Unveiling the Rediscovered Islands (2)

The chapter about the Canary Islands is nearly over. It is titled "The Rediscovered Islands". The extract has endured a complete renewal by contrast with the previous version uploaded several years ago. 

"The Rediscovered Islands" comprises six parts:

a. The Priority of Discovery, which tells the tale of rediscovery

b. The People Behind the Scenes introduces the Guanches, the

native settlers

c. The Norman Conquest focuses on the private enterprise of Messier Jean de Bethencourt

d. The Royal Conquest elaborates on the final subjugation of the islands 
e. The Sugar Islands switches to the production of sugar

I'm working on the last part, the Reassessment, where I will tell the story in a nutshell, in a more prosaic way and excluding some details. 

The chapter will stay unpublished for two main reasons: I need to leave it for a while to make a better reassessment (in terms of style, cohesion, etc.) and I will think about publication opportunities. 

My plans include a continuation of the current project. According to the initial plan, there should be extracts on Madeira and the quest for the Rio d'oro (the River of Gold). These topics also belong to the theme called "The Little Age of Discovery": the onset of the oceanic exploration from the close of the thirteenth century to the end of the fourteenth century. 

Unveiling the Rediscovered Islands 1

Image: At the foothills of Pico del Teide

Courtesy: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/spain/attractions/pico-del-teide/a/poi-sig/444919/360727

I am hopeful you are well and sound. My best advice for those who must spend a lot of time time in isolation is to engage in your favorite activities. In my case, it is research in matters that interest me.

As you know, I have launched new research, which focuses on the European discovery of the maritime route to the Indies. I am working on Part I of the study titled "The Little Age of Discovery: The Conquest of the Western Sea". Here I tell the story of the European ventures in the eastern Atlantic throughout the fourteenth century. 

The first two chapters are complete. Chapter 1, How Wide Spans the Ocean Sea, based on the report of Herodotus, defies the idea that Africa had been circumnavigated in antiquity. It also corrects the impression that Columbus was a lone wolf obsessed with a crazy idea to find the western maritime route to the Far East. This section is available on my site 

https://www.academia.edu/41214506/How_Wide_Spans_the_Ocean_Sea 

The Russian version was published in a literary magazine. 

Chapter 2, Beyond the Pillars of Hercules, explains why the opening of the bottleneck of the Gibraltar Strait ushered in a new age of discovery. This part is available 

https://www.academia.edu/42166248/Beyond_the_Pillars_of_Hercules

The Russian version is to be published until mid-May 2020. 

Meanwhile, I am writing Chapter 3 about the discovery, conquest, and colonization of the Canary Islands. The tragic story of the Guanches, the native residents, is unfolding on the backdrop of European expansion. 

 

Image: The Guanches depicted in a European late-sixteenth century book

Courtesy: 

https://ieslilapatrimoniojinamar.wordpress.com/canarias-prehispanica/