Why did Columbus even try to reach the East by going West?

Answer 1

the world is a sphere and you travel on the surface of that spher. If you did not have the americas blocking you then you can eaisly sale west and go to india or china. People use the panama canal to do this. shipments from asia to the east coast use that route also with europe.
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Answer 2

China and India were the two richest countries at the time and produced valuable exports such as spices and silks. The only trade route at the time were overland routes known as the silk road. Such trade was expensive and hazardous because it was dominated by the Mogul Empire in India and the Ottoman Empire in Asia Minor and the Middle East. These two Empires charged high tariffs which inflated the costs of trade and the Ottomans were constantly at war with its European neighbours. This added to the disruption of thieves and bandits along the route. Obviously a European power that could find a cheaper and quicker route would gain an enormous advantage.

The Portuguese were the first Europeans to find a potential route as they charted a course that that went around the south of Africa and so reached India by going East. They were the first Europeans to sail around the Cape of Good Hope. However, the route and the maps were top secret and sailors of the other European powers, including Columbus, did not know about them.

That is why the Portuguese rejected Columbus' proposal. It was not because they thought the world was flat while he thought it was round. In fact most educated men had known that the world was round since the time of the Ancient Greeks. For example mention of the roundness of the Earth can be found in the writings of Aristotle, St Augustine, St Thomas Aquinas. There wasn't a big debate about the shape of the Earth in Medieval Europe. There was, however a debate about the size. Columbus was actually on the wrong side of the debate. He thought the Earth was much smaller than it actually was and so he thought a voyage Westwards to India was viable. Lucky for him he managed to run into the Americas. If it wasn't there he and his crew would almost certainly have starved to death in the middle of the ocean.

Reasons why this Columbus round Earth myth has been propagated can be traced to a novel to Washington Irving and also by the co-founder of Cornell, Andrew Dickson White who wrote the book History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom. They were motivated by anti-clericalism and anti-Catholicism and taken on by people who for nationalistic reasons wanted to make Columbus appear more heroic.

Answer 3

Europe had long enjoyed a safe passage to China and India sources of valued goods such as silk, spices and opiates. In those years, many Europeans believed that the world was flat and others believed the earth was a sphere. Among those who believed the world was round was Christopher Columbus. He convinced the queen and king of Spain to provide him with ships and money to make a voyage to trade spices and goods. He told the king and queen that he knew a faster root to get to Asia. He believed that if he went West he would land in Asia much faster since the world was round. He wasn't aware that there was land between Asia, which is known as North and South America these days. Even when he first arrived to North America, he thought he was in India, hint the reason why Native Americans are called "Indians". The rest is history.

Answer 4

He completely miscalculated the distance around the planet ... he was figuring that the distance over the water would be about equal to the distance people were traveling by land to get to the far east.

He didn't figure on crossing two oceans and hitting a giant friggin continent in the middle of it all on the other side.

Answer 5

Because he (correctly) believed the world was round, and going west was a faster route than traveling around all of the land toward the east.

Answer 6

And how would he go East from Spain? Around Africa? He was looking for a shorter way, not knowing how large the Earth was and not knowing that the American Continent was "in the way."

Answer 7

Very simply, he thought it was a shorter route. He did not expect to run into North and South America. He thought it might be a straight shot to Asia and not nearly as far as it turned out to be.
At that time the Pacific ocean was unknown to Europeans.

Answer 8

HE BELIEVED, CORRECTLY THAT THE WORLD WAS ROUND AND NOT KNOWING THAT NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA WERE IN THE WAY, DEDUCED THAT ONE COULD REACH INDIA AND THE EAST INDIES BY SAILING WEST. HE WOULD HAVE BEEN OK BUT GOD PUT A COUPLE OF CONTINENTS IN HIS WAY.

Answer 9

Looking for a trade route that was shorter - before the Suez Canal.

Answer 10

well i believe at the time they had a pretty good idea that the world was round but they thought that they were on the only continent. I dont think he thought he was going to run into America.