Britannica
Sources used in this answer
Where was Christopher Columbus born?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Christopher Columbus
Navigator and explorer Christopher Columbus.
The vast majority of scholars believe that Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy, in 1451. This conclusion is based on archival documents from Genoa and Savona, as well as Columbusâs own testament of 1498.12
While the Genoese origin is the most widely accepted, alternative theories have been proposed, including claims that he was born in Portugal or that he was a converso of Sephardic Jewish descent.1