Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) was an Italian explorer and navigator who is mainly known for his voyages across the Atlantic that paved the way for European colonization and exploitation of the Americas. He is often referred to as the "discoverer" of America, although Vikings such as Leif Eriksson had visited North America five centuries earlier. Columbus made four transatlantic voyages under the sponsorship of Ferdinand II and Isabella I, the Catholic Monarchs of Aragon, Castile, and Leon in Spain. His first voyage in 1492 led to the discovery of the Caribbean islands and the establishment of the first Spanish colony in the New World. Columbus enterprise to find a westward route to Asia grew out of the practical experience of a long and varied maritime career, as well as out of his considerable reading in geographical and theological literature. Although Columbus died a disappointed man, his discovery of the New World essentially shaped the modern Western World.