Madrid: The true origins of Christopher Columbus have been uncovered five centuries after his death, according to a book which claims he was the son of a king in exile and hid his roots to protect his father.
A Portuguese historian believes he has solved the mystery after a thorough investigation of medieval documents and chronicles. The origins of the man who discovered the Americas has long been a subject of speculation. Contemporary accounts said he was born in the Italian port of Genoa to a family of weavers but over the centuries it has been claimed that he was a native of Greece, Spain, France, Portugal and even Scotland. Some claimed his origins were hidden because he was Jewish or a double agent for the Portuguese royal family. But the latest theory suggests that the great navigator, who died in 1506 after four voyages to the New World, was the son of King Vladislav III who was supposedly slain in the Battle of Varna in 1444.
Manuel Rosa, who has spent 20 years researching the life of Columbus, suggests that Vladislav survived the battle with the Ottomans, fled to the island of Madeira where he was known as "Henry the German" and married a Portuguese noblewoman.
