Although Prince Henry the Navigator was neither a sailor nor a navigator, he sponsored a great deal of exploration along the west coast of Africa. … Henry is regarded as
an originator of the Age of Discovery and the Atlantic enslaved people trade
.
Henry the Navigator, Portuguese Henrique o Navegador, byname of Henrique, infante (prince) de
Portugal
, duque (duke) de Viseu, senhor (lord) da Covilhã, (born March 4, 1394, Porto, Portugal—died November 13, 1460, Vila do Infante, near Sagres), Portuguese prince noted for his patronage of voyages of discovery among the …
Prince Henry sponsored explorations that accomplished much for Portugal. Not only did his expeditions succeed in mapping much of the coast of west-Africa, but they also succeeded in spreading Christianity, defeating Muslims (enemies of the Portuguese at the time), and
establishing new trade routes
.
the Age of Discovery and the Atlantic slave trade
.
He was never a navigator himself. He got his name because
he organized many ocean voyages on which lands were found
. He is seen as the man who started the Age of Discovery. He also opened a navigation school in Portugal, so the technology of tools and ships could be made better.
What did Prince Henry do?
Prince Henry the Navigator (aka Infante Dom Henrique, 1394-1460) was a Portuguese prince who famously helped capture the North African city of Ceuta, sponsored
voyages of exploration with
the aim of building colonies in the North Atlantic and West Africa, and began the Portuguese involvement in the African slave trade.
Traditional biographies of Henry have credited him with other revolutionary achievements such as the invention of the oceangoing caravel ship and the perfection of the critical navigational instrument called
the astrolabe
.
What did Prince Henry do to improve sea travel?
Prince Henry’s expeditionary goals were
to increase navigational knowledge along the western coast of Africa and find a water route to Asia, to increase trade opportunities for Portugal, to find gold to provide the trips’ own funding, to spread Christianity around the world, and defeat Muslims
—and perhaps even to find …
Henry the Navigator
, a 15th century Portuguese prince, helped usher in both the Age of Discovery and the Atlantic slave trade.
Why did the Portuguese travel to Africa?
Portuguese expansion into Africa began with
the desire of King John I to gain access to the gold-producing areas of West Africa
. The trans-Saharan trade routes between Songhay and the North African traders provided Europe with gold coins used to trade spices, silks and other luxuries from India.
What was Prince Henry’s goal and who actually achieved?
Prince Henry’s goal was
to find a direct sea rout from Portugal to the East
. The Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gama was the one who finally achieved Henry’s dream when he sailed around the tip of Africa and reached India.
What is one way Henry the Navigator changed Europeans’ view of the world?
He started a school for sailors
. How did Vasco de Gama change the way Europeans viewed the world? He showed that goods could be brought from Indian by ship.
What were most of the explorers looking for on their expeditions?
The simple answer is
money
. Although, some individual explorers wanted to gain fame or experience adventure, the main purpose of an expedition was to make money. How did expeditions make money? Expeditions made money primarily by discovering new trade routes for their nations.
What ushered in the age of exploration?
The Age of Exploration was during the 1400 and 1500s, which was during the Renaissance, and a spirit of discovery and innovation had been opened in Europe. Some innovations that made the Age of exploration possible were
the compass, the astrolabe and, new ships
, such as the caravel.
Which European explorer first made a successful voyage around the tip of Africa?
In 1488,
Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias
(c. 1450-1500) became the first European mariner to round the southern tip of Africa, opening the way for a sea route from Europe to Asia.
What were Vasco da Gama accomplishments?
Vasco da Gama was best known for being
the first to sail from Europe to India by rounding Africa’s Cape of Good Hope
. Over the course of two voyages, beginning in 1497 and 1502, da Gama landed and traded in locales along the coast of southern Africa before reaching India on May 20, 1498.
