding research! Also I must compliment his Royal highness san Cristobal and Carlos Evaristo for their analysis and explanation. Also they had amazing connections! In Spain and Portugal these Cathedrals, tombs and locations are considered Holy. You have to be someone very well respected or of high regard to even be granted access to them. It's a shame simple people just sitting behind their computer (gathering info from the internet) to question or insult people of such stature! Thank you Timeline - World History Documentaries

One of my Hebrew school teachers said that there was Hebrew in CC's writing. I believe it was the Hebrew abbreviation ב״ה which is often written on top of pages. It means "with the help of G-d". If he is descended from a Jewish mother, who could blame him for not telling anyone this. Both CC and his son's lived at the time of the Spanish Inquisition. You could die if you were Jewish and didn't 100% convert.

Absolutely riveting history. TBC…..look forward to a conclusion. In saying that the evidence and research gathered and presented is absolutely compelling.

It makes perfect sense; I have always wondered how a poor Italian had access to Portuguese royalty. In order to trust someone with that kind of money for the expedition he, himself, had to be well known and most importantly for that period, wealthy. Same things apply today. If someone goes to the bank without a penny and ask for 100,000 dollars loan for some sort of expedition would he get it?

This is so weird to watch this. When I was in primary school many years ago, our history books stated that Columbus was Portuguese in service of Spain on his voyages...that is what we were taught. 🤔

Now how would a Italian man born of a poor genoan family be granted an audience the 2 most powerful and influential royal families in Europe at the time, that to me is enough, he was either Portuguese or Spanish, most likely Portuguese considering Portugal were at the forefront of navigation, Italy was far from an explorative nation, that honour was solely in Portugals and Spains hands

I have Simon Wiesenthal's book on Columbus's Jewish background. He points out a number of indications that Columbus was from a Portuguese Converso family, and shows that most of his sailors were also of Jewish background. If he was also a Templar, that would be very interesting, since there is a great deal of archaeological and documentary evidence that the Templars had trading settlement in North America (Nova Scotia and other places) for at least 100 years before his voyage.

Absolutely fascinating, please do a part 2 when more evidence comes to light.

It’s been said that he has been of Iberian origin more than Italian. Some say that his signature style was that of the contemporary style of the Catalans. As for Columbus being Portuguese, it is highly plausible since he did marry into the Portuguese family, the Perestrellos. The wife, was one of the comendadoras of a convent in Portugal.

Excellent video. Very interesting, informative and worthwhile video.

Excellent documentary. It left me convinced that C.C. is definetly Portuguese. The Cuba connection makes it very clear.

"Zarco" (the surname of Christopher Columbus' mother) is found in the province of Liguria, Italy, in a small town right outside of Genoa. Perhaps his father was the Portuguese prince and his mother was from a Sephardic Jewish family that settled in Liguria, Italy?

How can land be discovered by another, when others already lived there?

Perhaps I have forgotten a few things at 70, but I distinctly remember being taught that Columbus was a Portuguese sailor that lived in Itlay, but because of wars couldn't obtain funding from the king for his voyage. He then turned to Spain and Queen Isabella. Did I believe this story? Well, even in grade school I knew enough to disbelieve the part about her hocking her jewels to bestow money on this lowly sailor. And being Native American, I am always leary of tales twice told. Though it is counterintuitive, the past is easier to mold than the future.

When I was in Grade School, two people were virtually idolized. They were General and later President of the US, George Washington, and Christopher Columbus. We even sang a song of Columbus in the classroom. Then, later becoming an adult. I can understand why Columbus is no longer idolized as before.. The Italian Americans still love him today though. He's their hero.

Back in grade school in the 70's we were taught that he was Portuguese and worked for the Spanish Queen. Nothing about Italy was ever mentioned.

Some of these comments just make me shake my head. But I am glad we have documentaries like this.

HISTORY IS ALWAYS CHANGING, AS WE DISCOVER NEW TRUTHS

There are other fascinating alternative versions of his history, such as the notion that he was the illegitimate son of the Pope Innocent VIII (born Giovanni Battista Cybo). Columbus' mother (Susanna Fontanarossa) was definitely from Genova (Val Bisagno o Val Trebbia) and she was gifted a number of properties (ownership of which is documented by notary scripts preserved in Italian archives) from the Cybo family around the time of birth of Christopher. His father, Domenico Colombus (wool and wine merchant) was also from the region around Genoa, and inspired Christopher to name the island Santo Domingo after him. Unlike his brothers, and according to his son Hernando, Christopher was educated in an exclusive high-quality school at Pavia before starting his career as a seafarer very early. This could only have been possible at the time if he had been funded by someone outside his relatively poor and uneducated family, such as one of the rich and influential Cybo family. The Vatican had already known of the existence of America, and Chrisophorus would have been groomed to be the "official" discoverer of the new Christian land for the Vatican.

very fascinating video thank you!

I always had a suspicion that Christopher Columbus could have been a Portuguese and not an Italian. His vast knowledge of the seas and his excellent knowledge of Portuguese and Spanish make it more probable for him to be Portuguese. He could not even speak Italian...........

Fascinating ! Thank you!

This was very interesting to me, as I have ancestry in Cuba, as well as Spain and Portugal. As an African American, I knew of the Cuban/Spanish root of my maternal grandfather, but the amount of Portuguese was over 4%. They commentators spoke of Portugal’s desire to lay claim to Brazil and Africa for the “raw material wealth”, but no mention to the millions of human beings enslaved and forcibly transported to Cuba (Caribbean) and Brazil, where most of the entire transatlantic slave trade delivered their human cargo. They too were considered “raw material wealth” (gold) and I think it’s quite disingenuous to gloss over that particularly horrific point. Not to mention the slaughter “Columbus” and the Portuguese administered through the “New” world, killing, enslaving, and transporting indigenous people from the moment of first contact in the Caribbean to various port on both sides of the Atlantic, Portugal, Cape Verde Islands, and African countries like Angola . Tell the whole bloody truth.

That epic Columbus family acting in the intro brought me to tears /s

Luis de Torres, who was Columbus's navigator and interpreter on the Santa Maria, was a known Jew. De Torres records in his diary that Yom Kippur fell near the end of Columbus's 1st maritime journey. On that night Jews fast, and many pious Jews do not lie down or sleep. He records on the actual night of Yom Kippur, Columbus stayed up all night on deck placidly staring into the darkness. He refused to even lie down or to go to sleep. He records that at no other time during the journey did Columbus refuse to lie down in his quarters after dark.

I was taught in school that Christoper Columbus was Portuguese and his voyages were in service of the King and Queen of Spain.

Fascinating.....! Love from Porto, Portugal

WOW!!!! That was super interesting. History is just the most fascinating thing. If Christopher Colombia was truly an undercover agent then I recommend that all undercover agents take a lesson from him, ….we still don’t even know…..

Those performances from the "sons"...priceless

Great eye-opener Thanks for this research!

Este documentário e por consequência este vídeo merece um grande elogio das mais variadas vertentes. Eu conheço esta versão da investigação histórica há pelo menos uns 20 anos, quando eu li um pequeno texto da autoria do Professor Doutor e Médico Luciano Melo (se não me falha a memória). E de facto a única duvida que se apontava nesta teoria extremamente plausível, a qual ainda hoje existe era seguinte: - Porque razão e porque argumento, naquele tempo Salvador Fernandes Zarco se fez passar por Cristovão Cólon? E no meu entendimento a resposta para tal pergunta fundamental é tão simples: - Não é certamente apenas o motivo que o Reino de Portugal estar interessado no Oriente e não nas Índias pelo Ocidente. Portugal sabia sim da existência de uma terra a Ocidente e também sabia que não era a India ( a de Vasco da Gama), sabia sim que era uma uma terra com outras gentes. Por outro lado, Vasco da Gama, que a segunda fez se impus com canhões sobre a India, se tornou no primeiro Vice Rei português, neste caso do lado Oriente. E para tentar responder à pergunta fundamental da identidade de Cristovão Colón vs Salvador Fernandes Zarco, Porquê se fazia passar por outra pessoa? Era espião? porque razão foi ele falar com a coroa de Espanha e não a Portugal? >>>> Ora vejamos, se ele era filho bastardo, do Rei D. Fernando (Fernande(s) pois é filho de Fernando) juntamente com uma filha do capitão donatário Zarco da ilha da Madeira, nascido que foi escondido em Cuba do Alentejo, como todos os bastardos eram à revelia e se ele ao descobrir das Índias (Américas) se tornasse Vice Rei também ?>>> Então isso significava claramente que mesmo sendo bastardo, ele tinha direito a aceder ao trono de Portugal? Ele tinha direito a ser REI por descender diretamente do sangue do Rei D. Fernando e uma vez obtendo popularidade pelos seus feitos na corte portuguesa. A resposta é exatamente esta: - Ele fugiu de Portugal pois provavelmente a sua vida seria em risco, porque era um sério candidato uma vez descoberta a América a ser considerado Rei de Portugal e/ou disputar o trono e obviamente o Rei em vigência sabia certamente da sua linhagem e certamente que iria por termo à sua vida para não ficar sem o trono. Eu penso que não há duvida para o motivo pelo qual o mapa de Piri Reis desapareceu entre os demais mapas que se encontravam no acervo da altura. Cristovão Cólon seria a sua nova identidade dentro da Europa, onde ele foi tentar a sua sorte de vida numa outra corte, uma vez que a sua linhagem (uma vez conhecida em Portugal) determinaria a sua bastardia e falta de recetividade do Rei por poder eventualmente ser considerado um potencial usurpador ao poder. E a promessa que recebeu da Coroa de Espanha foi que se tornaria Vice Rei de Espanha desta feita das Ìndias (ou Americas) não tendo porém se verificado. Contudo, ainda numa ultima tentativa e após ter descoberto Cuba pela primeira vez e de regresso à Europa, ele ainda parou num lugar que se chama Anjos que fica a Norte da Ilha de Santa Maria, numa pequena enseada e baia muito erma, a qual não tinha artilharia que apontasse às caravelas espanholas ao se aproximar junto á costa ou simplesmente fugir ao conhecimento de tocar em costa portuguesa, para que deste modo deixasse mensagem aos seus familiares de Gonçalo Velho Cabral, que era capitão donatário dos Açores, para que ao aportar em breve e em Lisboa esta mensagem chegasse à Rainha de Portugal pois Cristovão Cólon ou Salvador Fernandes Zarco queria falar com a mesma urgentemente para lhe transmitir uma mensagem importante. E essa reunião com a rainha aconteceu , obviamente como a sua ultima tentativa de saber se Salvador Fernandes Zarco devia entregar a sua descoberta que ainda não estava totalmente terminada aos reis portugueses , ou se Cristovão Colón devesse caminhar até Castela a levar novas ruma esquecer para sempre da sua verdadeira identidade portuguesa ou se devia simplesmente aceitar uma nova realidade do seu Eu ao se chamar e ser conhecido durante a sua vida e para as próximas gerações por Cristofhõn (critovão) Cólon. Penso que esta é a resposta para a duvida que assombra a presente teoria.

Very stimulating, thank you.

I was taught in American jr high school 17 or 18 years ago that Christopher Columbus was from Portugal. I had no idea that there was any other idea. This to me is like finding out that Germans claim Joan of Arc was German. It's weird.

they know exactly who his sons are and his grand daughters so there’s no reason for this film to end the way it did. Dna testing is definitely a possibility. I’m not buying the circles of distraction.

Read a book on Puerto Rican history in which it is stated that Columbus sons were governors of PuertoRico. Colon(Columbus)is a very prevalent name in PuertoRico.His two sons married Indian women in PuertoRico. Héctor López

They arrested him for treating the Indian poorly. That's why he never told his sons his origins because they dont deserve royalties.

Finally a historical doc that hasn’t been re-uploaded on other channels. Also you people who fight about Columbus being great or being a monster should realize that he was a man of his time, and wasn’t perfect nor evil. He also wasn’t the only person conquering lands either.

I love your video it's beautiful 💗💗💗🇩🇪

According our Turtle Islanders stories we found these strange boats and strange people adrift on the seas, they were extremely sick with scurvy and had to be nursed back to health.

I can't help but laugh at the grainy black and white footage. I'm amazed it has held up so well after 500 years

My grandfather’s ancestors are from a town in Puerto Rico where all of the cousins were intermarrying and were direct descendants of the first colonists who showed up with the Columbus armadas. Christopher’s brother stayed in PR and made families . People with the Colon surname are descended from the Columbus brothers. All of us cousins are on a fb page and we have shared our dna results and we all have half Portuguese and Spanish ancestry as our majority European markers. No Italian. Columbus’s descendants are actually Spanish speaking Puerto Rican’s

Thank you for the Clarification .

Here in Mallorca Spain, we have papers of his birth. His father was off nobility but his mother was a dimple phesent woman. He was sent to Portugal to study. He also studied in Italy. Like always, Italy wanted the fame of Colombus birth etc. His name in Spanish is Cristobal Colon. The surname Colon is very common in Mallorca. And in Spain there is family or desendents of Cristobal Colon...Christopher Columbus

It's difficult to read a documentary but that's what is needed to get through this one.

This is why I am reading "Kingdom Road : Volume 1" by Michael Walker

Greetings from Mumbai-INDIA The real story of Chris Columbus is that after 1492-the Jews of Spain had to become Catholics & leave their land and property & these Jews had heard that "RICH INDIA" was totally free of Antisemitism -hence the search for India which the Portuguese explorer VASCO DA GAMA discovered in 1498 by landing in Cochin(now Kochi) There has been COCCHINI JEWS in kochi since the last 3300 yrs & Kochi city in 2022 still has a suburb called JEW TOWN

Thank you for this fascinating story of Columbus. I’ve always been interested in this man. I know a lot of work went into this by so many people. Everything I have learned here makes so much sense. I was taught in college that he was Português. I can’t wait to go to Spain & Portugal this coming year. So much history that we have learned is wrong & no one wants to change the narrative.

“Success has a thousand fathers”

Keep these great documentaries coming because I love them. Great to listen to at work

In each region I went to elementary school in, their books said he arrived their first. They all had different stories.

Fascinating story, I am interested in seeing if they can ever get a DNA match to Portuguese royals. Trouble is that those in posession of the evidence have an interest in keeping the story as is, and as such, they aren't likely to grant access to it.

I really enjoyed this episode as a Lusíada😊 An interesting fact in our school history lessons we were given a morsel that Columb us was Portuguese ( I am originally from Zimbabwe). Love the series. Thank you

Somebody says something = Tick for confirmation, the new way historians come to "truth"?

At thetime of Columbus, there were different places called Cuba. 1) - There is a village in the Aragon region of Spain that is called "La Cuba" on the river "río de la Cuba" also called "río de las Albaredas". This village existed already in the 13th century (1*) - In La Cuba thereis a festival of Saint Christopher “Fiestas de San Cristóbal El sábado, a las 12 de la noche, se corre un toro embolado en la plaza delpueblo. El domingo, a las 12 del mediodía, se celebra una misa en la Ermita deSan Cristóbal por el Obispo de Barbastro-Monzón e hijo de la Cuba, Alfonso...” (1**) - I didn't find the origin of the name of this "La Cuba" 2) in Sicily. The Cuba Palace is situated in theCuba-Calatafimi part of Palermo. Cuba comes from the Arabic name Qubba, "dome") (2*) 3) In Sicily there are “cuba churches”. There are several hypotheses about the origin of the name “cuba” for those churches. Cuba could come from the Arabic word kubba (pit, deposit) or qubba (dome). (3*) 4) Cuba in Portugal According to the English page of Wikipedia about the Portugese Cuba, the name of this "Cuba" is likely of Arabicorigin, pertaining to the qubba, that is "tombs", of asceticspiritual leaders. Such toponyms are frequent in Southern Portugal and likelyrelated to the Sufi movements that flourished during the period of Almoraviddecay, such as the one led by Ibn Qasi. (1*) See the wikipedia page in Aragonese about “La Cuba” “En chinero de 1241 los templers atorgoron carta de población a 30 habitadors de La Cuba. Lo 28 de setiembre de 1493 s'amollonó la partida de la Umbría d'el Rebollar,que s'entregaba a Mirambel." (1**) Source wikipedia page “La Cuba” in Spanish. (2*) See the page "Palazzo della Cuba" of the Italian version ofwikipedia. (3*) See the page "Cuba bizantina" on the Italian version of wikipedia.

This video goes a long way to explain why some people feel they have never fit in well in American society. The truth is always more helpful than lies in the long run and I thank those responsible for producing and posting it.

If 4 of his grandchildren were buried in a tomb at the family’s church, why the heck couldn’t they extract DNA from them instead? Am I listening wrong or what?

The city of Calvi in Corsica has a statue of Columbus claiming he was born there. At this time Corsica was a part of Genova. It was not until the 18th Century that the Corsicans were able to break away from the City State of Genova. There is also a town in Catalonia named Colom that claims Cristobal Colon as their native son. All this other stuff that I just saw is new to me. I might add that at this time Columbus was in danger of being accused of heresy by the Church because of his beliefs on the subject of getting to India by way of the Atlantic. He had the full backing of Queen Isabella because he promised her that this area would be fertile ground for new converts. The whole thing is interesting.

Excellently investigated documentary. 1492 was an interesting year in history.

Love this video

He married a noble woman. Something a commoner could never have done.

Colombo was a portuguese agent born in Cuba - Portugal, letters from the King refer him as a "special friend of Portugal", Colombo wouldnt be the first and last portuguese in the service of Spain, Magellan was another.

Please do continue.

The idea that Columbus discovered America is like saying Elon Musk invented the car!

To be fair you should also interviewed an Italian historian

Did I just waste an hour of my life and am right back where I started?

I read a study ( book too) about Columbus being the famous Galician sailor and noble Pedro Álvarez de Sotomayor nicknamed Pedro Madruga. Colom being his grandmother's Maiden name. He sided with Portugal in the war for Galicia to leave Castilian hands and lost. He desappears suddenly with no notice of his death the year before Columbus appears in Portugal. Both have the same number of sons with same names. And the desciphering of the signature is much simpler than here. Also when it is said Columbus visited the Castilian queen ..the name that day in the registry of visitors is Pedro Sotomayor and not Columbus

Very interesting love ❤️ history tks for this information 👌

Flying the flag today for all the Columbus and America haters out there

1:33 this kind of grade A acting would be better left out of documentaries

“HE IS WHO WE THOUGHT HE WAS!” “AND WE LET HIM OFF THE HOOK!”

This is the first I'm hearing of all this. Amazing stuff. I knew he was Jewish and not Genoese but the Portuguese part I didn't know. It all makes so much more sense though.

What difference do any of this make at the end of the day he didn't discover anything other then another land mass with people already living there.

I love what he says at 14:40

Very interesting Closed Captioning would have been helpful

Cristóbal Colón (Christopher Columbus) was a brave and informed seaman. Where he was born is not as important as his achievements. Portugal didn't support him, Spain did through queen Isabel la Católica, wife of king Fernando de Aragón. Their marriage united the reigns of Castilla and Aragón, giving origin to the country of Spain.

He was A Portugese Man .. Cousin of The King of Portugal ..

Gave up at 3:51 because of the music. Wanted a documentary, not drama.

This is a great episode

Anytime I come across a documentary about that 1492 dude, I get my popcorn and beer ready so I can get a good laugh about the biggest lie ever told, Santa Claus comes in at a close 2nd!