Scientists believe they have revealed the true origins of Christopher Columbus after a painstaking DNA test on his descendants.
For centuries, it was believed Columbus hailed from Italian city Genoa - but resarchers now suggest he may have come from Spanish nobility instead.
A team at the Citogen laboratory and Complutense University of Madrid published a pre-print study pointing to roots in the Galician aristocracy.
The genetic evidence indicates possible links to the Sotomayor family, one of medieval Galicia's most powerful noble houses.
This sharply contradicts the centuries-old narrative that Columbus rose from modest beginnings in Italy before convincing Spanish monarchs to fund his Atlantic voyage.
The breakthrough emerged from examination of 12 individuals buried in the Counts of Gelves family crypt at the Santa Maria de Gracia church in Gelves, Spain.
"The site serves as the pantheon for the Counts of Gelves, housing the largest concentration of Columbus' direct descendants, at least seven, including his granddaughter," the team said.
Among those exhumed, two individuals shared DNA with Columbus - despite having no documented historical connection.
Resarchers now suggest Christopher Columbus may have come from Spanish nobility instead
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One was Jorge Alberto de Portugal, the third Count of Gelves and a confirmed descendant of the legendary explorer.
The other was Maria de Castro Giron de Portugal, a Galician noblewoman from an influential aristocratic family.
This unexpected link led researchers to identify Pedro Madruga, a powerful 15th-century Galician lord, as a potential shared ancestor.
Using more than 10,000 genetic markers and a computer model spanning 16 generations, the team concluded Madruga was the most probable common ancestor.
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The story that Columbus rose from modest beginnings before convincing Spanish monarchs to fund his Atlantic voyage may be a lie
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The researchers employed what they termed a "Virtual Knock-out" test to verify their findings.
When Madruga was digitally removed from the reconstructed family tree, the genetic connection between the descendants disappeared entirely.
Additional historical details supported the theory - Pedro Madruga vanished from records around 1486, precisely when Columbus first appeared at the Spanish royal court.
The researchers acknowledged their evidence remains indirect, as it relies on descendants rather than Columbus's own DNA.
PICTURED: Christopher Columbus's tomb in Seville Cathedral. The same team confirmed Columbus's remains were indeed laid to rest in Seville
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And most historians continue to accept the Genoan origin, citing Columbus's 1498 will, which identifies the Italian city as his birthplace.
But supporters of the Spanish theory argue Columbus may have deliberately concealed his true background.
In 2024, the same team confirmed Columbus's final resting place was in fact Seville Cathedral after 20 years of DNA analysis.
And now, the study's authors have concluded their research provides the first "robust genetic support" for the Galician origin theory.