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98-876: Methodical expeditions started in 1419 along West Africa's coast under the sponsorship of prince Henry the Navigator , with Bartolomeu Dias reaching the Cape of Good Hope and entering the Indian Ocean in 1488. Ten years later, in 1498, Vasco da Gama led the first fleet around Africa to the Indian subcontinent , arriving in Calicut and starting a maritime route from Portugal to India. Portuguese explorations then proceeded to southeast Asia, where they reached Japan in 1542, forty-four years after their first arrival in India. In 1500,

196-441: A royal monopoly of all profits from trading within the areas discovered. In 1418, two of Henry's captains, João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira were driven by a storm to Porto Santo an uninhabited island off the coast of Africa which may have been known to Europeans since the 14th century. In 1419 Zarco and Teixeira made a landfall on Madeira . They returned with Bartolomeu Perestrelo , and Portuguese settlement of

294-518: A civil war began. It did not last long, because Peter died on 20 May 1449 during the Battle of Alfarrobeira , near Alverca . The exact conditions of his death are debatable: some say it was in combat, while others say he was assassinated by one of his own men. With the death of Peter, Portugal fell under control of Afonso, Duke of Braganza, with a growing influence over the destiny of the country. However, Peter's regency would never be forgotten, and Peter

392-408: A fast-sailing vessel which had better windward sailing ability than other vessels of the time. Portuguese navigators reached ever more southerly latitudes , advancing at an average rate of one degree a year. Senegal and Cape Verde Peninsula were reached in 1445. In the same year, the first overseas feitoria (trading post) was established under Henry's direction, on the island of Arguin off

490-548: A misconception. He did employ some cartographers to chart the coast of Mauritania after the voyages he sent there, but there was no center of navigation science or observatory in the modern sense of the word, nor was there an organized navigational center. Referring to Sagres, sixteenth-century Portuguese mathematician and cosmographer Pedro Nunes remarked, "from it our sailors went out well taught and provided with instruments and rules which all map makers and navigators should know." The view that Henry's court rapidly grew into

588-580: A monopoly on tuna fishing in the Algarve . When Edward died eight years later, Henry supported his brother Peter, Duke of Coimbra for the regency during the minority of Edward's son Afonso V , and in return received a confirmation of this levy. Henry functioned as a primary organizer of the disastrous expedition to Tangier in 1437 against Çala Ben Çala, which ended in Henry's younger brother Ferdinand being given as hostage to guarantee Portuguese promises in

686-569: A permit to build a fort (Fort Manuel) and a trading post that was the first European settlement in India. There in 1503 they built the St. Francis Church . In 1502 Vasco da Gama took the island of Kilwa on the coast of Tanzania, where in 1505 the first fort of Portuguese East Africa was built to protect ships sailing in the East Indian trade. In 1505, king Manuel I of Portugal appointed Francisco de Almeida first Viceroy of Portuguese India for

784-658: A storm while making the volta do mar westward swing to return to Portugal. They found shelter at an island they named Porto Santo . Henry directed that Porto Santo be colonized. The move to claim the Madeiran islands was probably a response to Castile 's efforts to claim the Canary Islands. In 1420, settlers then moved to the nearby island of Madeira . A chart drawn by the Catalan cartographer, Gabriel de Vallseca of Mallorca , has been interpreted to indicate that

882-528: A three-year period, starting the Portuguese government in the east, headquartered at Kochi. That year the Portuguese conquered Kannur where they founded St. Angelo Fort . The Viceroy's son Lourenço de Almeida arrived in Ceylon (modern Sri Lanka), where he discovered the source of cinnamon . Finding it divided into seven rival kingdoms, he established a defense pact with the kingdom of Kotte and extended

980-452: A trade monopoly for the newly discovered countries. The caravel , an existing ship type, was used in exploration from about 1440. It had a number of advantageous characteristics. These included shallow draft, which was suitable for approaching unknown coasts, and an efficient combination of hull shape (including a rudder attached to the sternpost, unlike some other contemporary types with side-mounted steering oars) and lateen rig, which gave

1078-786: A translation of Seneca's De Beneficiis in 1418, he initiated extensive travels throughout Europe, which would keep him away from Portugal for the next ten years. After meeting with John II of Castile in Valladolid , he continued to Hungary , where he met with the Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund , and entered his service. He fought with the Imperial armies against the Turks and in the Hussite Wars in Bohemia and

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1176-546: A warehouse in the triangular trade between China, Japan and Europe. In 1570 the Portuguese bought a Japanese port where they founded the city of Nagasaki , thus creating a trading center that for many years was the port from Japan to the world. Portugal established trading ports at far-flung locations like Goa , Ormuz , Malacca , Kochi , the Maluku Islands , Macau , and Nagasaki . Guarding its trade from both European and Asian competitors, Portugal dominated not only

1274-816: Is depicted in the Monument of the Discoveries located in Lisbon, featured in the front of the monument. In 1994, the Prince Henry Society in conjunction with the Portuguese government gifted Prince Henry the Navigator Park in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Infante Peter, Duke of Coimbra Dom Peter, Duke of Coimbra , KG ( Portuguese : Pedro Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpeðɾu] ; 9 December 1392 – 20 May 1449)

1372-535: The Sargassum seaweed growing there ( sargaço / sargasso in Portuguese). In 1424 Cape Bojador was the most southerly point known to Europeans on the west coast of Africa. For centuries, superstitious seafarers held that beyond the cape lay sea monsters and the edge of the world. However, Prince Henry was determined to know the truth. He was persistent and sent 15 expeditions over a ten-year period to pass

1470-607: The Age of Discovery . Henry was the fourth child of King John I of Portugal , who founded the House of Aviz . After procuring the new caravel ship, Henry was responsible for the early development of Portuguese exploration and maritime trade with other continents through the systematic exploration of Western Africa, the islands of the Atlantic Ocean , and the search for new routes. He encouraged his father to conquer Ceuta (1415),

1568-531: The Azores were probably discovered in 1427 by Portuguese ships sailing under Henry's direction, and settled in 1432, suggesting that the Portuguese were able to navigate at least 745 miles (1,200 km) from the Portuguese coast. At around the same time as the unsuccessful attack on the Canary Islands, the Portuguese began to explore the North African coast. Sailors feared what lay beyond Cape Bojador at

1666-555: The Battle of Ceuta in Morocco. His mother had died the previous month, giving each of her sons on her deathbed an arming sword she had ordered forged for them. Peter refused to be knighted before showing valour in battle, and he was knighted along with his brothers the following day; he was also created Duke of Coimbra. His younger brother Henry was made Duke of Viseu. These were the first dukedoms created in Portugal. On finishing

1764-523: The Bay of Arguin in 1443 and built an important "forte-feitoria" (a fort protecting a trading post) on the island of Arguin around the year 1448. Dinis Dias soon came across the Senegal River and rounded the peninsula of Cap-Vert in 1444. By this stage the explorers had passed the southern boundary of the desert, and from then on Henry had one of his wishes fulfilled: the Portuguese had circumvented

1862-675: The Canary Islands , which the Portuguese had claimed to have discovered before the year 1346. In 1425, his second brother the Infante Peter, Duke of Coimbra , made a diplomatic tour of Europe, with an additional charge from Henry to seek out geographic material. Peter returned with a current world map from Venice. In 1431, Henry donated houses for the Estudo Geral to teach all the sciences—grammar, logic, rhetoric, arithmetic, music, and astronomy—in what would later become

1960-700: The Muslim port on the North African coast across the Straits of Gibraltar from the Iberian Peninsula . He learned of the opportunity offered by the Saharan trade routes that terminated there, and became fascinated with Africa in general; he was most intrigued by the Christian legend of Prester John and the expansion of Portuguese trade. He is regarded as the patron of Portuguese exploration . Henry

2058-750: The Ragusan Republic (Dubrovnik). The Portuguese victory was critical for its strategy of control of the Indian Ocean: the Turks and Egyptians withdrew their navies from India, leaving the seas to the Portuguese, setting its trade dominance for almost a century, and greatly assisting the growth of the Portuguese Empire. It also marked the beginning of European colonial dominance in Asia. A second Battle of Diu in 1538 finally ended Ottoman ambitions in India, and confirmed Portuguese hegemony in

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2156-650: The Serra do Mar . From the 15 original captainships, only two, Pernambuco and São Vicente, prospered. With permanent settlement came the establishment of the sugar cane industry and its intensive labor demands which were met with Native American and later African slaves. In 1534, Gujarat was occupied by the Mughals and the Sultan Bahadur Shah of Gujarat was forced to sign the Treaty of Bassein (1534) with

2254-567: The Tratado da Virtuosa Benfeitoria . When Peter's brother King Edward I of Portugal died in 1438, Peter's nephew Afonso V ascended the throne as an infant. At first, the choice for regent was the Queen mother Eleanor of Aragon . This choice was not popular among many Portuguese, because Eleanor was Aragonese. Among the Portuguese aristocracy, however, especially among nobles around Peter's half-brother Afonso, Count of Barcelos , Eleanor of Aragon

2352-492: The University of Lisbon . For other subjects like medicine or philosophy, he ordered that each room should be decorated according to the subject taught. Henry also had other resources. When John I died in 1433, Henry's eldest brother Edward of Portugal became king. He granted Henry all profits from trading within the areas he discovered as well as the sole right to authorize expeditions beyond Cape Bojador . Henry also held

2450-522: The Zamorin of Calicut, leaving there some men to establish a trading post. Vasco da Gama's voyage to Calicut was the starting point for deployment of Portuguese feitoria posts along the east coast of Africa and in the Indian Ocean. Shortly after, the Casa da Índia was established in Lisbon to administer the royal monopoly of navigation and trade. Exploration soon lost private support, and took place under

2548-410: The "A Famosa", where one of its gates still remains today. Learning of Siamese ambitions over Malacca, Albuquerque immediately sent Duarte Fernandes on a diplomatic mission to the kingdom of Siam (modern Thailand), where he was the first European to arrive, establishing amicable relations between the two kingdoms. In November that year, getting to know the location of the so-called " Spice Islands " in

2646-709: The Armada of the Islands protected ships from the Indies en route to Lisbon. In 1525, after Fernão de Magalhães 's expedition (1519–1522), Spain under Charles V sent an expedition to colonize the Moluccas islands , claiming that they were in his zone of the Treaty of Tordesillas , since there was not a set limit to the east. Led by García Jofre de Loaísa , the expedition reached the Moluccas, docking at Tidore . Conflict with

2744-617: The Azores were first discovered by Diogo de Silves in 1427. In 1431, Gonçalo Velho was dispatched with orders to determine the location of "islands" first identified by de Silves. Velho apparently got as far as the Formigas , in the eastern archipelago, before having to return to Sagres, probably due to bad weather. By this time the Portuguese navigators had also reached the Sargasso Sea (western North Atlantic region), naming it after

2842-529: The Bold of Burgundy. In 1427, Peter wrote a famous letter to his older brother, later King Edward, on "the proper administration of the kingdoms", from Bruges. Later that year, King Henry VI of England (his first cousin once removed) made him a Knight of the Garter (as were already his father and older brother Edward). In 1428, Peter visited his marquisate of Treviso and the nearby Republic of Venice , where he

2940-607: The Cape Verde islands. However, as it was not possible at the time to correctly measure longitude , the exact boundary was disputed by the two countries until 1777. The completion of these negotiations with Spain is one of several reasons proposed by historians for why it took nine years for the Portuguese to follow up on Dias's voyage to the Cape of Good Hope, though it has also been speculated that other voyages were, in fact, taking place in secret during this time. Whether or not this

3038-766: The Indian Ocean coast in Somalia , traveling secretly overland, as early as 1490; a diplomatic mission reached the ruler of that nation on October 19, 1520. In 1500, the second fleet to India (which also made landfall in Brazil) explored the East African coast in Southeast Africa , where Diogo Dias discovered the island that he named St. Lawrence, later known as Madagascar . This fleet, commanded by Pedro Álvares Cabral , arrived at Calicut in September, where

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3136-613: The Indian Ocean. Under the government of Albuquerque, Goa was taken from the Bijapur sultanate in 1510 with the help of Hindu privateer Timoji . Coveted for being the best port in the region, mainly for the commerce in Arabian horses for the Deccan sultanates , it allowed the Portuguese to move on from their initial guest stay in Cochin. Despite constant attacks, Goa became the seat of

3234-831: The Island of Mozambique and Mombasa on the Kenyan coast. Madagascar was partly explored by Tristão da Cunha and in the same year Mauritius was discovered. In 1509, the Portuguese won the sea Battle of Diu against the combined forces of the Ottoman Sultan Beyazid II , the Sultan of Gujarat , the Mamlûk Sultan of Cairo , the Samoothiri Raja of Kozhikode , the Venetian Republic , and

3332-487: The Moluccas, Albuquerque sent an expedition to find them. Led by António de Abreu , the expedition arrived in early 1512. Abreu went by Ambon, while his deputy commander Francisco Serrão advanced to Ternate , where a Portuguese fort was allowed. That same year, in Indonesia, the Portuguese took Makassar , reaching Timor in 1514. Departing from Malacca, Jorge Álvares came to southern China in 1513. This visit followed

3430-476: The Muslim land-based trade routes across the western Sahara Desert , and slaves and gold began arriving in Portugal. This rerouting of trade devastated Algiers and Tunis, but made Portugal rich. By 1452, the influx of gold permitted the minting of Portugal's first gold cruzado coins. A cruzado was equal to 400 reis at the time. From 1444 to 1446, as many as forty vessels sailed from Lagos on Henry's behalf, and

3528-584: The Navigator Dom Henrique of Portugal, Duke of Viseu (4 March 1394 – 13 November 1460), better known as Prince Henry the Navigator ( Portuguese : Infante Dom Henrique, o Navegador ), was a central figure in the early days of the Portuguese Empire and in the 15th-century European maritime discoveries and maritime expansion. Through his administrative direction, he is regarded as the main initiator of what would be known as

3626-534: The Navigator repopulated a village that he called Terçanabal (from terça nabal or tercena nabal ). This village was situated in a strategic position for his maritime enterprises and was later called Vila do Infante ("Estate or Town of the Prince"). It is traditionally suggested that Henry gathered at his villa on the Sagres peninsula a school of navigators and map-makers . However modern historians hold this to be

3724-509: The Portuguese already established in nearby Ternate was inevitable, starting nearly a decade of skirmishes. An agreement was reached only with the Treaty of Zaragoza (1529) , which gave the Moluccas to Portugal and the Philippines to Spain. In 1530, John III organized the colonization of Brazil around 15 capitanias hereditárias ("hereditary captainships"), that were given to anyone who wanted to administer and explore them, to overcome

3822-467: The Portuguese coat of arms marking their claims, and built forts and trading posts. From these bases, the Portuguese engaged profitably in the slave and gold trades. Portugal enjoyed a virtual monopoly of the Atlantic slave trade for over a century, exporting around 800 slaves annually. Most were brought to the Portuguese capital Lisbon, where it is estimated black Africans came to constitute 10 percent of

3920-470: The Portuguese government, under the name of Estado da India (State of India) , with the conquest triggering compliance of neighbor kingdoms: Gujarat and Calicut sent embassies, offering alliances and grants to fortify. Albuquerque began that year in Goa the first Portuguese mint in India, taking the opportunity to announce the achievement. In April 1511 Albuquerque sailed to Malacca in modern-day Malaysia,

4018-647: The Portuguese naval efforts. The first victims of slave raids by Portuguese and Spanish were the Guanches of the Canary Islands, a people of Berber origin, who put up fierce resistance but were reduced to near extinction by pillaging and enslavement. In 1415, the Portuguese occupied the North African city of Ceuta to gain a foothold in Morocco and control shipping through the Strait of Gibraltar. They also hoped to extend Christianity and provide an outlet for Portuguese nobles looking to gain riches and honor in war. Among

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4116-558: The Portuguese nobleman Pedro Álvares Cabral became the first European to discover Brazil . In 1297, King Dinis of Portugal took personal interest in the development of exports and organized the export of surplus production to European countries. On May 10, 1293, he instituted a maritime insurance fund for Portuguese traders living in the County of Flanders , which were to pay certain sums according to tonnage, accrued to them when necessary. Wine and dried fruits from Algarve were sold in Flanders and England, salt from Setúbal and Aveiro

4214-442: The Portuguese, establishing an alliance to regain the country, giving in exchange Daman , Diu , Mumbai , and Bassein . In 1538 the fortress of Diu was again surrounded by Ottoman ships. Another siege failed in 1547, putting an end to Ottoman ambitions and confirming Portuguese hegemony. In 1542 Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier arrived in Goa at the service of King John III of Portugal , in charge of an Apostolic Nunciature . At

4312-409: The Tordesillas line. Cabral recommended to the Portuguese King that the land be settled, and two follow-up voyages were sent in 1501 and 1503. The land was found to be abundant in pau-brasil , or brazilwood , from which it later inherited its name, but the failure to find gold or silver meant that for the time being Portuguese efforts were concentrated on India. The aim of Portugal in the Indian Ocean

4410-546: The arrival in Guangzhou , where trade was established. Later a trading post at Macau would be established. The Portuguese empire expanded into the Persian Gulf as Portugal contested control of the spice trade with the Ottoman Empire . In 1515, Afonso de Albuquerque conquered the Huwala state of Hormuz at the head of the Persian Gulf, establishing it as a vassal state. Aden , however, resisted Albuquerque's expedition in that same year, and another attempt by Albuquerque's successor Lopo Soares de Albergaria in 1516. Bahrain

4508-427: The auspices of Peter's brother Henry the Navigator . On 9 June 1448, Peter returned control of the country to the king. Influenced by Afonso, the Duke of Braganza, Afonso V nullified all of Peter's edicts, including the ones that concentrated power in the figure of the king. The following year, under accusations that years later would prove false, Afonso V declared Peter a rebel. The situation became unsustainable and

4606-477: The capture of Ceuta in 1415. Henry was interested in locating the source of the caravans that brought gold to the city. During the reign of his father, John I, João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira were sent to explore along the African coast. Zarco, a knight in service to Prince Henry, had commanded the caravels guarding the coast of Algarve from the incursions of the Moors . He had also been at Ceuta. In 1418, Zarco and Teixeira were blown off-course by

4704-434: The coast of Mauritania . It was created to attract Muslim traders and monopolize the business in the routes traveled in North Africa, starting the chain of Portuguese feitorias along the coast. In 1446, Álvaro Fernandes pushed on almost as far as present-day Sierra Leone , and the Gulf of Guinea was reached in the 1460s. As a result of the first meager returns of the African explorations, in 1469 king Afonso V granted

4802-402: The coast of Africa, most of which was unknown to Europeans. His objectives included finding the source of the West African gold trade and the legendary Christian kingdom of Prester John , and stopping the pirate attacks on the Portuguese coast. At that time, the cargo ships of the Mediterranean were too slow and heavy to undertake such voyages. Under Henry's direction, a new and much lighter ship

4900-437: The coast. Between 1325 and 1357 Afonso IV of Portugal granted public funding to raise a proper commercial fleet and ordered the first maritime explorations, with the help of Genoese , under command of admiral Manuel Pessanha. In 1341 the Canary Islands , already known to Genoese seafarers, were officially rediscovered under the patronage of the Portuguese king, but in 1344 Castile disputed ownership of them, further propelling

4998-407: The control in coastal areas, where in 1517 was founded the fortress of Colombo. In 1506, a Portuguese fleet under the command of Tristão da Cunha and Afonso de Albuquerque , conquered Socotra at the entrance of the Red Sea and Muscat in 1507, having failed to conquer Ormuz , following a strategy intended to close those entrances into the Indian Ocean. That same year, fortresses were built in

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5096-464: The credit. By 1462, the Portuguese had explored the coast of Africa as far as present-day Sierra Leone . Twenty-eight years later, Bartolomeu Dias proved that Africa could be circumnavigated when he reached the southern tip of the continent, now known as the Cape of Good Hope . In 1498, Vasco da Gama became the first European sailor to reach India by sea. No one used the nickname "Henry the Navigator" to refer to Prince Henry during his lifetime or in

5194-426: The defeat at Tangier, Henry retired to Sagres on the southern tip of Portugal where he continued to direct Portuguese exploration until his death in 1460. In 1443, Prince Pedro , Henry's brother, granted him the monopoly of navigation, war, and trade in the lands south of Cape Bojador . Later this monopoly would be backed by the Papal bulls Dum Diversas (1452) and Romanus Pontifex (1455), granting Portugal

5292-425: The dreaded Cape. Each returned unsuccessful. The captains gave various excuses for having failed. Finally, in 1434 Gil Eanes , the commander of one of Henry's expeditions, became the first known European to pass Cape Bojador since Hanno almost two millennium before. Using the new ship type, the expeditions then pushed onwards. Nuno Tristão and Antão Gonçalves reached Cape Blanco in 1441. The Portuguese sighted

5390-452: The enterprise and financial experience of these rivals of the Republic of Venice . In the second half of the fourteenth century outbreaks of bubonic plague led to severe depopulation: the economy was extremely localized in a few towns, and migration from the country led to the abandonment of agricultural land and an increase in rural unemployment. Only the sea offered opportunities, with most people settling in fishing and trading areas along

5488-443: The equator into the Southern Hemisphere and found the islands in the Gulf of Guinea, including São Tomé and Príncipe . In 1471, Gomes' explorers reached Elmina on the Gold Coast (present day Ghana ), and discovered a thriving overland gold trade between the natives and visiting Arab and Berber traders. Gomes established his own trading post there, which became known as “A Mina” ("The Mine"). Trade between Elmina and Portugal grew in

5586-467: The exclusive patronage of the Portuguese Crown. The second voyage to India was dispatched in 1500 under Pedro Álvares Cabral . While following the same south-westerly route across the Atlantic Ocean as da Gama (to take advantage of the most favorable winds), Cabral made landfall on the Brazilian coast. This was probably an accidental discovery, but it has been speculated that the Portuguese secretly knew of Brazil's existence and that it lay on their side of

5684-429: The first private mercantile expeditions began. Alvise Cadamosto explored the Atlantic coast of Africa and discovered several islands of the Cape Verde archipelago between 1453 and 1456. In his first voyage, which started on 22 March 1455, he visited the Madeira Islands and the Canary Islands. On the second voyage, in 1456, Cadamosto became the first European to reach the Cape Verde Islands. António Noli later claimed

5782-451: The first trade agreement in India was signed. For a short time a Portuguese factory was installed there, but it was attacked by Muslims on December 16 and several Portuguese, including the scribe Pêro Vaz de Caminha , died. After bombarding Calicut as a retaliation, Cabral went to rival Kochi . Profiting from the rivalry between the Maharaja of Kochi and the Zamorin of Calicut, the Portuguese were well received and seen as allies, getting

5880-417: The following three centuries. The term was coined by two nineteenth-century German historians: Heinrich Schaefer and Gustave de Veer. Later on it was made popular by two British authors who included it in the titles of their biographies of the prince: Henry Major in 1868 and Raymond Beazley in 1895. Contrary to his brothers, Prince Henry was not praised for his intellectual gifts by his contemporaries. It

5978-405: The following years Portuguese mariners discovered and settled the rest of the Azores. Henry suffered a serious setback in 1437 after the failure of an expedition to capture Tangier , having encouraged his brother, King Edward , to mount an overland attack from Ceuta. The Portuguese army was defeated and only escaped destruction by surrendering Prince Ferdinand, the king's youngest brother . After

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6076-485: The goal of defending the country against Muslim pirate raids, thus laying the basis for the Portuguese Navy and establishment of a Genoese merchant community in Portugal. Forced to reduce their activities in the Black Sea, the Republic of Genoa had turned to North Africa for trade in wheat and olive oil and a search for gold – navigating also into the ports of Bruges (Flanders) and England. Genoese and Florentine communities were established in Portugal, which profited from

6174-461: The islands began. There, wheat and later sugarcane were cultivated, as in Algarve, by the Genoese, becoming profitable activities. This helped both them and Prince Henry become wealthier. A Portuguese attempt to capture Grand Canary , one of the nearby Canary Islands , which had been partially settled by Spaniards in 1402 was unsuccessful and met with protestations from Castile. Although the exact details are uncertain, cartographic evidence suggests

6272-461: The latter at the Prince's court "probably accounts for the legend of the School of Sagres, which is now discredited." Henry sponsored voyages, collecting a 20% tax ( o quinto ) on profits, the usual practice in the Iberian states at the time. The nearby port of Lagos provided a convenient home port for these expeditions. The voyages were made in very small ships, mostly the caravel , a light and maneuverable vessel equipped by lateen sails. Most of

6370-421: The monopoly of trade in part of the Gulf of Guinea to merchant Fernão Gomes , for an annual payment of 200,000 reals . Gomes was also required to explore 100 leagues (480 km) of the coast each year for five years. He employed explorers João de Santarém , Pedro Escobar , Lopo Gonçalves , Fernão do Pó , and Pedro de Sintra , and exceeded the requirement. Under his sponsorship, Portuguese explorers crossed

6468-415: The most important eastern point in the trade network, where Malay met Gujarati, Chinese, Japanese, Javanese, Bengali, Persian and Arabic traders, described by Tomé Pires as invaluable. The port of Malacca became then the strategic base for Portuguese trade expansion with China and Southeast Asia, under the Portuguese rule in India with its capital at Goa . To defend the city a strong fort was erected, called

6566-426: The need to defend the territory, since an expedition under the command of Gonçalo Coelho in 1503 had found the French making incursions on the land. That same year, there was a new expedition from Martim Afonso de Sousa with orders to patrol the whole Brazilian coast, banish the French, and create the first colonial towns: São Vicente on the coast, and São Paulo near the edge of the inland plateau ( planalto ) and

6664-426: The next decade. In 1481, the recently crowned João II decided to build São Jorge da Mina fort (Elmina Castle) and factory to protect this trade, which was then held again as a royal monopoly. In 1482, Diogo Cão discovered the mouth of the Congo River . In 1486, Cão continued to Cape Cross , in present-day Namibia , near the Tropic of Capricorn . In 1488, Bartolomeu Dias rounded the Cape of Good Hope near

6762-523: The participants of the action was the young Prince Henry the Navigator . Appointed governor of the Order of Christ in 1420, while personally holding profitable monopolies on resources in Algarve, he took the lead role in encouraging Portuguese maritime exploration until his death in 1460. He invested in sponsoring voyages down the coast of Mauritania , gathering a group of merchants, shipowners, and other stakeholders interested in new opportunities for maritime trade. Later his brother Prince Pedro granted him

6860-504: The peace agreement. The Portuguese Cortes refused to return Ceuta as ransom for Ferdinand, who remained in captivity until his death six years later. Prince Regent Peter supported Portuguese maritime expansion in the Atlantic Ocean and Africa, and Henry promoted the colonization of the Azores during Peter's regency (1439–1448). For most of the latter part of his life, Henry concentrated on his maritime activities and court politics. According to João de Barros , in Algarve , Prince Henry

6958-433: The population. In 1492 Christopher Columbus 's discovery for Spain of the New World , which he believed to be Asia, led to disputes between the Spanish and Portuguese. These were eventually settled by the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494 which divided the world outside of Europe in an exclusive duopoly between the Portuguese and the Spanish, along a north–south meridian 370 leagues , or 970 miles (1,560 km), west of

7056-650: The province of the Algarve . On May 25, 1420, Henry gained appointment as the Governor of the Military Order of Christ , the Portuguese successor to the Knights Templar , which had its headquarters at Tomar in central Portugal. Henry held this position for the remainder of his life, and the Order was an important source of funds for Henry's ambitious plans, especially his persistent attempts to conquer

7154-533: The returning westerlies in the mid-Atlantic. This was a major step in the history of navigation , when an understanding of oceanic wind patterns was crucial to Atlantic navigation, from Africa and the open ocean to Europe, and enabled the main route between the New World and Europe in the North Atlantic in future voyages of discovery. Although the lateen sail allowed sailing upwind to some extent, it

7252-511: The same period of the royal couple's residence in the city of Porto. Henry was 21 when he, his father and brothers captured the Moorish port of Ceuta in northern Morocco . Ceuta had long been a base for Barbary pirates who raided the Portuguese coast, depopulating villages by capturing their inhabitants to be sold in the African slave trade . Following this success, Henry began to explore

7350-654: The same time Francisco Zeimoto, António Mota , and other traders arrived in Japan for the first time. According to Fernão Mendes Pinto , who claimed to be in this journey, they arrived at Tanegashima , where the locals were impressed by European firearms , which would be immediately made by the Japanese on a large scale. In 1557 the Chinese authorities allowed the Portuguese to settle in Macau through an annual payment, creating

7448-470: The southern tip of Africa, disproving the view that had existed since Ptolemy that the Indian Ocean was separate from the Atlantic. Also at this time, Pêro da Covilhã reached India via Egypt and Yemen , and visited Madagascar. He recommended further exploration of the southern route. As the Portuguese explored the coastlines of Africa, they left behind a series of padrões , stone crosses inscribed with

7546-412: The technological base for exploration, with a naval arsenal and an observatory, etc., although repeated in popular culture, has never been established. Henry did possess geographical curiosity, and employed cartographers. Jehuda Cresques , a noted cartographer , has been said to have accepted an invitation to come to Portugal to make maps for the infante. Prestage makes the argument that the presence of

7644-423: The time he was born, Peter was one of John I's favourite sons. Along with his siblings, he received an exceptional education rarely seen in those times for the children of royalty. Close to his brothers Edward , the future king of Portugal, and John, Lord of Reguengos de Monsaraz , Peter grew up in a calm environment free of intrigues. On 14 August 1415, he accompanied his father and brothers Edward and Henry for

7742-508: The time, as Europeans did not know what lay beyond on the African coast, and did not know whether it was possible to return once it was passed. Henry wished to know how far the Muslim territories in Africa extended, and whether it was possible to reach the source of the lucrative tran-Saharan caravan gold trade and perhaps to join forces with the long-lost Christian kingdom of Prester John that

7840-544: The trade between Asia and Europe, but also much of the trade between different regions of Asia, such as India, Indonesia, China, and Japan. Jesuit missionaries, such as the Francis Xavier , followed the Portuguese to spread Christianity to Asia with mixed success. 15th century 16th century 15th century 16th century 17th century 18th century 19th century 16th century 17th century Henry

7938-432: The two seemed to return to normality. But, in 1445, the new duke of Braganza took offence because Isabella of Coimbra , Peter's daughter was the choice for Afonso V's wife, and not one of his granddaughters. Indifferent to the intrigues, Peter continued his regency and the country prospered under his influence. It is during this period that the first subsidies for the exploration of the Atlantic Ocean were implemented under

8036-715: The universities of Paris and Oxford before arriving in Flanders in 1426, where he spent the next two years at the Burgundian court. After the death of the second wife of Philip the Good of Burgundy in 1425, Peter recommended his sister Isabella to him as a wife. Philip sent a delegation to Portugal in 1428–29 that included Jan van Eyck , who painted two portraits of the Infanta. Philip and Isabella eventually married on 7 January 1430, and one of their sons became Duke Charles

8134-412: The voyages sent out by Henry consisted of one or two ships that navigated by following the coast, stopping at night to tie up along some shore. During Prince Henry's time and after, the Portuguese navigators discovered and perfected the North Atlantic volta do mar (the "turn of the sea" or "return from the sea"): the dependable pattern of trade winds blowing largely from the east near the equator and

8232-615: Was a Portuguese infante (prince) of the House of Aviz , son of King Dom John I of Portugal and his wife, Philippa of Lancaster , daughter of John of Gaunt . In Portugal, he is known as Infante Dom Pedro das Sete Partidas [do Mundo], "of the Seven Parts [of the World]" because of his travels. Possibly the best-travelled prince of his time, he was regent between 1439 and 1448. He was also 1st Lord of Montemor-o-Velho , Aveiro , Tentúgal , Cernache, Pereira, Condeixa and Lousã . From

8330-434: Was a profitable export to northern Europe, and leather and kermes , a scarlet dye, were also exported. Portugal imported armor and munitions, fine clothes, and several manufactured products from Flanders and Italy. In 1317, King Dinis made an agreement with Genoese merchant sailor Manuel Pessanha (Pessagno), appointing him first Admiral with trade privileges with his homeland in return for twenty warships and crews, with

8428-875: Was awarded the march of Treviso in Northern Italy in 1422. In 1424 he left the Holy Roman Empire , meeting first with Murad II , Sultan of the Ottoman Empire , on the island of Patmos , and then continuing to Constantinople , capital of the Byzantine Empire ; the hopeless position of the city against the Ottoman onslaught did not fail to impress him. From Constantinople he travelled to the Holy Land via Alexandria and Cairo. In 1425, Peter travelled to France and England and visited

8526-465: Was captured in 1521, when a force led by António Correia defeated the Jabrid King, Muqrin ibn Zamil . In a shifting series of alliances, the Portuguese dominated much of the southern Persian Gulf for the next hundred years. The island of Mozambique became a strategic port on the regular maritime route linking Lisbon to Goa, and Fort São Sebastião and a hospital were built there. In the Azores,

8624-509: Was cited many times by his grandson King John II of Portugal as his main influence. The cruel persecution of the Braganzas by John II was perhaps the response to the conspiracies that caused the fall of one of the major princes of the Ínclita Geração . In 1428 Peter married Isabella of Urgell , daughter of James II, Count of Urgell , and candidate to the throne of the Crown of Aragon at

8722-587: Was developed, the caravel , which could sail farther and faster. Above all, it was highly maneuverable and could sail " into the wind ", making it largely independent of the prevailing winds. The caravel used the lateen sail , the prevailing rig in Christian Mediterranean navigation since late antiquity. With this ship, Portuguese mariners freely explored uncharted waters around the Atlantic, from rivers and shallow waters to transoceanic voyages. In 1419, Henry's father appointed him governor of

8820-443: Was only later chroniclers such as João de Barros and Damião de Góis who attributed him a scholarly character and an interest for cosmography . The myth of the " Sagres school " allegedly founded by Prince Henry was created in the 18th century, mainly by Samuel Purchas and Abbé Prévost . In nineteenth-century Portugal, the idealized vision of Prince Henry as a putative pioneer of exploration and science reached its apogee. Henry

8918-470: Was preferred. There were also doubts about Peter's political ability. At a meeting of the Portuguese Cortes summoned by Peter's brother John, Lord of Reguengos de Monsaraz , Peter was appointed regent, a choice that pleased both the people and the fast-growing bourgeoisie . In 1443, in a gesture of reconciliation, Peter created his half-brother Afonso Duke of Braganza , and relations between

9016-598: Was presented with a copy of the book of Marco Polo by the doge. He later gave that book, as well as maps of the Venetian trade routes in the Orient, to his younger brother Prince Henry the Navigator . One of the maps was created by the famous Venetian cartographer Albertinus de Virga in 1411 and possibly shows North America before it was officially discovered. This map was found in the Alcobaça Monastery which

9114-486: Was rumoured to exist somewhere to the east. In 1434, one of Prince Henry's captains, Gil Eanes , passed this obstacle. Once this psychological barrier had been crossed, it became easier to probe further along the coast. Within two decades of exploration, Portuguese ships had bypassed the Sahara . Westward exploration continued over the same period: Diogo de Silves discovered the Azores island of Santa Maria in 1427 and in

9212-581: Was the case, the long-standing Portuguese goal of finding a sea route to Asia was finally achieved in a ground-breaking voyage commanded by Vasco da Gama . Vasco da Gama's squadron left Portugal on 8 July 1497, consisting of four ships and a crew of 170 men. It rounded the Cape and continued along the coast of Southeast Africa, where a local pilot was brought on board who guided them across the Indian Ocean, reaching Calicut in western India in May 1498. After some conflict, da Gama got an ambiguous letter for trade with

9310-472: Was the main library of the Portuguese Royal family. From Venice he traveled to Rome , where he was received by Pope Martin V , and from there he continued to Barcelona , where he negotiated the marriage of his brother Edward with Eleanor of Aragon as well as his own future marriage with Isabella of Urgell , before finally returning to Portugal. In 1433, he completed his famous six-volume work,

9408-569: Was the third surviving son of King John I and his wife Philippa , sister of King Henry IV of England . He was baptized in Porto , and may have been born there, probably when the royal couple was living in the city's old mint , now called Casa do Infante (Prince's House), or in the region nearby. Another possibility is that he was born at the Monastery of Leça do Balio, in Leça da Palmeira , during

9506-426: Was to ensure the monopoly of the spice trade . Taking advantage of the rivalries that pitted Hindus against Muslims, the Portuguese established several forts and trading posts between 1500 and 1510. In East Africa , small Islamic states along the coast of Mozambique , Kilwa , Brava , Sofala and Mombasa were destroyed, or became either subjects or allies of Portugal. Pêro da Covilhã had reached Ethiopia (via

9604-581: Was worth even major extensions of course to have a faster and calmer following wind for most of a journey. Portuguese mariners who sailed south and southwest towards the Canary Islands and West Africa would afterwards sail far to the northwest—that is, away from continental Portugal, and seemingly in the wrong direction—before turning northeast near the Azores islands and finally east to Europe in order to have largely following winds for their full journey. Christopher Columbus used this on his transatlantic voyages. The first explorations followed not long after

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