Some people think that anti-Columbus sentiment is a fairly recent phenomenon, but this book demonstrates that it has been going on for more than five hundred years. This book outlines the various forms of attack upon Columbus over the centuries, an ever-growing list of the Critics of Columbus. There has been a systematic attempt to assassinate the character of Columbus by a long line of people, not working in conjunction, but nonetheless building upon one another cumulatively over the years. It began with the contemporary enemies of Columbus who sought to steal his glory and his wealth and continued with later historians who sought to impugn his reputation in response to the hero worship that grew up around him in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Every aspect of Columbus' life has come under attack, from his origins, his study and preparations, his proposals for the great ventures of exploration, his claims of discovering America first, his conduct towards the Native Americans and the Spanish settlers, his endless quest to find gold, the nature and primacy of what he discovered, and his role in the history of slavery, genocide, and environmental destruction.
His legacy has been contested in a literal, legal sense in a lawsuit between his heirs and those who wanted to steal his fame and wealth. These appeared in the Pleitos Colombinos, or Columbian Lawsuits, which are examined in detail in this context for the first time in this book. It has also been contested in the literary and historical sense by a long succession of historians, who have sought to make a name for themselves by digging up more dirt on Columbus and further discrediting him.
All of the various attacks on Columbus over the centuries will be discussed in this work and thoughtful and well-researched rebuttals will be given to them, including to some of the most outrageous and unfair claims. The purpose of this book is not to defend Columbus, but to call for a more mature and balanced treatment of him by historians and the general public. This is not merely a Columbus apologist treatment. It is a plea that Columbus be understood in the context of his times and that his accomplishments be given equal weight with his faults.
