The great geographical discoveries are a period of history that gave the world many outstanding travelers and seafarers. One of them is Henry, the son of the Portuguese king João I, who pioneered the sea route to Africa.
Biography of the great traveler
Heinrich the Navigator was born into the family of the Portuguese king João I on March 4, 1394. The beginning of the era of the great geographical discoveries is associated with his name. Heinrich Enrique himself lived in the city of Porto. As a member of the royal family, he needed to study the history and culture of his state, learn to govern the country. In his youth, the young prince was engaged in fencing and horseback riding, comprehended natural sciences and religion.
Heinrich paid special attention to military craft and spear exercises. His mother, a true Englishwoman, instilled in children the ideals of chivalry, upbringing and respect for elders. Heinrich and his brothers played chess, wrote poetry. However, all of his work was manifested in the art of war. It was military affairs that determined the future fate of the crown prince.
Passion for war and religion made Henry a minister of the church - a knight - a crusader. He took a direct part in military campaigns, seizures of various territories. The Portuguese prince took part in a military campaign to Africa, as a result of which he was able to seize the fortress of the Moors and bring many slaves to his homeland.
First military campaigns
The capture of the fortress of Ceuta, located on the coast of the African coast, becomes Henry's first sea campaign. From that moment on, an irresistible desire to travel, make discoveries and acquire new lands arises in him. Henry became the ancestor of navigation in Portugal, although he himself took a direct part in expeditions no more than three times. However, despite this, the nickname "Navigator" was firmly entrenched for him.
While in Africa, the prince learned about caravans carrying gold and spices from Guinea. He began to look for sea routes to the gold-bearing lands. He made huge plans for the annexation of new territories. Henry participated not only in military campaigns. As a true knight - a crusader, he strove to free the Christian population from the infidels. It was from Christian slaves that he learned about the rich gold lands and made preparations for sea voyages.
Henry sought to enrich Portugal, so he abandoned his military career and devoted all his time to the construction of shipyards and ships. The crown prince retired from the royal court and settled in Sagrish, where he began to plan sea voyages. In Sagrish, Henry became the founder of the spiritual knightly order and began work on the construction of ships.
No one before Henry dared to go to the Atlantic Ocean, considering it unsafe. Since no one was engaged in sailing on the ocean, there were no maps of the islands and coasts either. Heinrich independently studied the geography of Africa and tried to transfer theoretical knowledge to maps. He was a creative person. Many successful sea expeditions were organized with his submission.
Expeditions of Henry the Navigator
Heinrich's excellent education through the efforts of his mother Philippe served him well. In 1416, Enrique sent the first ships to the coast of Africa. The travelers reached the western coast of Morocco, but refused to sail further. The first failure did not frighten Henry. He went on to form new expeditions.
In 1420, through the efforts of a navigator, the island of Madeira was discovered, which became the first colony of Portugal. A few years later, the Azores were discovered. Heinrich Enrique petitioned the Pope to grant Portugal new lands inhabited by Christian peoples. The Pope agreed, and the new lands passed to the Portuguese crown.
From the island of Madeira to Portugal began to bring black slaves. The slave trade began to develop, on which the king introduced a state monopoly. A stream of gold, silver, spices and slaves poured into Europe. The open territories became not only colonies, but also markets for raw materials and products. An international market is beginning to form.
Almost without going to sea, Henry was able to make many travels and discoveries. Through his efforts, the islands of Cape Verde were discovered, the mouth of the Senegal River was opened, and a geographical map of the western coast of the African continent was created.
During the life of Henry the Navigator, Portugal was still a rather poor and small country, so the prince paid attention to the development of trade relations between colonies and peoples. New goods began to flow into the country, and international relations were established. In 1458, the last expedition organized by Henry went to sea.
The last years of his life, the Portuguese prince devoted to the development of the sea route to India. In Sagrish, he founded a navigation school, opened an observatory and invited many foreign specialists to train young sailors.
Heinrich Enrique made an invaluable contribution to the development of the Portuguese maritime business, took part in the training of sailors. It was he who made the necessary changes to the design of the caravel so that it would be possible to go out into the open ocean on it without fear. Huge funds were spent on the construction of ships and shipyards, which subsequently fully paid off.
A monument to the famous navigator was unveiled on the territory of Portugal. The era of the great geographical discoveries began with the reign of Henry.
