Prince henry the navigator expeditions

PRINCE HENRY THE NAVIGATOR AND HIS EXCITING SPONSORED EXPEDITIONS TO DANGEROUS AFRICA

BY KATY PETERSHACK

The expeditions sent out by Prince Henry the Navigator were full of adventure. These expeditions reached places in Africa where no man or woman had ever dreamed of.  Africa was full of exotic new plants and animals that no one had ever seen before.  Africa was, to the explorers, a dangerous place, full of mystery and excitement.  Prince Henry the Navigator sent out many missions to explore this new land.  Four explorers that Prince Henry hired were Diogo Gomes, Gil Eannes, Avise Ca'da Mosto, and Bartolomeu Dias. These were the most significant explorers because each of them did something that contributed greatly to the time when exploration was extremely important, during the 14, 15, and 16 centuries.

Price Henry the Navigator was the third son of The King of Portugal, Philippa John I.  Prince Henry's two main goals were to discover more of the Moroccan coast and discover the southerly route to the Indies.  Although he did not know it at the time, he opened the door for the exploration of the New World.

Gil Eannes

Gil Eannes was important because he sailed past Cape Bojador and proved that it was possible to sail past this dreaded cape.             

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. Another fear was that the crew would die from starvation or dehydration because of the burning heat of the sun.  In 1433, one explorer tried to sail past this Cape.  His name was Gil Eannes.  Gil Eannes was chosen to do this job because Henry knew that if he sent a sailor or a merchant t

(1394-1460)

Who Was Prince Henry the Navigator?

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. Henry is regarded as an originator of the Age of Discovery and the Atlantic enslaved people trade.

Early Influences

Henry the Navigator was born in 1394 in Porto, Portugal. He was the third surviving son of King John I and Philippa of Lancaster.

In 1415, Henry, his father and his older brothers led an attack on Ceuta, a town in Morocco along the Strait of Gibraltar. The attack succeeded, and Ceuta fell under Portuguese control. 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.

Significance in History

Henry is often credited with beginning the Age of Discovery, the period during which European nations expanded their reach to Africa, Asia and the Americas. Henry himself was neither a sailor nor a navigator, his name notwithstanding. He did, however, sponsor many exploratory sea voyages. In 1415, his ships reached the Canary Islands, which had already been claimed by Spain. In 1418, the Portuguese came upon the Madeira Islands and established a colony at Porto Santo.

When these expeditions began, Europeans knew virtually nothing about the area past Cape Bojador on the west coast of Africa. Superstition had kept them from going farther. But under Henry’s orders, Portuguese sailors moved beyond Bojador. By 1436, they had traveled as far as the Rio de Oro.

In addition to sponsoring exploratory voyages, Henry is also credited with furthering knowledge of geog

Portuguese prince and governor (1394–1460)

DomHenrique 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 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), 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. He is also considered to be one of the most responsible for developing the slave trade in Western Europe.

Life

Henry 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 the same period of the royal couple's residence in the city of Porto.

Henry was 21 when he, his father and

Born March 3, 1394 in Portu, Portugal, the third surviving son of King John (João) I and Queen Philippa, Prince Henry (Henrique) was better known as Henry the Navigator. He earned his title despite not venturing on many expeditions himself. Henry funded and planned expeditions to satisfy his curiosity, expand the territory and wealth of Portugal, and to spread Christianity. His actions sparked Europe’s age of exploration, which connected the world's people. But his efforts also began the process of European colonization, capitalism, and, ultimately, the transatlantic slave trade.

Until 1249, parts of Portugal, and most of what is now Spain, was a caliphate known as Al-Andalus. A caliphate is an Islamic state ruled by a religious and political leader, or caliph. Muslim Berbers from North Africa invaded and conquered much of the Iberian Peninsula, which had been ruled by the Christian Visigoths, a Germanic people, in the early 8th century. Portuguese independence was won by crusading European Christians who called the effort the Reconquista.

Muslim rule was not the only obstacle to Portugal’s independence. Toward the north, the County of Portugal was subordinate to the Christian kingdom of Castile. Under the rule of King John I, the kingdom of Portugal won its independence from Castile.

In 1415, Portugal invaded and subjugated the Ceuta, a fortified city in Morocco. The invasion was largely carried out by King John’s three oldest sons, including Henry, to earn their knighthood. The conquest was seen as a crusade, a military and religious campaign. The port city had been a haven for pirates, which was used as a justification for the invasion.

Ceuta gave the young prince a unique education. Beyond the pirates, this place supported bustling trade. Henry learned of trade between North African Muslims and West Africans and Indians. This new knowledge about Africa and Asia sparked Henry’s interest in exploration and enterprise.