Henry the Navigator
Henry became fascinated with Africa
A continent which the Portuguese knew little about
Henry is regarded as an originator of the
Age of Discovery and the Atlantic slave trade.
He became aware of Africa's many resources
And wanted to exploit for Portugal's personal gain.
Henry started a school for navigation in Sagres, at the southwestern tip of Portugal, where he taught
Geography, map making, navigation, cartography, shipbuilding, and instrument making.
Henry first started to become fascinated in navigation when
Henry, his father and his older brothers led an attack on Ceuta, a town in Morocco along the Strait of Gibraltar in 1415.
Some of his sponsored explorations were
In 1415 when his ships reached the Canary Islands, and when in 1418, the Portuguese came upon the Madeira Islands and established a colony at Porto Santo.
He was the third surviving son of
King John I and Philippa of Lancaster.
The Age of Discovery is the
Period when European nations expanded their reach to Africa, Asia, and America
Born in
Porto, Portugal in 1394
The attack succeeded, and Ceuta fell under
Portuguese control.
Henry himself wasn't a sailor or navigator but he did
Sponsor many exploratory sea voyages
He developed a desire to learn about
The Muslims who lived there so he could conquer them and spread Christianity.
Henry died in 1460 in Sagres, Portugal. When he died
The Portuguese explorers and traders had advanced as far as the region of modern-day Sierra Leone.
He sponsored Nuno Tristao's exploration of the African coast, and Antao Goncalves's hunting expedition there in 1441.
The two men captured several Africans and brought them back to Portugal.One of the captured men, a chief, negotiated his own return to Africa, promising in exchange to provide the Portuguese with more Africans.
It would be another 28 years before
Vasco de Gama, would sail clear around Africa and complete an expedition to India.
Portuguese knew almost nothing about Africa, but under Henry's orders, Portuguese sailors moved
beyond Bojador. By 1436, they had traveled as far as the Rio de Oro.
Because of him, Portuguese crews founded the country's
first colonies and visited regions previously unknown to Europeans.
Although he was neither a sailor nor a navigator, he
sponsored a great deal of exploration along the west coast of Africa.
Henry the Navigator, a 15th century Portuguese prince, helped usher
the Age of Discovery and the Atlantic slave trade.