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.
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 ...
What did Prince Henry?
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. ...
What did Prince Henry discover?
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 . Under his patronage, Portuguese crews founded the country’s first colonies and visited regions previously unknown to Europeans.
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 ...
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.
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.
Who was the first person to sail around 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 caused Prince Henry dedicate his life and riches to?
Trade routes were closely guarded and protected by other groups of people, making it difficult for the Portuguese to establish trade for themselves. He dedicated his life and his riches to this cause. Even after his death in 1460, Portuguese ship captains were still trying to find the sea route Henry had hoped for.
What did da Gama discover?
Da Gama’s discovery of the sea route to India opened the way for an age of global imperialism and enabled the Portuguese to establish a long-lasting colonial empire in Asia.
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.
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 years did Prince Henry explore?
He is credited with gathering navigators, scholars, and cartographers around him at Sagres, on the peninsula of St. Vincent overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. He used his wealth and influence to sponsor Portuguese voyages to the West Coast of Africa between 1419 and 1460.
