In 1492, Christopher Columbus convinced Queen Isabella I of Spain to sponsor his voyage of discovery. At the time, merchants were seeking an easier route to Asia and Columbus believed it would be easier to sail directly west. Although he did not discover an easier route to Asia, he did discover the America's. Isabella took a special interest in the Native Americans of the new continent, and when some of them were brought back to Spain as slaves, she ordered that they be immediately freed and returned to their homeland. In her will she expressed the desire that the "Indians" of the America's be treated with justice and fairness. Unfortunately, others, including Columbus, did not share this desire.