COLUMBUS, Bartholomew (Sp. Bartolo meo Colon; It. Bartolommeo Colombo, his real name), Italian navigator, brother of Christo pher Columbus: b. Genoa before 1455; d. San Domingo, 12 Aug. 1514. The events of his early years are not on record. In 1470 we find him established at Lisbon as a mariner and con structor of maps—one of those adventurous navigators whom the patronage of the Portu guese princes had drawn to their capital. About 1486 he visited the Cape of Good Hope, prob ably with Barthelemi Diaz. His brother sent him to England to seek the aid of Henry VII in 14&8, but it appears certain that Christopher was ignorant of his fate, further than that he was captured by pirates. He did, however, at tain the ear of the English monarch and pre sented him with a map of the world, but it does not appear that he succeeded in securing Eng lish aid. On his return to France, where he became cartographer to Anne de Bourbon (de Beaujeu), he leamed that his brother had al ready discovered the new world and had sailed on a second voyage (1493). Hastening to the
Spanish court, he was received as became the brother of the admiral. Queen IsabeLla sent him in command of three store ships to the new colony of Hispaniola (1494) where Chris topher received him with joy and appointed him adelantado or lieutenant-governor of the Indies. In this position Bartolommeo showed great bravery and decision. He shared his brother's imprisonment, and with him was lib erated on reaching Spain, where the Spanish monarchs confirmed his title and gave him the lordship of the small island of Mona near San Domingo, with 200 Indians as his personal body-guard. The fierce energy of his character, however, made them jealous of giving him—tOo much latitude in public affairs.