Talk:Christopher Columbus

Tribute system punishment: hands being cut off by Columbus's men (FALSE)

UPDATE: I wrote a comprehensive article tracing the claim here: https://historyinfocus.net/2024/09/27/columbus-and-the-myth-of-severed-hands/ The main article must be updated, especially since one of the sources it uses to cite this claim -- an article written by Mark Freeland -- uses a quote from the historical record that is not actually about Columbus. Please remove this claim once and for all so we can correct the historical record.

The claim that Columbus cut off the hands of natives who didn't pay the gold tribute is not supported by the historical record. This article states that it was written by Bartolome De Las Casas, but then cites Howard Zinn and Hans Koning (who Howard Zinn took his chapter on Columbus from). In fact, I can find no mention of this claim prior to Koning's book, and it does NOT exist in Las Casas's book. It is true that there was a tribute system implemented in order to suppress a rebellion and pacify the island, and it is true that Ferdinand Columbus (in his biography of his father, based on primary sources available to him) says there was punishment for failure to comply, but there is no mention as to what that punishment was. (The Life, p. 150)

Furthermore, the first mention of hands being cut off by Las Casas in History of the Indies comes on page 117-118, in the aftermath of a 1504 battle when Nicolas Ovando was the governor. Columbus was shipwrecked on Jamaica at the time in the midst of his last voyage. Here's the passage: “After the arbalast attack, Indians could only try to run back to their . . . villages, but . . . the Spaniards overcame them in no time. . . . some Indians were caught alive and were tortured incredibly to find out where people were hidden . . . The Spanish squadrons arrived in this way . . . and you should have seen how they worked their swords on those naked bodies, sparing no one! After such devastation, they set out to catch the fugitives and, catching them, had them place their hand on a board and slashed it off with the sword, and on to the other hand, which they butchered, sometimes leaving the skin dangling; . . . And the poor Indians howling and crying and bleeding to death, not knowing where to find their people, their wounds untended, fell shortly thereafter and died abandoned.” (History, Book II, Ch. 15, p. 117-8)

This claim being attributed to Columbus has spread far and wide, but when you do the digging, it all originates with Zinn/Koning. Bill Bigelow, co-director of Zinn Ed Project, actually uses pieces of the above passage to claim that this was the work of Columbus as punishment for failure to pay tribute. Both claims are false.

At the very least, we need to acknowledge that this idea of Columbus cutting hands off as punishment for not paying tribute is NOT supported by evidence from the primary source historical record, and therefore should be taken out of the article.

Here is an article that takes a deep dive into the primary source record of Columbus and his voyages, along with shedding light on some of the egregious errors of some of his proponents and detractors, including just how far Zinn goes to distort the primary sources to get his point across: https://historyinfocus.net/2022/08/23/in-defense-of-history-not-columbus/

January 2024

@Pyrrho the Skipper: Since you reverted my edit, I'm starting this discussion to give you the chance to explain why "Italian" is more accurate/relevant that "Genoese". I did mention that the Britannica source also describes him as "Genoese", which in this instance refers to his "nationality". Also, per MOS:CONTEXTBIO, we don't mention the ethnicity in the lead unless it's relevant to the subject's notability (something that needs to be substantiated in the article's body). M.Bitton (talk) 15:09, 24 January 2024 (UTC)

Since you want the change, maybe you could explain why "Genoese" is a better choice than "Italian"? Pyrrho the Skipper (talk) 15:24, 24 January 2024 (UTC)

I already did, so please read it again and let me know if there is anything that isn't clear.

What is "Italian" meant to represent, his ethnicity or his nationality? M.Bitton (talk) 15:27, 24 January 2024 (UTC)

I must have been looking at an older version of your comment. "Italian" is more common in the sources I see, and Genoa (since 17-whatever) is no longer an independent republic. We don't say Plato was an "Athenian philosopher," we call him Greek. Pyrrho the Skipper (talk) 15:30, 24 January 2024 (UTC)

What is "Italian" meant to represent, his ethnicity or his nationality? M.Bitton (talk) 15:33, 24 January 2024 (UTC)

It's meant to represent what the sources say, when referring to his nationality. Pyrrho the Skipper (talk) Pyrrho the Skipper (talk) 15:36, 24 January 2024 (UTC)

Nope, the sources that mention his nationality describe him as Genoese and the note in the article is clearly about his supposed ethnicity. M.Bitton (talk) 15:39, 24 January 2024 (UTC)

"Nation" is a tricky concept, historically. We generally say "Greek" and "Italian," despite them being more modern national distinctions. Since this debate comes up all the time on Wikipedia with various bios, I suggest you take this to WP:THIRDOPINION. Pyrrho the Skipper (talk) 16:00, 24 January 2024 (UTC)

It's not tricky if a) it's properly sourced and b) it makes sense. I'll await more input before deciding what to do next. M.Bitton (talk) 16:04, 24 January 2024 (UTC)

Blatant sealioning here. 208.87.236.202 (talk) 22:54, 2 February 2024 (UTC)

This has been discussed ad nauseam many times in the past. Please see above section RfC: Should Columbus be described as an Italian or Genoese explorer in the introduction part? for one of the more recent epic discussions. Please leave that alone, everyone is thoroughly tired of this. Tarl N. (discuss) 21:58, 24 January 2024 (UTC)

There is nothing in the above RfC that addresses the issues that I raised (which I will summarize below):

1. If "Italian" refers to his ethnicity, which it clearly does through the note, then the following questions need to be answered. 1) why is what MOS:CONTEXTBIO says about ethnicity in the lead being ignored? 2) why link to the Origin theories of Christopher Columbus in the early life section and then ignore what it states (Most scholars agree that Columbus was Genoese)?
2. If "Italian" refers to his nationality, then the first thing I would expect is the note to disappear and then RS that mention his so-called "Italian nationality" be supplied so that they can be discussed.

I don't think anyone would question his Genoese nationality, though reliable sources can easily be supplied if necessary. M.Bitton (talk) 17:19, 25 January 2024 (UTC)

Groan. Read the entire above-closed discussions and then read the archives. It has been ‘’extensively’’ discussed, the most recent go-around in the last 2-3 months, resulting in three separate RFCs being filed and WP:ANI getting involved. Also, per WP:BRD, if you have been reverted and a discussion is on the talk page, the appropriate action is to leave it ‘’status quo ante’’ not force your edit in by re-reverting. You have made three edits on the same spot, dangerously approaching WP:3RR, please self-revert. Tarl N. (discuss) 21:43, 25 January 2024 (UTC)

If the issues that I have raised have been ‘’extensively’’ discussed, then it shouldn't be that difficult for you to address them or at the very least, provide a link to the discussions that you're referring to. The tag is there to attract input from others. M.Bitton (talk) 01:14, 26 January 2024 (UTC)

Exhaustion. The same arguments, time and again, over and over. We JUST had a series of RFCs on the issue, which were improper because it had been less than six months since the previous RFCs on the same subject. What keeps you from reading the walls of text on the subject? Tarl N. (discuss) 01:23, 26 January 2024 (UTC)

Your comment doesn't address the issues that I have raised. M.Bitton (talk) 01:25, 26 January 2024 (UTC)

Summary of items in previous discussions which seem to me relevant:

• "Italian" is a term dating back to antiquity, contrary to claims it can only be applied since the 19th century.
• There is no perfect answer. Italian is used as a general description. The current sentence "italian born in Genoa" serves fine.
• Changing to Geneose would be roughly equivalent to saying J.S. Bach was a Eisenacher composer, not meaningful to current readers (he's listed as German for a reason).
• Sources vary on whether to call him Italian or Genoese. Previous discussions have resulted in using Italian.

Tarl N. (discuss) 01:48, 26 January 2024 (UTC)

None of that comes even close to addressing the specific issues that I raised and summarized above. The fact that you keep describing them as an it suggests that you haven't even bothered to read them M.Bitton (talk) 01:58, 26 January 2024 (UTC)

@Pyrrho the Skipper: which part of BRD gives you the right to remove the tag without addressing the issues? M.Bitton (talk) 01:17, 26 January 2024 (UTC)

Since there is already a third opinion on this, and the Italian/Genoese label has been already debated thoroughly in the past (even if some finer points you raise were not discussed, though you should read through them all to be sure), then it's not really appropriate to tag it "disputed". You could start an RfC about those specific issues to bring more editors here, but insisting that the tag stays up while we discuss nationality vs ethnicity again and again is not how this should go. Pyrrho the Skipper (talk) 05:09, 26 January 2024 (UTC)

Just for completeness, a list of RFCs on this topic in 2023:

• 2023-Dec-04 RfC: Should information from the note behind Italian be removed or not from introduction part and the article? (above)
• 2023-Oct-31 RfC: Should Columbus be described as an Italian or Genoese explorer in the introduction part? (above)
• 2023-Oct-23 RfC: Are you in favor of changing information from the introduction part ? (archive 17)
• 2023-Mar-31 RFC: on qualifier Italian in Christopher Columbus lead (archive 17, never closed, fallout from Pliny source discussion)

Yet another RFC strikes me as an unwise use of Wikipedia resources (us!). Tarl N. (discuss) 06:11, 26 January 2024 (UTC)

Since Tarl N is yet to opine on the specific issues that have been raised, let alone provide a convincing argument, then their comments cannot be considered as a third opinion. M.Bitton (talk) 13:12, 26 January 2024 (UTC)

Third opinion: This matter is dead. There is nothing new here. You can invent endless shades of variation in the questions you ask, but the result would be the same: Removing “Italian” as a descriptor, which is something the editors of this page have decided repeatedly over the years not to do. We are not obliged to satisfy you, regardless of how many times you come back with new user names and new variations of the same questions. Strebe (talk) 18:45, 26 January 2024 (UTC)

1) The issues that I raised haven't been addressed (I can't stress that enough). 2) As someone who's been in involved in previous discussions about other things, your opinion (about something else) is neither a third opinion (that I never asked for) nor a relevant one.

We are not obliged to satisfy you we're all obliged to respect the policies and the guidelines.

Anyway, I'll await a proper comment that actually addresses them and if none is forthcoming, I will take this to the next stage. M.Bitton (talk) 18:49, 26 January 2024 (UTC)

The term “nationality” never appears in the article, so I don’t know why you’re talking about that. The term hardly applies to European polities of that era. The term “ethnicity” never appears in the article, so I don’t know why you’re talking about that or asking about it in the context of MOS:CONTEXTBIO. Ethnicity and nationality are not mutually exclusive and neither are they exhaustive, so posing your questions as “Which is it?” sets up a straw man unrelated to the article content. The reasons why “Italian” is used in this context have been exhaustively examined and debated, and since reliable sources do use the term and the editors of this page have retained that use over massive challenges over many years, whatever spin you put on your attempt to dispute or change the use in the article amounts to WP:BLUDGEONING. As for pointing out that you did not ask for my opinion, let’s be clear: You are not the owner of this page, this conversation, or the article page, and therefore I do not need your permission to offer an opinion. Nobody needs your permission, and for you to imply that anyone does thereby implies to me some disturbing things about your mindset. Strebe (talk) 23:14, 26 January 2024 (UTC)

Your reply confirms what I suspected from the start: you haven't read what I wrote and are clearly too eager to dismiss it (with a battleground attitude to boot). So while you don't need my permission to offer your opinion about something else, I most certainly don't need yours to disregard it as completely irrelevant to the raised concerns. M.Bitton (talk) 23:50, 26 January 2024 (UTC)

I removed the "disputed" tag on the basis that it is for inaccurate information. The information given is not inaccurate. I added a citation from a recent reliable source which supports this. If I am understanding you properly, your issue is related to what you see as the proper application of MOS:CONTEXTBIO. This would seem to be an editorial dispute unrelated to the accuracy of the information presented. ~~ A15730 (talk) 23:38, 27 January 2024 (UTC)

You can't remove the tag while a discussion about it is ongoing. An editor tried it before you and was warned by an admin, so please leave it alone and participate in the discussion instead (see summary and a simple question right at the bottom of the section). M.Bitton (talk) 23:42, 27 January 2024 (UTC)

I don't think there is a discussion here. There was a lot of discussion previously, and it's a shame that you missed it. First and foremost, the purpose of wikipedia is to summarize reliable sources. Literally hundreds of sources refer to him as Italian. Many others refer to him as Genoese. It seems to me that the current wording is a good way to capture both of these. The general reasoning given previously to derogate the wording is to cite MOS:CONTEXTBIO. I did not find that convincing on the basis, among others, that it is not as clear an application as some would believe. That's just my opinion and others certainly disagree, which is why there have been a number of RFC's on this topic.

So, what change do you want to see? Your initial edit was to change "Italian" to "Genoese". This was the question for an RFC conducted less than two months ago. It seems that you don't think the people who participated in the RFC were intelligent enough to come to the correct conclusion? In any event, I don't think you are going to get a consensus for that change in this "discussion" at this time. So, if you have some other pathway to take, that might be more worthy of your time. A15730 (talk) 00:40, 28 January 2024 (UTC)

There is a discussion (it's happening), so feel free to answer the questions that I asked, starting with the simple one (see bottom of this discussion).

So, what change do you want to see? something that makes sense and is inline with our policies and guidelines (it will become obvious once we work out what the label is meant to represent). M.Bitton (talk) 00:43, 28 January 2024 (UTC)

A discussion would imply an exchange in which somebody may change their position. I don't see that happening. With regards to your question, if you really want to parse and examine the historical accuracy and implications of stating, "Columbus was Italian", I'd suggest that you contact Professor Delaney since she's the one who wrote it in the work cited.

As far as a change, I see no need for it since I think the current wording makes sense and is inline with our (wikipedia's) policies and guidelines. A15730 (talk) 01:32, 28 January 2024 (UTC)

I'm not asking you to change your position. As for the cherry picked and irrelevant source that you added to the label (in the middle of a discussion about what it stands for), it describes Columbus as Genoese and "Genoese citizen". The Italian part is only mentioned in passing when talking about modern-day Pasta. M.Bitton (talk) 01:41, 28 January 2024 (UTC)

Since some editors either refuse or can't read what I summarized above, I'll try a different approach, asking one simple question at a time:

What is the label "Italian" meant to represent, his ethnicity or his nationality? M.Bitton (talk) 00:03, 27 January 2024 (UTC)

False dichotomy. As has already been pointed out, and the term “nationality” hardly applies, as has already been pointed out. Strebe (talk) 00:19, 27 January 2024 (UTC)

I'm not interested in your baseless WP:OR (as already pointed out, RS about his Genoese nationality are easily found). Please answer the simple question. M.Bitton (talk) 00:20, 27 January 2024 (UTC)

Where’s your reference? Columbus’s citizenship was Genoan. That’s not the same thing as nationality. Maybe show your nationality references before you go making accusations of WP:OR — which doesn’t apply to talk page discussions anyway. You are the one making up things both in your false dichotomies and in claiming Columbus’s “nationality” was Genoan. Citizenship vs nationality in the modern sense; The virtual absence of national citizenship in medieval Europe along with what citizenship implied in Renaissance Italy; Civitas, republic, or commonwealth, which could be a region, kingdom, or the Church — but no “nation” anywhere to be seen; Nationality as a modern construction; On how modern discussions of premodern ethnicity and nationality are polluted by modern notions of nationality and modern academic scholarship; On, for example, the developing nationality of Germany (which has strong parallels to Italy — not any of its city states) in the early modern period; The nation state was nonexistent during the greater part of history, including early modern Europe; and so on ad nauseam. Strebe (talk) 02:35, 27 January 2024 (UTC)

We'll talk about the references once we establish what the label is about. I made this quite clear in the summary (something you would have known if you read it).

Since you mentioned citizenship, I will add it as another option to the previous question: what is the "Italian" label about, nationality, citizenship or ethnicity? M.Bitton (talk) 02:50, 27 January 2024 (UTC)

@M.Bitton I know what it's like to be the only editor raising what seems is a logically valid argument and feeling gaslit, but you have to remember that this a collaborative project, and once it's clear that there is no support for your position, it's time to drop it. That doesn't mean there aren't other avenues, such as RfC, noticeboards, or Village Pump that you can go to to address a valid concern or suggest a change overall policy about something. It just means that your edit is not supported by the community at this time and you need to take it elsewhere and not edit war. Pyrrho the Skipper (talk) 15:34, 29 January 2024 (UTC)

Support for what and drop what? M.Bitton (talk) 15:35, 29 January 2024 (UTC)

Calling into question the "Italian" label. Pyrrho the Skipper (talk) 15:39, 29 January 2024 (UTC)

That tells me that you haven't read the very simple question that I asked. Please read it again and try to answer it. M.Bitton (talk) 15:41, 29 January 2024 (UTC)

Are you saying you're not calling the "Italian" label into question? Pyrrho the Skipper (talk) 15:48, 29 January 2024 (UTC)

Are you saying that you either can't or don't want to answer the question? M.Bitton (talk) 15:49, 29 January 2024 (UTC)

Are you saying you can't/don't want to answer mine? Pyrrho the Skipper (talk) 15:50, 29 January 2024 (UTC)

I'm not playing this silly game. The question is there and it will be repeated however many times it takes until it gets answered. M.Bitton (talk) 15:53, 29 January 2024 (UTC)

I'm looking through the entire conversation and I see a lot of responses to your questions, and you seem to want to ignore all of those responses, which tells me you're bludgeoning the conversation because you WP:DONTLIKEIT. It looks like the only outcome you will accept is "Genoese" or a disputed tag, and are not interested in hearing the counterarguments from multiple other editors. Pyrrho the Skipper (talk) 16:13, 29 January 2024 (UTC)

Responses that don't address the issue are irrelevant and those that are not based on policy carry no weight whatsoever. Incidentally, one of them is yours: you claimed that the label is meant to represent what the sources say, when referring to his nationality.. Can you substantiate that? M.Bitton (talk) 16:18, 29 January 2024 (UTC)

No, I used "nationality" loosely. Now, will you answer one question of mine? What is your response to this comment: the purpose of wikipedia is to summarize reliable sources. Literally hundreds of sources refer to him as Italian. Many others refer to him as Genoese. It seems to me that the current wording is a good way to capture both of these. Pyrrho the Skipper (talk) 16:23, 29 January 2024 (UTC)

Why use "nationality" at all and why make such a claim if you don't have the answer? Couldn't you just say I have no idea and then do what I'm trying to do here (work out what it stands for)? M.Bitton (talk) 16:26, 29 January 2024 (UTC)

I answered a question of yours. Now please answer my question. Pyrrho the Skipper (talk) 16:30, 29 January 2024 (UTC)

I already did (work out what it stands for). Now, I'm really questioning whether you're reading my comments. M.Bitton (talk) 16:34, 29 January 2024 (UTC)

I guess the "disputed" tag will just have to stay there until someone else eventually removes it. See you around. Pyrrho the Skipper (talk) 16:38, 29 January 2024 (UTC)

Until the issue is resolved. M.Bitton (talk) 16:42, 29 January 2024 (UTC)

Perhaps M.Bitton doesn’t understand that their question amounts to a request for people’s opinions that have no relevance to the article. It doesn’t matter what we think reliable sources mean when they use the “Italian” label. If the sources explain why, then fine, M.Bitton can go look that up themselves. It suffices for the purposes of the article that reliable sources say so and that the editors of the article accept that. The meaning of the “disputed” template is that the editor disputes that reliable sources actually say what is claimed. That is a very different matter than what M.Bitton appears to be using it for, and so the template insertion is wrong. Strebe (talk) 00:37, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

Perhaps you don't understand the request or maybe you don't want to, either way, it doesn't make any difference because you made it clear from the start that you're only interested in sweeping it under the carpet. As for the meaning of the template, it's there to attract the attention of those who are here to build an encyclopedia, so we can discuss the exact meaning of the ambiguous word that is defended by those who don't even know what it stands for. In other words, you are wrong about what its use.

For those who missed it, here's the simple question:

What is the ambiguous label "Italian" meant to represent: his ethnicity, his citizenship or his nationality? M.Bitton (talk) 01:10, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

• Unfortunately, the last user that tried to remove the tag was told by an admin, Daniel Case, that they should not have removed the tag and that their editing was problematic. So, I'm not sure what to do. Pyrrho the Skipper (talk) 01:12, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

  I really don't understand. How can you possibly find the tag more problematic than the ambiguous label? How do you expect the average reader to understand a label when the editors can't answer a simple question about it stands for? Doesn't that bother you? M.Bitton (talk) 01:23, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

Template:Disputed inline: This inline template helps highlight a particular disputed statement or alleged fact… This is particularly helpful when there are reliable sources supporting two or more different claims. The claims are not “different”, incompatible, mutually exclusive, or any other incoherency. That’s a straw man, again a false dichotomy, one that has been litigated repeatedly to no avail. The term “Italian” isn’t defended by those who don't even know what it stands for; it’s disputed by you. The hatnote makes one of its meanings clear. Strebe (talk) 01:47, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

The hatnote makes one of its meanings clear here's what the note says: "Though the modern state of Italy had yet to be established, the Latin equivalent of the term Italian had been in use for natives of the region since antiquity; most scholars believe Columbus was born in the Republic of Genoa."

Please tell me, what is this note (meant to justify the Italian label) about: his nationality, his citizenship or his ethnicity? This is a very simple question, especially for someone who's adamant that the meaning of the note is clear. M.Bitton (talk) 01:50, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

Please tell me, what is this note (meant to justify the Italian label) about: his nationality, his citizenship or his ethnicity? You are falsely constraining the choices, which I keep pointing out and you keep ignoring. It’s no wonder you’re not getting “an answer”.

• It’s not his citizenship. As far as I recall, in the entire history of this poor horse beaten to hamburger, no one has (even incorrectly) suggested his citizenship was Italian, or anything other than Genoese. That’s true in this conversation as well. Hence, I am very confused about why you keep bringing it up.
• It certainly could correctly refer to his ethnicity, but as is utterly plain in the hatnote, that’s not what it’s referring to.
• The question of nationality is not simple, and so no, you can’t get a simple answer to a question that isn’t simple. Genoa was hardly ever “independent” during Columbus’s lifetime. It was subjugated to the Duke of Milan for a time and, for much of Columbus’s life, to France. However, both of those polities, as well as Genoa, were deferential to the Holy Roman Empire, which designated all of northern and central Italy the “ Kingdom if Italy”. Hence, his nationality could be Italian, depending on what you mean by your question that is absolutely not simple. But, as is utterly plain in the hatnote, that’s not what it’s referring to.
• As is utterly plain in the hatnote, “Italian” is a term used since antiquity to refer to someone from the Italian peninsula. That is its usage in this context: not citizenship, not nationality, not ethnicity. Strebe (talk) 18:16, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

It’s not his citizenship great. The fact that he was a Genoese citizen is the only statement (which also happens to be clear) that everyone agrees with.

It certainly could correctly refer to his ethnicity does it or does it not refer to his ethnicity? Remember, the issue here is working out what the ambiguous word stands for.

his nationality could be Italian again, does it or does it not refer to his nationality? Also, can you back that up with a source?

“Italian” is a term used since antiquity to refer to someone from the Italian peninsula to refer to what exactly: someone's nationality, citizenship or ethnicity? M.Bitton (talk) 18:59, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

All our sources describe him both as Italian and as Genoese. "Italian from the Republic of Genoa" is the best solution.Barjimoa (talk) 01:08, 2 February 2024 (UTC)

We're trying to determine what the ambiguous word "Italian" (as used in the lead sentence) stands for. Please read the above discussion. M.Bitton (talk) 00:09, 2 February 2024 (UTC)

Italian refers to someone belonging to the Italian people (or "Italian nation"). What's ambiguous about it? Barjimoa (talk) 01:16, 2 February 2024 (UTC)

That's as ambiguous as Hispanic, a term that we don't use when we have alternatives that are accurate and precise. The questions (that you're welcome to answer) should determine what it stands for. M.Bitton (talk) 01:51, 2 February 2024 (UTC)

No, that's not "ambiguous as Hispanic", it's as clear as Spanish, German, Greek etc. The question you are posing is is a false dichotomy as Strebe and Pyrrho the Skipper have also already pointed out; "Italian" is a general description referring to the people/nation to which he belonged (even tho' the modern concept of nationality, meaning citizenship of a nation-state, was not a thing yet) while Genoese refers to the citizenship of the specific Italian state to which he belonged. Per our sources, we can call him alternatevely Italian or Genoese (in my opinion the current solution is the best because both definitions are used as he is called "Italian from the Republic Genoa") but it is certainly not dubious nor ambiguous that he can be described as he currently is.Barjimoa (talk) 08:45, 2 February 2024 (UTC)

It is ambiguous because "Italian" could refer to a number of things, including citizenship, nationality and ethnicity. We already established that it cannot refer to the Italian citizenship, so all we have to do now is work out whether it applies to the other two.

Do you think that the word "Italian" (including the note) refers to his ethnicity?

Some editors suggested that it refers/could refer to his nationality. Do you agree with them? M.Bitton (talk) 13:20, 2 February 2024 (UTC)

I already said I agree with those who said the current description is not dubious and your question is a false dichotomy. I can also agree with those saying Italian refers to his nationality in so far as "Italian" at the time meant someone belonging to the Italian nation. "Nationality" in that sense, the legalistic modern-day English meaning of "nationality" is anachronistic for the age of Columbus. This is irrelevant, however. What's relevant is that "Italian navigator from the Republic of Genoa" is a perfectly fine way to define this guy.Barjimoa (talk)

The ambiguous term may be fine for you, but it's certainly isn't for me. Can we cross the nationality from the list? If the answer is yes (assuming the others agree too), all we'll have left is the ethnicity and if the answer is no, please explain why (based on what you said about the nationality). M.Bitton (talk) 17:19, 2 February 2024 (UTC)

No, I would not cross it from the list. I have made my point above. Besides, you are insisting on the false dichotomy that if it's not his nationality then we are only left with the proposition that it's his ethnicity, which I and the others have rejected multiple times. "Italian" is an adjective that defines the people and region to which he and his state belong. Like we call Plato "Greek" because he was Athenian, we call Columbus "Italian" because he was Genoese. We do it for every ancient Greek, for every German, for every Italian of the Renaissance period etc etc, not just for Columbus. Everything seems very clear, not "for me" but per our sources and all the debates we have had on this topic. Barjimoa (talk) 18:12, 2 February 2024 (UTC)

You made no point whatsoever. In fact, by refusing to narrow down what the term could possible stand for, you are essentially stating that the term is ambiguous. Also, why compare him to Plato when we have Marco Polo who is rightly and succinctly described as Venetian? M.Bitton (talk) 18:16, 2 February 2024 (UTC)

I did. You are pretending to not read what I and others have written to you. Italian means "belonging to the Italian nation". Does this even need to be specified? Marco Polo was described as an Italian just like Columbus until a few months ago when an editor removed it because he proposed a wrong theory (as he misread a source) that he was from Croatia. For me it's best to return to describe Marco Polo as an "Italian from the Republic of Venice" as well. In any case, most other famous figures of the Italian renaissance period on wikipedia are described as Italians. Again, "Italian" is evidently not an ambiguous term. It's pretty obvious what it means. Barjimoa (talk) 18:30, 2 February 2024 (UTC)

All I can say to that is that you refused to answer a simple question. I don't really why and I don't feel like guessing. Either way, the question is still there for those who are interested in narrowing down the meaning of an ambiguous word. Don't worry about the other figures for now, we'll get to them in due time. M.Bitton (talk) 18:37, 2 February 2024 (UTC)

This is starting to feel like a personal battle of yours. It's been more than week, we have reiterated a previous long-standing consensus and are 4 vs 1. Time to move on.Barjimoa (talk) 19:28, 2 February 2024 (UTC)

You're free to move on, nobody's stopping you. M.Bitton (talk) 19:32, 2 February 2024 (UTC)

@Pyrrho the Skipper: why are you deliberately removing the tag despite, knowing full well that you're not supposed to do that while a discussion is ongoing? M.Bitton (talk) 19:38, 2 February 2024 (UTC)

I'm afraid I'm going to have to take this to the admins. proposing to change a recently established consensus can be disruptive Pyrrho the Skipper (talk) 19:43, 2 February 2024 (UTC)

That's your prerogative. M.Bitton (talk) 19:45, 2 February 2024 (UTC)

@Barjimoa: you are not supposed to remove a tag that is meant to attract input from editors while a discussion is ongoing. Your responses so far have failed to address the raised issues, let alone solve them. M.Bitton (talk) 19:47, 2 February 2024 (UTC)

@M.Bitton: I thought you said you agreed to move on. Also, 4 of us have addressed the issue, you do not like the answers we have given but it's not like to overcome your objection we have to convince you personally. Barjimoa (talk) 20:07, 2 February 2024 (UTC)

I never said such a thing, so please don't attribute claims to me again. Discussing the issues is much cheaper than having multiple RfCs. M.Bitton (talk) 20:14, 2 February 2024 (UTC)

I thought this was a green light to move on: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:MobileDiff/1202436180. But I see it's not the case. Anyway, the only reason your tag has not been removed yet is because you are reverting other users who have debated this and agreed on something...so don't act like we are trying to forcedully remove it without discussing it, there has been a lot of discussion.Barjimoa (talk) 20:31, 2 February 2024 (UTC)

No idea why you thought that. Anyway, we are discussing it, or at least, I'm trying to do so. M.Bitton (talk) 20:35, 2 February 2024 (UTC)

{od}Discussing the issues is much cheaper than having multiple RfCs. It turns out that no, it hasn’t been, because this hasn’t been a discussion. It has been WP:BLUDGEONING by you who haven’t been willing to engage what people are saying when what they’re saying isn’t what you want to hear. We're trying to determine what the ambiguous word "Italian" (as used in the lead sentence) stands for. No, “we” are not. No one is trying to do this but you, and you would succeed if you accepted what everyone has been saying: You have been constraining the answers you are willing to accept to a list of answers that are not correct, and you reject the plain meaning given in the hatnote by not accepting the plain meaning of the hatnote: Italian refers to someone from the Italian peninsula. Instead, you continue to repetitively ask whether that refers to citizenship, ethnicity, or nationality, and continue to claim that a word referring to someone from a particular locale is somehow “ambiguous”. It isn’t. Strebe (talk) 20:59, 2 February 2024 (UTC)

It is irrelevant to the truth the "Italian" state. It has now been 10P0% proven by Dr. Manuel Rosa that the discoverer was not the Genoese wool weaver!

https://www.academia.edu/108558597/CRISTOFORO_COLOMBO_versus_CRIST%C3%93BAL_COL%C3%93N_by_Manuel_Rosa

Even Professor João Paulo Oliveira e Costa, the top historian in Portugal, now agrees with Dr. Rosa writing in his latest book, "No estudo recente de Manuel Rosa, que, respeitando escrupulosamente as fontes, deixa clara a impossibilidade de Colón ter nascido no seio de uma família de tecelões genoveses.”[1]

[1] CRISTOFORO COLOMBO versus CRISTÓBAL COLÓN - Cristoforo Colombo, the weaver from Genoa, was not Don Crsitóbal Colón, the navigator from Ibéria (Universidade dos Açores, 2023) page 402.

The world was fooled for 500 years by the court of Portugal into accepting a lie with the help of the Italian fraudsters who created fake documents in 1892 to convince the world that their weaver was the Captain General of four fleets, Admiral, Governor, and Viceroy of the New World!!!

The history has changed. 99.32.56.226 (talk) 19:36, 14 April 2024 (UTC)

Too many references

@User:Stormbird, this edit’s citations proliferate beyond need. The content of the edit only requires one. Please pick the most apt. Also, it’s bad form to have a single sentence as a paragraph. This paragraph could be merged with the previous. Strebe (talk) 22:19, 2 June 2024 (UTC)

Pear-shaped

This series of edits seems to me to be misleading. I think the article spends too much space on this topic. Columbus’s belief about the shape of the earth, and how he arrived at it, has nothing to do with the actual shape of the earth, and yet the article now hints that Columbus might have been onto something. He wasn’t. The “pearness” he imagined was exaggerated by thousands of times and justified by reasons unrelated to the modern understanding. The fact that Polaris had larger displacement from the celestial pole then, which the article now implies as an explanation for how Columbus arrived at his conclusion is also suspect: Columbus knew about the diurnal motion of Polaris and had to correct for the “circle described by the pole star about the pole”. Overall, the section now reads to me as a synthesis that tries to make sense of Columbus’s conception, but that is supposed to be the job of sources. Not appropriate. Strebe (talk) 17:58, 14 July 2024 (UTC)

The current wording doesn't imply that he observed anything of note. Feel free to improve on this, but please be careful about changing the meaning of complex details. Columbus falsely thinking Polaris had varying diurnal motion is a sourced fact; the declination was measured at various times throughout the night, and wasn't seen at a fixed 10°. You probably didn't introduce that error to the article but please be mindful. UpdateNerd (talk) 05:51, 5 September 2024 (UTC)

References