What was the name of Columbus's eldest son?

Christopher Columbus’s eldest son was Diego Columbus. Born around 1479 or 1480, Diego was the only child of Columbus and his wife, Filipa Moniz Perestrello.

Diego spent part of his childhood in Spain and became a page at the royal court in 1492, the year his father began his first voyage across the Atlantic. After Columbus’s death, Diego inherited the family’s claims to his father’s titles and privileges, beginning a long legal struggle with the Spanish Crown.

He eventually became the 2nd Admiral of the Indies, 2nd Viceroy of the Indies, and Governor of the Indies. His marriage to María de Toledo, a relative of King Ferdinand, strengthened his position at court. Diego also helped arrange the transfer and burial of his father’s remains in Santo Domingo.

A common mix-up is Ferdinand Columbus, Diego’s younger half-brother. Ferdinand was the son of Columbus and Beatriz Enríquez de Arana and became an important biographer of their father. Diego, however, was the eldest son and the principal heir to Columbus’s hereditary titles.