Question

i reached the indian sea, i discovered many islands, thickly peopled, of which i took possession without resistance in the name of our most illustrious spanish monarch... there are mountains of very great size and beauty...and very fruitful fields, admirably adapted for pasture, and habitation.... -letter to king and queen of spain, christopher columbus the statement \in the name of\ in this context means \with the authority of.\ according to the underlined text, the islands that columbus took possession of could now be claimed by the dropdown options: sailing crew, spanish monarch, indigenous people done

Explanation:

The underlined text says Columbus took possession "in the name of" the Spanish Monarch. So the islands he took possession of would be claimed by the Spanish Monarch, as he acted with their authority. The sailing crew didn't have the authority for such claims, and the indigenous people were the ones whose lands were taken, not the claimants here.

Answer:

Spanish Monarch