Researchers Uncover the True Origins of Christopher Columbus After Over Two Decades of Genetic Research

Article initially published on October 15, 2024

Christophe Columbus, an emblematic figure in world history, has long been perceived as an Italian explorer from Genoa. However, a recent genetic study, conducted by José Antonio Lorente from the University of Granada, questions this traditionally accepted origin. After more than twenty years of research, his team revealed that Columbus would in fact be born in Spain, in a Sephardic Jewish family.

This survey, the results of which have been unveiled in a documentary broadcast by the Spanish public channel RTVE, is based on the analysis of DNA samples taken from the supposed remains of the navigator and his relatives. Through this discovery, it is a new facet of the famous explorer who emerges, in the heart of a Spain marked by religious expulsions and identity conflicts of the 15th century.

A controversial genetic survey

The origin of Christopher Columbus aroused passionate debates among historians for centuries. The most widespread version presents it as an Italian born in Genoa in 1451. But many alternative theories have emerged over the years. Some researchers have suggested that he could have a Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, even British origin. These theories reflect the importance of Columbus in history. They testify to the will of several nations to claim this explorer. His trips that have marked European expansion in America.

However, a recent study, led by José Antonio Lorente, professor at the University of Granada, brought new and surprising genetic elements. They question this traditional version. According to this research, Columbus was born in the Spanish Mediterranean region, in Valence, of course. Nevertheless, it would belong to a Sephardic Jewish family. Lorente and her team have indeed identified genetic markers in the DNA of Columbus and his relatives. They would suggest a Jewish origin.

The study began in 2003 with the exhumation of the supposed remains of Columbus in the Cathedral of Seville. He had rested there since the end of the 19th century. The researchers also collected DNA samples on the bones of his son Fernando and his brother Diego. They were able to compare them to genealogical data and other historical DNA profiles. This work made it possible to test the various hypotheses on the origins of Columbus. Little by little, the results dismissed the Italian hypothesis which predominated until then.

Instead, the clues dated to a Sephardic Jewish community in Valencia. These results question several centuries of established beliefs. They raise new questions about the identity and personal trajectory of the explorer.

Critics of the scientific community

Despite the media coverage of this discovery in a documentary broadcast on RTVE, caution remains in order. Antonio Alonso, former director of the National Institute of Toxicology and Medico-Legal Sciences in Spain, has raised important concerns in an article in Guardian. In particular, he deplores the lack of publication of data from DNA analysis in a scientific journal. Indeed, for him, the fact that these results were revealed directly through a television program without going through a validation process by peers weakens the credibility of advanced conclusions. He fears that media enthusiasm around this announcement will lead to hasty or imprecise interpretations.

José Antonio Lorente. © Story Products

Other experts, such as Rodrigo Barquera, specialist in archaeogenetics at the Max Planck Institute, also issued reservations about the scope of results. Although genetic markers associated with Jewish populations have been identified, Barquera stresses that this cannot constitute definitive proof of the exact geographic origins of Christopher Columbus … and of course, nor its religious beliefs. Genetics, according to him, cannot alone describe the complex identity of an individual. Even less in a time marked by religious persecutions and forced migrations. In addition, he recalls that these genetic markers could be present in various populations without necessarily involving specific Sephardic ancestry.

A hidden origin for fear of persecution

The religious and political context of Spain at the end of the 15th century plays a crucial role in the understanding of this hypothesis on the origin of Christophe Columbus. In 1492, the year of its famous journey to the new world, Spain lived a period of strong religious repression under the Inquisition. The Catholic kings, Isabelle de Castille and Ferdinand d'Aragon, had just promulgated the edict of Alhambra. The latter ordered the expulsion of unconverted Jews. Muslims, also under pressure, had to choose between conversion to Christianity or exile. This brutal policy of religious purification aimed to strengthen the Catholic unity of the kingdom. In this context, it is possible that Columbus, if it was actually of Sephardic Jewish origin, chose to hide its roots to avoid being persecuted and to maintain the royal support necessary for its expeditions to the new world.

This silence on its origins could be explained by a concern for survival and political opportunism. As a direct beneficiary of Isabelle and Ferdinand's support, Columbus had to comply with the religious requirements of her protectors. If this hypothesis is confirmed, this would add tragic irony to his career. He would have participated in the extension of the Spanish Empire. This while hiding its belonging to a community persecuted by this same empire. The fact that Columbus could have been forced to give up his true religious identity would underline the complexity of his motivations and the pressure exerted by religious policies of the time. Such a revelation would offer a new perspective on his character, often idealized, by making him more human in the face of social and religious realities of his time. But all this remains to be considered with care …