Posted on 11/30/2010 3:45:13 PM PST by Coleus
A Portuguese historian believes he has solved the age-old mystery surrounding the nationality of Christopher Columbus.
According to Manuel Rosa, a lecturer at Duke University, North Carolina, the explorer was in fact the son of Polish King Władysław III.
It has always been thought that King Władysław III fell in battle against the forces of the Ottoman Empire at the Battle of Varna in 1444. According to Mr Rosa, however, the king managed to survive the battle unscathed and fled to the Portuguese island of Madeira where he lived out the rest of his life as a hermit and married a Portuguese noblewoman.
It was there that the exiled king bore a son – or so Mr Rosa's theory goes – who would later be credited with the discovery of America. In Mr Rosa's opinion, a conspiracy was in place to protect the identity of Columbus' royal father.
“The courts of Europe knew who he was and kept his secret for their own reasons,” he told The Daily Telegraph.
Mr Rosa says that he has uncovered a plethora of evidence lending support to his theory. First, the explorer's last will, which read “being I born in Genoa,” was apparently forged after Columbus' death. Secondly, the explorer's coat of arms is similar to that of the Polish king. And thirdly, he had "reddish-haired, fair skinned and blue eyed – all features commonly found in Poland.”
The historian is hoping to clear up the mystery by collecting DNA samples from Poland's dead kings and comparing them with the DNA of Columbus' son who lies in rest in Seville Cathedral.
“I have made a request to the Cathedral in Kraków to examine remains from the tomb of Władysław II, who could turn out to be the grandfather of Columbus. It would prove the truth of my theory,” said Mr Rosa.
It is a commonly held belief among historians that Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy, to Genoese parents. Some have said, however, that he was actually born in Spain.
What does our Polish friend think about this?
What a joke! I remember a book a few years ago which claimed that Columbus was an illegitimate son of Portuguese royalty. Now Polish????
I don’t know any Polish people with red hair. And I’m a quarter Polish.
Doesn’t matter though.
The what?
Yeah, right. Next you’re going to tell me that Obama is American.
I guess he did think he was in China...
*rimshot*
Ping for an out there topic.
I vote Italian.
LOL! Oh Geeze.
English: Christopher Columbus
Genoese: Christoffa Corombo
Italian: Cristoforo Colombo
Catalan: Cristòfor Colom
Spanish: Cristóbal Colón
Portuguese: Cristóvão Colombo
Latin: Christophorus Columbus
Well of course it matters! Columbus Day would become a Polish holiday.
Was Nicholas Copernicus Italian?
I am of Polish and Irish extraction, and have inherited red hair from both sides of the family. I don’t know which paternal ancestor had it, but my aunt is a redhead. On Mom’s side, my Polish Grandpa was also a blue-eyed redhead.
Several of Grandpa’s progeny (myself, my brother, and a bunch of cousins) also have red hair, though not carrot-red; our hair is more auburn.
Regards,
No, he was Polish.
|
· join list or digest · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post a topic · subscribe · |
|||
Antiquity Journal & archive Archaeologica Archaeology Archaeology Channel BAR Bronze Age Forum Discover Dogpile Eurekalert LiveScience Mirabilis.ca Nat Geographic PhysOrg Science Daily Science News Texas AM Yahoo Excerpt, or Link only? |
|
||
|
· Science topic · science keyword · Books/Literature topic · pages keyword · |
|||
Yes, I know that Copernicus was Polish. I figured that if this guy is trying to take a famous Italian and make him Polish, the logical next step was to take a famous Pole and make him Italian. At least Copernicus was in Italy at one point—I don’t think Columbus ever visited Poland.
How long was his sausage? Kielbasa is longer than Italian sausage, you see.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
