Under his patronage, Portuguese crews founded the country’s first colonies and visited regions previously unknown to Europeans. Henry is regarded as an originator of the Age of Discovery and the Atlantic enslaved people trade.
The Portuguese prince Henry the Navigator (1394-1460) launched the first great European voyages of exploration. He sought new lands and sources of revenue for his kingdom and dynasty and searched for eastern Christian allies against Islam .
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 .
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 ...
How did Henry the Navigator promote exploration? Prince Henry built and observatory and a navigation school to teach better methods of navigation . He also financed research by map makers and exploration of Africa’s west coast. ... Paid for expeditions to explore the coast of Africa.
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
What did Prince Henry discover?
Following this success, Henry began to explore 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.
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 were some of Prince Henry’s accomplishments?
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.
What brought an end to the Age of Exploration?
The Age of Exploration ended in the early 17th century after technological advancements and increased knowledge of the world allowed Europeans to travel easily across the globe by sea.
What ushered in the Age of Exploration?
The final reason for why the Age of Exploration began is because Europeans of the time were interested in foreign cultures and goods . In general, the Renaissance in Europe caused an expansion of new ideas and new understandings of the world.
Why did Prince Henry sponsor many Exploration trips?
Henry became fascinated with Africa, a continent about which the Portuguese knew little. He developed a desire to learn about the Muslims who lived there, primarily in hopes of conquering them and spreading Christianity. And he became aware of Africa’s many resources, which he hoped to exploit for Portugal’s gain.
Why were sailors afraid of Cape bojador?
In Henry’s first few missions nobody would dare to go past Cape Bojador. This was because the sailors were afraid the waters beyond the coastline, about five kilometers out, were only two meters deep and the currents were so strong they would take the ship away .
What were the Portuguese looking for in 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.
But his quest to establish Portugal as one of the wealthiest trading nations in the world drove his country’s ships further down the African coast than any previous European missions . ... All trading vessels from Africa and Asia would now have to pass through Portuguese-controlled waters.
