Christopher Columbus sailed west in 1492 hoping to reach Asia but instead landed in the Caribbean, believing he had found a new route to Asia. When he returned to Spain claiming to have found the Indies off the coast of Asia, the king sent men to arrest Columbus for lying about the location. Columbus was stripped of his titles and lost respect as a navigator. Later in the 19th and 20th centuries, historians reconsidered Columbus and recognized his role in discovering the Americas, even if he did so unwittingly.