By relying on their scientists, the Spanish monarchs made a mistake. They signed a treaty with Columbus in 1492. Who knew then that there was a huge continent in the Atlantic Ocean, between Europe and Asia. Ferdinand's ignorance played a cruel joke on him. The traveler outwitted him. Later, the king explained this by the fact that although he believed in the spherical shape of the Earth, but about its true size had no idea. After all, in this matter he listened to the opinion not only of his scientists, but also took into account the reports of the Florentine scholar Toscanelli. This can be believed, because Tuscanelli had a reputation as a brilliant scientist of that century. By the time his map appeared in Europe in 1474, none of the leading scientists had doubts about the sphericity of the Earth. And those who believed in it understood that Asia should be on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.