Which monarch sponsored Christopher Columbus's 1492 voyage that led to the European contact with the Americas?

Which monarch sponsored Christopher Columbus's 1492 voyage that led to the European contact with the Americas?

• A. Queen Isabella I of Castile
• B. King Henry VIII
• C. Queen Victoria
• D. King Louis XIV

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is who financed Columbus's voyage and thus enabled European contact with the Americas. Columbus sought support from rulers who could fund and authorize his expedition. The Spanish Crown, led by Queen Isabella I of Castile (with her husband, Ferdinand II of Aragon), agreed to sponsor the 1492 voyage, providing ships, crews, and royal authority. This sponsorship, rather than support from other rulers of different countries or later periods, made it possible for Columbus to sail west and reach lands unknown to Europeans at the time. The other monarchs listed lived in different countries or centuries and did not sponsor this voyage.

The idea being tested is who financed Columbus's voyage and thus enabled European contact with the Americas. Columbus sought support from rulers who could fund and authorize his expedition. The Spanish Crown, led by Queen Isabella I of Castile (with her husband, Ferdinand II of Aragon), agreed to sponsor the 1492 voyage, providing ships, crews, and royal authority. This sponsorship, rather than support from other rulers of different countries or later periods, made it possible for Columbus to sail west and reach lands unknown to Europeans at the time. The other monarchs listed lived in different countries or centuries and did not sponsor this voyage.