11. Queen Isabella did not pawn her jewels to fund the voyages of Columbus
Many myths regarding the first voyage of Christopher Columbus emerged over the centuries since it occurred, among them the story of Queen Isabella of Castille pawning her jewelry to provide the funds for the journey. Columbus acquired the bulk of his funding from a financial syndicate of seven bankers from Genoa who were operating in Seville, among them Lorenzo de Medici. Nor were the three ships manned by convicts, as some attest. Among the men of the expedition were a total of four who accepted amnesty from criminal charges to join the voyage. The majority of the crews of the three ships were experienced seamen.