Domenico Colombo

Domenico Colombo (English: Dominic Columbus; Genoese: Domenego Corombo; 1 March 1418 – 1496) was a weaver, the father of Italian explorer and navigator Christopher Columbus and Bartholomew Columbus.

Domenico Colombo
Born(1418-03-01)1 March 1418
Died1496(1496-00-00) (aged 77–78)
SpouseSusanna Fontanarossa
Children5, including Christopher Columbus
Bartholomew Columbus
ParentGiovanni Colombo (father)

Biography

Domenico was born in 1418. He had three brothers, who were called Franceschino, Giacomo and Bertino.[1][2]

Statue of Domenico's son Christopher Columbus

His father had apprenticed him to the loom at age 11. Domenico, a third-generation master of his craft in Genoa, was also a shopkeeper. His position was secure and respectable in the lower middle class, but he did not have a firm work ethic. He was a poor provider but was generally liked in his community.

In the boisterous, enterprising spirit of Genoa, he worked as a cheese maker, tavern keeper and dealer in wool and wine. He married Susanna Fontanarossa.[3] Their firstborn was Cristoforo,[4] in 1451; sons Giovanni Pellegrino, Bartolomeo,[5] Giacomo (also called Diego),[6] and daughter Bianchinetta were born after.

When he was found in financial difficulty, he was helped economically by Christopher. Forsaking the loom, two of his sons – Bartholomew and Christopher – went to the sea.

Domenico's daughter-in-law was Filipa Moniz Perestrelo[7] and his grandsons were Diego Columbus and Ferdinand Columbus.[8] He also had one natural granddaughter, Maria.

References
  1. De Oviedo y Valdés, Gonzalo Fernández (1851). Historia general y natural de las Indias, islas y tierra-firme del mar océano (in Spanish). Vol. I. Real Academia de la Historia. p. 12. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
  2. De Oviedo y Valdés, Gonzalo Fernández (1851). Historia general y natural de las Indias, islas y tierra-firme del mar océano (in Spanish). Vol. III. Real Academia de la Historia. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  3. Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 16 (1993 ed.). pp. 605ff. Morison. Christopher Columbus (1955 ed.). pp. 14ff.
  4. Phillips, William D.; Rahn Phillips, Carla (1992). The Worlds of Christopher Columbus. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 9. Even with less than a complete record, however, scholars can state with assurance that Columbus was born in the Republic of Genoa in northern Italy, although perhaps not in the city itself, and that his family made a living in the wool business as weavers and merchants... The two main early biographies of Columbus have been taken as literal truth by hundreds of writers, in large part because they were written by individuals closely connected to Columbus or his writings. Both biographies have serious shortcomings as evidence.
  5. Ra Gerusalemme deliverâ [Jerusalem Delivered] (in Ligurian). Genoa. 1745. p. XV-32.
  6. Gilman, D. C.; Peck, H. T.; Colby, F. M., eds. (1905). "Columbus, Diego. The youngest brother of Christopher Columbus" . New International Encyclopedia (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead. – The names Giacomo and Diego are cognates, along with James, all sharing a common origin. See Behind the Name, Mike Campbell, pages Giacomo, Diego, and James. All retrieved 3 February 2017.
  7. Freitas, Antonio Maria de (1893). The Wife of Columbus: With Genealogical Tree of the Perestrello and Moniz Families. New York: Stettinger, Lambert & Co.
  8. Irving, Washington (1828). A history of the life and voyages of Christopher Columbus, Volume 3. New York, New York: G. & C. Carvill. p. 232.
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