The Great Plan: Westwards to India!

Columbus was strongly influenced by ancient theories about the world. Since the time of the Pythagoreans, the ancient Greeks had been convinced that the Earth was spherical in form. This theory prompted discussion among famous philosophers, such as Aristotle and Seneca, about the possibility of reaching India by a westbound voyage.

Columbus was obsessed by this idea and dreamed of travelling to Asia, not via the long and perilous sea route around the coast of Africa, but by steering westwards across the Atlantic.

Another major influence on Columbus’ plans came from the Florentine scholar Paolo dal Pozzo Toscanelli. But his calculations mistakenly suggested that the Earth was one-quarter smaller than had been previously assumed and that its surface was mostly land. These calculations lessened the distance between Europe and Asia and so made the route Columbus planned to take across the ocean appear to be shorter than it really was.

After intensive study of the available maps, Columbus finally decided on the route he would take for his westbound voyage. In 1484, he petitioned King John II of Portugal to support his passage across the Atlantic. But the Royal Commission on Marine Navigation declined to lend its support to any such voyage of discovery.