In January 1503, Columbus established a garrison at Rio Belen, Panama. The garrison was attacked by the indigenous natives so in March he again had to flee. Columbus now had to cope with unfriendly waters. The ship limped as far as Jamaica with Columbus and his crew stranded hundreds of miles from the nearest Spanish settlement. In desperation, a few individuals were sent out in canoes to cover more than one hundred miles of open sea to seek aid. They made it to Hispaniola in August, but the Governor there despised Columbus so much it was almost a year before a vessel was dispatched to rescue them.
Columbus had devised an ingenious plan to ensure his survival in Jamaica. He threatened the natives he’d make the moon bloody and damaged if they did not submit to his authority. The natives laughed. The following day the moon appeared just as he predicted and the natives submitted to the all powerful Columbus. He so frightened natives they brought food and supplies for Columbus and his crew. Of course it was simply an eclipse of the moon on February 29th 1504. Columbus had a copy of Regionmontanus’ Ephemerides astronomicae, which predicted the event.
Columbus’s methods were often unproductive. His entrepreneurial ambitions blinded him to the plight of others and he often caused chaos, creating many enemies. But he died a rich man on May 2nd 1506 in Valladolid, Spain.
John D. Gartner, a psychologist and author of “The Hypomanic Edge” states “If you’re manic, you think you’re Jesus. If you’re hypomanic, you think you are God’s gift to technology investing.”
Davis Segal, writing for the New York Times, wrote “the attributes that make great entrepreneurs, the experts say, are common in certain manias, though in milder forms and harnessed in ways that are hugely productive. Instead of recklessness, the entrepreneur loves risk. Instead of delusions, the entrepreneur imagines a product that sounds so compelling that it inspires people to bet their careers, or a lot of money, on something that doesn’t exist and may never sell.”
At the time when the great Christian medieval city of Constantinople (in modern day Turkey) was falling to insurgent Muslims (the Saracens) invading from the east, Muslims (the Moors) were being pushed out of (Al Andalus or modern day Spain) Europe and into the sea by the Christians in the west. The shift in the global balance of power, at first, appeared to disadvantage the Europeans. The sacking of Constantinople blocked their easterly trade route to lucrative Asian markets. The Christians are forced to look for an alternative route. Columbus emerges as the ‘manic hero’ who rescues Europe by travelling west into the unknown reaches of the Atlantic Ocean in search of India. But he was driven by a lot more than adventure and gold. Columbus believed the Saracens stole his noble legacy.
Columbus was a cavalier entrepreneur driven by manic ambition and emotional needs. As a child he listens to his father Domenico, a humble cheese and wine trader, telling him stories of great adventure of times gone by. Toddler Christopher hears how, against all advice and all odds, fellow Italian, Marco Polo found a trade route to China and began trading with the east. He is also told of the legend of Colombo, a Christian noble descendent of an emperor of the now Muslim city of Constantinople. Christopher believing he is a direct descendent of these nobles, becomes hell-bent on re-establishing his family’s lost status.
What made Columbus a successful entrepreneur was his mania.
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