Beatriz Enríquez de Arana

Beatriz Enríquez de Arana (c. 1465/67 probably in Santa María de Trassierra, Province of Cordoba, Spain, † 1521 ibid ) was the mistress of Christopher Columbus and the mother of his second son, Fernando Columbus.

Origin

Little is known about the circumstances of Beatriz Enríquez de Arana. They probably came from a Basque family that had settled in Santa María de Trassiera in the Spanish province of Córdoba. The family owned houses and wineries and had thus brought to comparatively modest wealth.

In 1471 Beatriz lost both parents and grew up in the city of Córdoba on in the home of relatives. The fact that it was the literate, suggests that the family may have turned into more upmarket circles and thus could have been in contact with the Italians and Genoese established there.

Córdoba: "Wild marriage" with Columbus

To 1487 she met in the home of her relatives to Christopher Columbus, who happened to be in Cordoba and wanted to convince the end there because the Catholic Monarchs of his project of an Atlantic crossing. For the love affair of a strikingly beautiful young woman and about 15 years older widower emerged in 1488 son of Fernando Columbus in the year. During his stay in Córdoba Columbus lived together with Beatriz and trusted her before his first voyage across the Atlantic, even his son Diego to, who came from his first marriage to Felipa Moniz Perestrelo e. However, he did not marry Beatrice.

Later, however, accompanied Columbus two close relatives of Beatriz on his journeys, on the first her cousin Diego de Arana, on his third voyage, her nephew Pedro the Arana.

End of the relationship to Columbus

After returning from his first voyage in 1493 Columbus broke, now a celebrated hero, the relationship with Beatriz apparent from, because from that point on, Beatriz mentioned in his written records only twice. His two sons were taken from their custody and sent as pages of the Infante Don Juan to the court of Queen Isabella I.. From 1502 Columbus left Beatriz a yearly annuity of 10,000 maravedis instruct that were never claimed by this. Shortly before his death, he asked his son Diego in a letter, " for Beatríz Enríquez, the mother of my son Don Hernando to take care to provide them with the necessary resources that they can make a living worthy, because she is human to whom I am deeply indebted; this should be done to relieve my conscience, for it expresses heavy on my soul. Expanded to talk about here is not fitting. " However Beatriz rose never claim to their heritage and also appeared not to Columbus's funeral. She survived him by almost two decades.

Why mistress, not his wife?

In science is much speculation about the reasons why the widowed Columbus did not marry his unmarried lovers as a formal marriage had nothing stood in the way. Most researchers agree that the reason is to be sought among the humble, who came from the prospective bride. As viceroy, Admiral and Governor Columbus had married far below level, then violate valid Castilian law and harmed his reputation at court tremendously. Advocate of Jewish descent Columbus, however, see this as evidence for their theory: As a Jew, it was impossible Columbus who are nationals of another faith to marry, unless they descended from a Jewish mother. On the other hand, rejection pushes the theory that Beatriz had it apart from the outset only to fame and fortune and became the much older man unfaithful, whereupon he broke the connection.