Portuguese Prince Behind Christopher Columbus Mystery Revealed

A 35-year investigation has challenged the long-held belief that Christopher Columbus was a Genoese weaver named Cristoforo Colombo. Instead, the research, detailed in a new book titled "COLOMBO - Um Principe Portugues" (COLUMBUS - A Portuguese Prince), published by Alma dos Livros, suggests that the man who led the 1492 voyage to the Americas was actually a Portuguese prince born on the island of Madeira.

The investigation, conducted by Portuguese-American historian Manuel Rosa, who holds a PhD in Insular and Atlantic History (15th-20th centuries), tested the identity of Columbus by comparing royal letters, court proceedings, genealogies, chronicles, heraldry, and other archival evidence. The research concludes that there are incompatibilities across multiple categories, and no continuous documentary chain connects the Genoese weaver to the Castilian viceroy who married a high-ranking Portuguese noblewoman from Madeira in 1479.

According to the evidence presented, the navigator was Segismundo Henriques, a Portuguese prince of Polish-Lithuanian ancestry born in Madalena do Mar on Madeira in 1456. The investigation argues that the documentary evidence never established that King Wladyslaw III of Poland died at the Battle of Varna in 1444, only that he disappeared during the battle. Private communications from 1445 between the courts of Emperor Frederick III and Queen Mother Sophia of Poland report that her son was alive and being held captive with nine companions.

The research also extends beyond documentary evidence to genetics. DNA studies were undertaken in collaboration with the University of Granada as part of international efforts to resolve the mystery of the admiral's origins. The investigation draws on primary sources preserved in archives across Europe, including a 1445 Budapest letter, a 1472 German document, a 1487 payment receipt from Queen Isabella's court describing the discoverer as "Portuguese," and a 1666 genealogy preserved in Lithuania.

The findings have been recognized by Joao Paulo Oliveira e Costa, a full professor at NOVA University Lisbon and supervisor of Rosa's doctoral dissertation.

The book will be presented in Lisbon on October 1, 2026, at Casa dos Acores. Manuel Rosa, the author, is an award-winning Portuguese-American historian and investigative researcher specializing in the history and identity of Christopher Columbus. He has spent more than 35 years investigating the documentary record surrounding Columbus's identity.

The investigation challenges centuries of historical records and raises questions about the true origins of one of the most famous explorers in history. The findings could have significant implications for our understanding of the Age of Discovery and the early interactions between Europe and the Americas.