In the early modern period, the voyages of Columbus initiated European exploration and colonization of the American continents, and are thus of great significance in world history. Christopher Columbus was a navigator and an admiral for Spain. He made four voyages to the Americas, the first being in 1492, which resulted in the Discovery of America from a European point of view.

The discovery of America has variously been attributed to others, depending on context and definition. For example, Asians migrated across the Bering Strait to North America between 12,000 and 42,000 years ago. The Vikings (c. 1000) established a short-lived settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland. South America.

While Columbus was not the first European to voyage to the New World and did not actually reach the mainland until his third voyage in 1498 (when he reached On the fourth voyage, he reached Central America), his discoveries led to the widespread knowledge of the existence of the new continent, and to major European sea powers sending expeditions to the New World to build trade networks and colonies and to convert the native people to Christianity.

Columbus returned from South America to Hispaniola on August 19, 1498 to find that many of the Spanish settlers of the new colony were discontent, having been misled by Columbus about the supposedly bountiful riches of the new world. Columbus repeatedly had to deal with rebellious settlers and natives. He had some of his crew hanged for disobeying him.

Arriving in Santo Domingo while Columbus was away, Bobadilla immediately received many serious complaints about all three Columbus brothers: Christopher, Bartolomé, and Diego. The testimonies of 23 people who had seen or heard about the treatment meted out by Columbus and his brothers - had originally been lost for centuries, but was rediscovered in 2005 in the Spanish archives in Valladolid. It contained an account of Columbus' seven-year reign as the first Governor of the Indies Consuelo Varela, a Spanish historian, states: "Even those who loved him [Columbus] had to admit the atrocities that had taken place."