The year 1492: in that pivotal year, Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas, which he famously believed to be the Indies. Little is known for certain about him prior to this date, as documentation is scarce, making it challenging for historians to reconstruct the life of the man who would herald the dawn of the modern age. Interestingly, this landmark year in human history also coincides with the hanging in Genoa of a man with the same name, Vincenzo Colombo, who was accused of piracy. Christopher Columbus himself mentioned this in a letter to Doña Juana de Torres, noted by his son, Fernando, in a chronicle on his father. Columbus stated, “I am not the first admiral in my family.” Fernando used this statement to introduce another Colombo, known as "Colombo the Archpirate," whom Columbus is said to have served as a privateer. Through this connection, Christopher first reached the Iberian Peninsula, an event that would eventually lead to his expedition to the Americas.

Originally from Gascony, the Archpirate—whose real name was Guillaume de Casenove, though he is consistently referred to in historical sources as "Colombo" or a variation thereof—was actively involved in France's bid for supremacy over the English Channel during the context of the Wars of the Roses. He even managed to reclaim Picardy and Normandy for France, earning the rank of vice-admiral. Christopher Columbus subsequently entered the service of this privateer, who was assisted by a certain "Colombo the Younger." Together, they supported France, taking part in the Castilian succession wars and the Battle of Cape St. Vincent, where Franco-Portuguese forces, including the three Colombos, were defeated by the Castilians. In this battle, Columbus narrowly escaped death; his caravel caught fire, and unlike some of his companions, he managed to swim to shore.

Afterward, Columbus made his way to Lisbon, where the paths of the three Colombos diverged. The Archpirate retired from his seafaring life, ultimately passing away peacefully around 1480 on his estates—an end far calmer than what awaited Christopher Columbus.