Columbus, Corsair, and the Pinzón brothers, Pirates, in the Mediterranean before 1492 Francesc Albardaner i Llorens L'auteur présente ici des documents qu'il a découvert dans les archives espagno espagnoles les au sujet sujet des carriè carrière ress pratiqu pratiqueme ement nt inconn inconnues ues des frère frèress Pinzón avant qu'ils aient navigué avec Christophe Colomb jusqu’en mérique en !"#$% Le matériel éclaircit les activités des frères en tant que corsaires et suggère que Colomb aurait participé & ces entreprises%
The dar side of histor!
Too often, popular history, as presented in the mass media and in many basic textbooks, clings to the romantic historiographical perspective of the nineteenth century. The arrival of Christopher Columbus and the Pinzón brothers on American shores in !"# is not only considered a $ma%or discovery,& but has also transformed Columbus into onee of the on the most most impor importa tant nt histo histori rica call figu figure ress in histo history ry.. 'nde 'ndeed ed,, the the (n (nite itedd )tate )tatess continues to celebrate $Columbus *ay& on +ctober #, hile Central and )outh America commemorate $*ia de la -aza,& a popular holiday that originated in ranco/s )pain, even though fe are aare of hat $race& they are talking about. +urr un +u unde derst rstan andi ding ng of Ch Chri risto stophe pherr Co Colum lumbus bus//s role role in histo history ry has has chan change gedd th dramatically, hoever, from 0"#, hen the !11 Anniversary of his first voyage as celebrated, to the most recent centennial in ""#. +ver the course of a century Columbus as transformed from $saint& to $villain,& from universal hero to initiator of the largest genocide in human history. history. Today it is hard to even imagine imagine Count -osselly de 2orgues proposing that the Pope canonize Columbus as a saint. -eriting history to conform ith a romanticized vie of the past usually occurs hen historians conceal or alter, either by commission or omission, individual characters or events to make them more $respectable.& or example, historical accounts of late3 late3 th century 4uropean corsairs and pirates have too often $overlooked& the fact that many respected sailors and merchants of the period oed their fortunes to such irregular activit activities ies.. Although Although there there has alays alays been been a legal legal differen difference ce beteen beteen corsairs corsairs and pirates, hen analysing the th e final results, e have to admit that many mariners played on both sides of the fence. +ngo +n going ing rese resear arch ch in )pain )pain//s rich rich arch archive ivess cont continu inual ally ly bring bringss to light light ne ne documents that can can alter our perspective on important historical personalities. This paper presents a ne document in regard to 5icente 6a7ez Pinzón and several others The Northern Mariner/le marin du nord, XXI No. 3, (July 2011), 2011), 263-2!
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+llustration !% ,irst page of document concerning the galleass errandina - signed b. /oan de Coloma- ro.al secretar. to 0ing /ohn ++- dated $# ,ebruar. !"12% +t includes a
Columbus- Corsair- and the Pinzón brothers- Pirates
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+llustration ! 3continued%4 transcription of a letter from /ohn ++- at arragona- to the bailiff of 5alencia- $6 ,ebruar. !"12% 7o e8tracts from this part 3 vide infra, p% $9!4 sho7 that 0ing ,errante of (aples 7as half:o7ner of the vessel- in 7hose honour she 7as named% he other o7ners 7ere ,lorentine merchants of the 5espuccio famil.% 3;o.al rchive of 5alencia
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concerning the galleass ,errandina- including links to Christopher Columbus/s participation in an important naval battle. Protohistor! of the "inzón brothers before 1492
The Andalusian9born brothers, :artin Alonso and 5icente 6a7ez Pinzón, sailed ith Christopher Columbus on his first voyage to America in !"#. Together ith the $5izcaino,& ;uan de la Cosa, they ere responsible for the expedition and command of Columbus/s three ships. effectively removed the elder brother from the historical record. *espite the lack of documentation in regard to the Pinzón brothers before !"#, several articles have been ritten about them since the end of the nineteenth century that are listed in the bibliography belo. These essays include references to the naval activity of members of the Pinzón family in the Canary 'slands or African ?uinea prior to !"#, as ell as their participation in acts of ar against Portugal around ?ibraltar and in the Atlantic . The first pre9!"# reference to 5icente 6a7ez Pinzón as uncovered by the Catalan historian @ria Coll i ;uliB and published in a )panish historical %ournal in "31. # 't as a protest by the councillors of the city of =arcelona presented to the ing of Castile dated :arch !DD. The document complained of the damage caused by a ship under the command of 5icente 6a7ez Pinzón to to vessels oned by :ateu Capell, a =arcelona merchant. Capell/s goods ere stolen from an illegally captured ship belonging to ?alceran Andreu in the port of Alfachs in southern Catalonia. Accused of piracy ere *iego de :ora and ;uan -odriguez 4storiano from )eville and 5icente 6a7ez Pinzón of the port of Palos, the captains of the three ships. The councillors/ accusation as extremely harsh because no one expected sub%ects of erdinand, the ing of Castile and heir to the Cron of Aragón, to attack a #
At the end of the fifteenth century, all sailors from the territories of northern )pain facing the =ay of =iscay or 5izcaya ere considered as $vizcainos& in the kingdom of Castile. @ria Coll i ;uliB, $Eispania F,& ;evista ?spa@ola de Aistoria G"31H, 3"8.
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Catalan vessel belonging to sub%ects of his father, ing ;ohn '', ruler of the Catalan confederation. erdinand responded to this unexpected attack ith a royal letter dated ! April !DD addressed to all authorities, terrestrial and maritime, that forbade piratical acts by his sub%ects of Castile against the sub%ects of ing ;ohn ''. The second document relating to the naval activities of 5icente 6a7ez Pinzón and his elder brother, :artin, in the :editerranean, as published by rancisco :orales Padrón in the ;evista de +ndias in "8.> rom this document e kno that in the year !D" the Pinzón brothers attacked a ship oned by citizens of the city of 'biza and, after taking possession of the vessel and cargo, carried it back to the port of Palos in Andalucia. The third document relating to 5icente 6a7ez Pinzón prior to !"# refers to a piratical act committed in !0! by :artin de la =orda, mariner of uenterrabia, in hich a cargo of corn destined for ?enoa as stolen from a ship belonging to 5icente 6a7ez Pinzón. 'n this case, 5icente 6a7ez Pinzón as the victim and not the aggressor. This document as published by ;uan :anzano y :anzano and his daughter in his important monograph Los Pinzones . el Bescubrimiento de mérica published in "00 G:adridI 4diciones de Cultura AispnicaH. 5ery recently, ' have had the pleasure of finding another document related to 5icente 6a7ez Pinzón at the Arxiu EistJric de Protocols de =arcelona, belonging to the =arcelona Association of @otaries. 't is a letter dated #D ebruary !DD, and is therefore the oldest document yet knon concerning 5icente 6a7ez Pinzón. 't also refers to the piratical attack committed in the port of Alfachs by three Andalusian ships against a vessel oned by ?alceran Andreu. The most important parts of this document, ritten in 2atin, areI @overint universi Kuod 4go :atheus Capell :ercator civis =archinone ex certa sciencia confirmo et ordino vobis magnificum Alvero de @ave militem, Consiliarium et capitaneum generalem Classis maris serenissimi et potentissimi domini -egis Castelle licet absentem tanLuam presentem procuratorem meum certum et specialem ac etiam ad subscripta generalem itaLue especialitas generalitati non deroget nec e contra videlicet ad petendum exhigendum recipiendum recuperandum et havendum pro me et in nomine meo a *iego de :ora, ;ohannes -odriguez )toriano, civitates Civille. 5icentio Anes Pinson ville de Palos patronis calavera M ferdinandi *aries )ayavedre mariscalN Petri vasLues de )ayavedre M et ?undisalvus de )tuniyega M dominorum ipsarum calaverarum, compianonis et dominacionis dicti domini -egis Castelle et ab propis dominis ac ab aliis etiam personis indetentis seu obligates et bonis ipsorum omnes illa )aLuas lanorum et alias res et merces Lue per ipsos manu armati michi depredate fuerunt in portu dels Alfachs *ertuse principatus Cathalonie a balanario ?alcerandi Andreu Lui illich pro me mercabat de lanis et inde apoca vel apocasOetc.
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rancisco :orales Padrón, ;evista de +ndias 0> G"8H.
Columbus- Corsair- and the Pinzón brothers- Pirates
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+llustration $ Po7er of attorne. given b. )atheu Capell- merchant in
...ac =archinone FF5'' die mensis ffebruari anno a nativitate *omine :CCCC2FF5'' )ignum :athei Capell predictum hec laudo et firmo. !
This document is a poer of attorney given by :atheu Capell to Alvaro de @ava, admiral of the navy of Castile in the strait of ?ibraltar. 't reveals the names of the three pirate captainsI *iego de :ora and ;uan -odriguez of )eville, and 5icente 6a7ez Gor AnesH Pinzón from the ton of Palos, actually knon as Palos de la rontera. The location as the port of Alfachs in Catalonia, on the southern side of the 4bro -iver delta. 'n the document, the port is called $Portu dels Alfachs *ertuse,& because it as the natural port of the ton of Tortosa. ?alceran Andreu, captain of the captured ship, as transporting goods, mainly ool, belonging to the merchant :atheu Capell, a ealthy citizen of =arcelona. The oners of the three caravels ere ernando *aries )aavedra, Pedro 5azLuez )aavedra and ?undisalvo de )tu7iga, all Andalusians. !
AEP=, @otari 2luis ;orba #>0M#.
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?onzalo Gor ?undisalvoH de )tu7iga had been the lord mayor of the harbour ton of Palos until !"#, hen the Cron of Castile acLuired half9onership of this port and replaced )tu7iga by *iego ?utierrez. At that time, the sailors of Palos had extensive experience in organizing expeditions to ?uinea in search of gold and slaves, in open confrontation ith the Portuguese. These expeditions involved considerable secrecy, hoever, as did any piratical activities against Portuguese vessels beteen the Canary 'slands and the 'berian peninsula on their return %ourney from ?uinea. Thus the sailors of Palos, and the Pinzón brothers among them, had considerable opportunities for mounting attacks on shipping in Atlantic aters and earned themselves a small fortune through the sale of captured goods and slaves. @o onder the Cron selected Palos as the ideal port for launching Columbus/s first voyage instead of choosing one of the larger Andalusian ports, such as )eville, Cadiz or Puerto de )anta :aria. irstly, Palos as under direct royal control and secondly, the local sailors ere considered the most experienced sailors in Atlantic aters, both in piracy and in the gold and slave trade, $Lualities& that could be considered by the Cron as the necessary $kno9ho& for the American voyage. The Pinzón brothers/ experience ith piracy in the :editerranean opens up the possibility of a personal relationship beteen them and Christopher Columbus prior to their !"# voyage, but due to the absence of actual documentation and the fact that the record of naval activities for the Pinzón brothers is later than !D8, ' think e must limit further speculation for the time being. Christo"her Columbus, corsair before 1492#
riar =artolom de 2as Casas in his Aistoria de +ndias= copied a letter ritten in 31 in )eville or Cadiz by Christopher Columbus to the $altos -eyes.& 'n this letter, Columbus declares that he began sailing very early in his youth and affirms that he has been a sailor for more than !1 years G$6a pasan de !1 a7osO&H. 'f so, Columbus began sailing in !8 or earlier, but despite his lengthy career, e kno very little beyond a fe details recorded by his son, ernando.8 rom his biography, e can deduce four phases in Columbus/s maritime career. irst as a captain of a ship in the navy of Aragon G!D1Q9 !D>QHN second as a cre member of ?uillaume de Cazenove Coulon G!D>Q9August !D8N third, he as involved in a discovery voyage to 'celand and ?reenland in a 2uso9 *anish expedition G!D89!DDH and lastly embarked on voyages to 2a :ina and Cabo 5erde under the Portuguese flag G!DD9!0!H. =ased on Columbus/s claim that he had visited $all the 4ast and the
ray =artolom de 2as Casas, Aistoria de +ndias, Tome , chapter >. ernando Colón, 5ita di Cristoforo Colombo- descritta da ,erdinando- suo figlio e tradotta da lfonso Hlloa G3DH.
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pure invention and personal vanity. The sole documentary source for this period is an undated letter sent by Columbus to the Catholic ings, and copied by his son ernando Colón, hich statesI And in another letter, that he rote from Eispaniola in the month of ;anuary in the year !"3 to the Catholic ings about the diversity and errors that may happen in deciding the ship/s course and pilotage, he saysI And it happened to me, that king -einel, ho ?od has taken ith him, sent me to Tunisia, in order to capture the galleass ernandina, and %ust hen e ere near the island of )an Pietro, near )ardinia, somebody told us, that, together ith the galleass there ere to sailing vessels and a $carraLue&, fact that alarmed the cre, that decided not to continue sailing forard, but sail back to :arseille in order to get another ship and more sailors to %oin usN and ', seeing no ay of forcing their decision, ' conceded them hat they ere asking forN but changing the needle of the compass, ' ordered to unfold sails to the ind, late in the eveningN and next day, at sunrise e ere at sight of cape Cartaghe, even if the cre as convinced of returning to :arseille.
)cholars have argued about the accuracy of the previous text hile trying to determine Columbus/s skill as a seafarer.
*etermining hat happened in regard to the prosecution of the galleass ,errandina told in the letter Luoted above is extremely important, since it affects our understanding of other aspects of Columbus/s life. The first clue is his use of the title $king -einel& for the Count of Provence Gamong his many other titlesH. Although often referred to as $le bon roi -n,& because of his honorific title of king of ;erusalem, -n d/An%ou as not actually a king. or a brief period, hen Catalonia took up arms against ing ;ohn '' after !8#, folloing the successive elections of ing Eenry '5 of Castile and of the Constable Peter of Portugal by the Catalans, -n d/An%ou as proclaimed ing of the Catalan Confederation GCron of AragonH by the Catalan government. )ignificantly, the Catalans used precisely the form $ing -eynel,& or $ing -einel,& hen referring to their nely selected lord, -n d/An%ou, beteen !88 and !D#. Columbus/s letter to the Catholic ings as probably ritten in Castilian, and ernando Colón seems to have copied it directly from the original text. Afterards, Alfonso (lloa translated it into 'talian, but both transcribers retained the form $ing -eynel,& hich seems to reflect the original. Assuming that Columbus referred to $ing -eynel& because he as riting during the period hen -n d/An%ou as effectively ing of the Catalans, the nautical adventure ith the galleass ,ernandina had to have taken place beteen ;uly !88 and +ctober !D#.
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The %alleass "errandina or "ernandina
According to his letter to the Catholic ings, Columbus as captain of a ship serving the interests of -n d/An%ou against ing ;ohn '', hose fleet included the galleass ,errandina or ,ernandina. ortunately, additional information about the vessel can be found in the archives in 5alencia and =arcelona. The galleass ,errandina, also knon as ,ernandina, as named in honour of ing errante of @aples, bastard son of the late ing Alfonso of Aragon, and nephe of ing ;ohn '' of the Catalan Confederation, Alfonso/s brother. 't seems that the ,errandina as %ointly oned by ing errante and several lorentine merchants. The earliest reference to this ship is found in the Archive of the ingdom of 5alencia in a letter sent by ing ;ohn '' from Tarragona to the $=attle ?eneral& in 5alencia, dated D ebruary !80. 'n that letter, the king agrees to permit the galleass ,errandina to sell the goods that the ship brought from 'taly, even if some of the deliveries ould fall into enemy hands, G$de nostres rebelles o de nostres enemichs, Ro es del *uch -eynel e duch ;oan,...&H. @ote that ;ohn '', hen referring to his enemy, -n d/An%ou, never uses the title of king but only that of duke. rom another document of the -oyal Archives in 5alencia, D dated :onday, #" ebruary !80, e kno that the captain of the galleass ,errandina as $Piero ;ohan 5ezpuxe& GPietro ?iovanni 5espuccioH.0 'n this document is included the transcription of the letter of ;ohn '' brought by captain 5espuccio, dated #> ebruary !80, in Tarragona, in hich the king affirmsI $and for respecting his highness *on errando, our nephe, that e love as our on son, that has some part of the onership of that D 0
2libre de la =atllia de 5alencia de :ossSn Eonorat =erenguer :ercader, A-5N =atllia n. 3!, p. 0"v9">r. The commercial contacts beteen 5alentian and lorentine merchants ere very important in the second half of the 3th century. The transcription of the folloing document, demonstrates early contact beteen 2luis de )antngel, the future sponsor of Columbus/s discovery voyage, ith the 5espucci merchants of lorence, the family of Amerigo 5espuccio, Columbus/s friend and collaboratorI riday,# )eptember !DDI $@otum sit cunctis Luod 4go, 2udovicus de )entangel , :ercator civis 5alencie, heres universalis bonorumLue omnium et %urum Lue Luondam fuerunt honor 2udovici de )entangel, patris Luondam mei, mercatoris civis dicte civitate ut constat de dicta herencia ultimo illo testamento receptor per discretum ;acobum Carnicer, notarius publicus 5alencie, die secunda mensis septembris anno a nativitate dominis :CCCC2FF5'. 4t perundem notarius publicatus in mensis novembris anno predicto :CCCC2FF5'. ?ratis et scienter dicto norem ffacio constittuo et ordino procuratorem meum certum et specialem ac generalem ad infrascriptam vos magnificum ?uillermum de Pasci, florentinum, absente tanLuam presente videlicet ad petendum, habendum, exhigendum et reaprendum per me et nome meo a magnifico Piero de ;ulian 5espuchi, milite florentino, Luaius peccunie Luantas res campas et merces per illum debitas michi @ome predicto tamen cause et albaranis Luam sive illis et debitis Lue receptis seu recepisse confessus suntis apochas albarana absoluciones et disfunciones pacta anuencias transacciones et composiciones ,etc.& GA-5, @otary ;aume )alvador, Protocol ""D 9 6ear !DDH.
Columbus- Corsair- and the Pinzón brothers- Pirates
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galleass....&G$5olem empero per respecte del 'llustrissimo -ey don errando nostre molt car nebot com a fill, Luis diu haver part en la dita galeaRa,O& H. 'n that same letter, the king also specifically names $the galleass of lorentines, called La ,errandina- that has arrived once again in that port Gbeach of 5alenciaH.&
+llustrations 6 and "% 7o e8tracts from the document 3 vide supra - p% $1"4 concerning the galleass errandina - sho7 that 0ing ,errante of (aples 7as half:o7ner of the vessel- in 7hose honour she 7as named% he other o7ners 7ere ,lorentine merchants of the 5espuccio famil.% 3;o.al rchive of 5alencia-
A letter from the bailiff of 5alencia, Eonorat :ercader, to the king, dated 3 :arch !80, statesI $' got your letter from the hands of the captain of the galleass of the lorentines, called errandina, etcO& The king/s illingness to confide a letter to the cre of the ship demonstrates his trust in their loyalty. *uring the civil ar beteen the ?overnment of Catalonia and ;ohn '', control of maritime commerce as essential in order to deprive their enemies of both arms and food. These documents prove not only the true existence of the galleass called La ,errandina, but her cre/s loyalty to the cause of ;ohn '' in the Catalan civil ar. our years later, hen =arcelona as the only ton still resisting the siege by the army and navy of ;ohn '', " e find, among the letters sent beteen the councillors of "
'n the $Arxiu EistJric :unicipal de 5alencia& GAE:5H are several letters ritten by ;ohn '' explaining the situation of the terrestrial and naval siege of =arcelona at the end of the
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=arcelona and their ing, -n d/An%ou, the folloing references to the ,errandinaI
2etter to the ing, #8 August !D#I The very last day, hen e rote to your :a%esty, there ere in this beach Gof =arcelonaH F' ships, big and small, of the enemies, and '''' galleasses. Today several ships have departed together ith to galleasses, remaining only the Farnandina, to venetian vessels and three halers or not so big vessels, and it is believed that these six vessels ill return ith three galleasses.
2etter to the ing, 8 )eptember !D#I =ecause the belly does not allo any further delay, there remain only '''' enemy vesselsI the Farrendina, one 5enetian and to halers, O 1.
According to these letters, the galleass ,errandina played an important part in the siege of =arcelona, in the final moments of the Catalan Civil
1
Catalan Civil "N !D U !D>H. ree translationI $The current facts are today in such disposition, that e hope that, ith the help of ?od, e ill conLuer soon the city of =arcelona. . AEP=, @otari @arcVs ?erald ?ili !D8M!D0.
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must have taDen place in !"9! or in the first half of !"9$,
hen he ould have been trying to prevent the ship from %oining in the siege of =arcelona. The corsair na'! of &)n) d*An+ou
'n the second half of the fifteenth century, 4uropean kingdoms did not maintain permanent naval structures or a standing navy. @avies ere formed as and hen reLuired. or example, it as only toards the end of the Catalan Civil , and most probably sailed in the corsair navy of ray Carles de Torrelles and ranci Antoni )etantV. 'nterestingly, this little9knon period of Columbus/s life does not appear in his existing biographies, especially those by 'talian scholars. . 't is hard to reconcile that image ith the experienced seafarer of !D19D# that e have %ust seen. @ot only as Columbus ell past youth in terms of sailing, but he as far more likely to be orking as a pirate than eaving. The reluctance of some 'talian scholars to accept a darker version of Columbus is understandable. Columbus as corsair (ith uillaume de Cazeno'e Coulon
The Catalan Civil . #
P >>!.>, fol.Dv.
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+llustration =% Ivis de un cossari apellat Colom qui menave 5++ (aus armadesJ 3IKarning letter about a corsair called Colom 7ho commands seven armed shipsJ4 sent b. the Consolat de )ar 3)aritime uthorit.4 in
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+llustration = 3continued%4 villages of the Catalan Confederation- 6 ctober !"96% IColomJ refers to Muillaume de Casenove Coulon- that in the Catalan confederation 7as Dno7n as IColomJ and in the 0ingdom of Castile 7as Dno7n as IColón%J Muillaume de Cazenove Coulon 7as vice:admiral in ,rance and operated in the ?nglish Channel as a pirate from his port of Aonfleur% ,ollo7ing is a loose translation of the main bod. of the documentN Ia corsair Dno7n as Colom 7ith seven armed ships has arrived at lacant%%% his fleet has persecuted the galle.s of the Count of Prades and %%% sent Othem to the bottom of the sea% +t is believed that this corsair 7ill turn round from that place and 7ill sail along all the coast% nd therefore 7e have informed .ou of this ne7s in order that .ou ma. alert all the ships and vessels %%% so that %%% no harm 7ill occur to them%%%J 3r8iu AistFric )unicipal de >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
-eturning to our study of Columbus as a corsair, it is important to remember that his son and biographer, ernando Colón, asserted that Columbus sailed ith the famous rench corsair ?uillaume de Cazenove Coulon for several years. 'n August !D8, Columbus took part in a naval battle off Cape )aint 5incent in Portugal. Ee fought on the side of the ranco9Portuguese navy against four ?enoese and one lemish vessels. 'talian scholars also deny this episode in Columbus/s life, especially after discovering that ?uillaume de Cazenove Coulon as a rench corsair, and not a 2igurian Colombo, corsair or pirate. Another reason for denying the participation of Columbus on Cazenove/s side in this battle as the fact that he fought against ?enovese ships. The ?enovese historian Pessagno could never demonstrate that Columbus as among the ?enovese cres in this battle, although he found documents containing the lists of all members of these cres. @evertheless, it is not only highly probable but reasonable to expect that Columbus continued his corsair activities under Cazenove Coulon. At the end of the Catalan Civil , Cazenove sailed back for home, stopping en route at the end of )eptember to completely destroy the Catalan navy of the Count of Prades in front of Alacant GAlicanteH. *uring the recent conflict, the Count of Prades and Cardona had been the most illustrious and strongest ally of ing ;ohn '' in Catalonia. This naval attack as not considered piracy, hoever, since Cazenove did not capture any ships or goods. 'nstead, he simply sank all the ships and killed the cres in a clear act of revenge against ;ohn '' and his supporters folloing the final defeat of the army and navy of -n d/An%ou in Catalonia the year before. The document that demonstrates the truth of the naval battle beteen the ships of ?uillaume de Cazenove Coulon and the navy of the Count of Prades and Cardona in front of Alacant, is a arning letter sent by the Consolat de :ar G:aritime AuthorityH of =arcelona to all the ports, harbours and coastal villages of the Catalan Confederation dated >rd +ctober !D>. This document says that the nes of the naval disaster as knon thanks to a letter sent by 2luVs :artV, 5alentian merchant, to ?alceran de =esal. :erchant in =arcelona, the #" th of )eptember !D> at $six hours in the morning.&
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Therefore this naval battle may have taken place one or to days before #D or #0 )eptember !D>.> 'talian scholars find it very difficult to connect $their& Cristoforo Colombo ith ?uillaume de Cazenove Coulon, hose naval activities ere based in the harbour of Eonfleur and hose natural maritime domain as the 4nglish Channel. Therefore they deny that Cazenove and Columbus ever sailed together. =ut, given the fact that Cazenove as in the :editerranean in !D#9!D>, and specifically in :arseille, and that the temporary navy of -n d/An%ou as dismantled after his defeat in !D# leaving Columbus ithout a %ob, it seems reasonable to think that Columbus ould leave :arseille and begin a ne life sailing under the flag of rance in the cre of ?uillaume de Cazenove. +ne possible link beteen the rench and the Provencal corsair navies may be ;ean de =ueil, ho as both a councillor to -n d/An%ou and Admiral of rance, serving 2ouis F'. PSre Anselme, in his famous Aistoire Ménéalogique et Chronologique de la )aison ;o.ale de ,rance includes ?uillaume de Cazenove among the members of the =ueil family. Conclusion
A )panish proverb saysI $*ios los cria y ellos se %untan&, meaning that persons ith similar affinities and moral values tend naturally to become friends or allies.
!
The +ctober !D>, as first published by rancesc Carreras i Candi in his article $Colom i altres corsaris atacant les costes catalanes G!D>9 !D!H,&
Columbus- Corsair- and the Pinzón brothers- Pirates
#DD
the Christopher Columbus ho sailed ith the Pinzón brothers in !"# is not the same Christoforo Colombo of the Assereto/s document, ho as still a simple commercial agent in !D". The documents relating to the galleass ,errandina have reconfirmed Columbus/s early service as a ship captain to -n d/An%ou, ing of Aragón and count of Provence, in the naval base of :arseille. rom the documents cited in this paper, and evidence dating the naval episode of the ,errandina to !D9!D#, to important conclusions follo. irst, in !D#, Columbus as older than the #9## years suggested for the ?enoese Cristoforo Colombo. :ost likely aged beteen #3 and >1 at the time, Columbus as probably born beteen !!# and !!D. )econd, accepting that Columbus lived in :arseille from circa !D1 to !D>, and knoing that ?uillaume de Cazenove Coulon sailed to :arseille in !D#9!D>, it confirms the accuracy of ernando Colón/s story of his father/s naval experience under Cazenove Coulon. As e have seen, ne documents shed ne light on the lives of Christopher Columbus and the Pinzón brothers. )ome are useful in reaffirming the activities of the brothers in :editerranean aters, but others not only confirm the veracity of the $Eistorie& of ernando Colón and the activities of his father as a corsair, but also generate ne data that casts serious doubt on the accuracy of the ?enoese version of Columbus/s history. inally, hile the :uslim territories of @orth Africa or Turkey spaned the most feared pirates in the estern :editerranean during the second half of the fifteenth century, there as plenty of piratical activity carried out by sub%ects of Christian kingdoms and :editerranean republics against each others/ ships.
-iblio%ra"h!.
Wlvarez de Toledo, 2uisa 'sabel. $Wfrica versus AmricaI 2a fuerza del paradigma. Centro de documentación y publicaciones islmicas. ;unta 'slmica, #111. Asensio, ;os :aria. $:artVn Alonso Pinzón.& Colección de Libros ?scogidos . 2a 4spa7a :odernaI :adrid. Aznar 5alle%o, 4duardo. $2a expedición de Charles de 5alera a ?uinea. Precisiones históricas&. 4n la ?spa@a )edieval vol. #3 G#11#H, !1>9!#>. Carreras ' Candi, rancesc. $Colom i altres corsaris atacant les costes catalanes G!D>9!D!H,& ! G"3#H. Coló, ernando. 5ita di Cristoforo Colombo- descritta da ,erdinando- suo figlio e
#D0
he (orthern )ariner*Le marin du nord
tradotta da lfonso Hlloa. 2ondonI *ulauYCo, 08D.
avier, ;ean. Le ;oi ;ené. 2ibrairie ArthSme ayard, #110. ernndez *uro, Cesreo. Colón . Pinzón N +nforme relativo a los pormenores del descubrimiento del (uevo )undo presentado a la ;eal cademia de la Aistoria . :adridI 'mprenta y undición de :anuel Tello, 00>. errer ' :allol, :aria Teresa. $Corso y piraterVa entre :editerrneo y Atlntico en la =a%a 4dad :edia&. C)'CI 'nstitució :ilB i ontanals. XXXXXXXX and Arcadi ?arcia ' )anz. $Assegurances i canvis marVtimis medievals a =arcelona.& 'nstitut d/4studis Catalans. Premi erran Armengol i Tubau, "D!. =arcelona, "0>. Eernndez Pinzón 6 ?anzinotto, ;os. 5icente E@ez Pinzón- Qus 5iajes . Bescubrimientos. :adridI 'mprenta del :inisterio de :arina, , "#1. Eino%osa :ontalvo, ;os. Pirateria . corso en la ?dad media valenciana. :a%ó ramis, -icardo. $2os Pinzones.& 4ditorial Mran Capitn. :adrid, "!D. :anzano 6 :anzano, ;uan. $2os Pinzones y el *escubrimiento de Amrica.. 'nstituto de Cooperación 'beroamericana. ?diciones de Cultura Aispnica. :adrid, "00. :errill, Charles ;. Colom of Catalonia R rigins of Christopher Columbus ;evealed% )pokane, G"8H, !>>9!!#. -evista de 'ndias @.0> G"8H XXXXXXXX. )anual de Aistoria Hniversal omo 5- Aistoria de mérica . 4ditorial 4spasa Calpe ).A., "8#. -igaud, Philippe. Letras de la Costiera R Pirates et corsaires dans les mers de Provence S5e R S5+e siècles . Paris I Zditions du Comit des travaux historiLues et scientifiLues CTE), , #118. -odriLuez 2ia7ez, 2aureano. $:oguer y Palos en la poca del descubrimiento I *ocumentos para su historia en el registro del sello de corte del Archivo ?eneral de )imancas.& ctas S+ /ornadas de ndalucGa . mérica . Euelva, "">. -yder, Alan. he KrecD of Catalonia R Civil Kar in the ,ifteenth Centur. . +xfordI +xford (niversity Press, #11D. )olsona Climent, rancisca. $Aspectos de la dominación angevina en Catalu7a, !889!D#&. G2a participación italiana y francesa en la revolución contra ;uan '' de AragónH. Cuadernos de Aistoria /erónimo Turita !9!,"3#, >. (nali, Anna. )arinari- pirate e corsari catalani nel . 5ascno, Antonio. ?nsa.o biogrfico del célebre navegante . consumado cosmógrafo /uan de la Cosa . :adridI TipografVa de 5. aure, 0"#.
