Which Portuguese noblewoman did Christopher Columbus marry?

Which Portuguese noblewoman did Christopher Columbus marry? Filipa Moniz Perestrelo. Columbus married her in Portugal in 1479, several years before his first voyage across the Atlantic.

Filipa was born around 1455 on Porto Santo, an island in the Madeira archipelago. She was the daughter of Bartolomeu Perestrello, a Portuguese nobleman and hereditary captain-governor of Porto Santo, and Isabel Moniz. Before her marriage, Filipa was associated with the elite women’s community at the All Saints Monastery in Lisbon and the Order of Santiago.

The marriage connected Columbus to Portuguese Atlantic society. Through Filipa’s family, he gained ties to Madeira and to people involved in Portugal’s maritime world. Their son, Diego Columbus, was born around 1479 or 1480 and later became the second Admiral of the Indies and viceroy.

Filipa’s death is uncertain. Traditional accounts place it around 1484, before Columbus’s first voyage, though some modern discussions give a broader range. She should not be confused with Isabel de Guevara, Juana de la Cosa, or Beatriz de Bobadilla, none of whom was Columbus’s wife.