The era of great geographical discoveries significantly expanded the horizons of people's ideas about the world. During this period, the fleet of different countries was actively built, the science of shipbuilding developed, new trade routes were formed, educational institutions appeared that combined the knowledge of the East and Europe, and the prerequisites for mass slave trade were laid. All this became possible thanks to the brave sailors who, risking their lives, set off along an unknown path towards storms and storms. However, in the list of names of those who proved themselves as a pioneer in the era of geographical discoveries, the name of the Portuguese prince, who essentially laid the foundation for the study of uncharted lands, is rarely found.
Heinrich Enrique the Navigator only three times went to sea for short distances in his life, but, nevertheless, he is the most prominent representative of the discoverers. It was he who brought unprecedented glory and enormous we alth to Portugal, which forced all European rulers to reckon with the opinion of this country. Today we will tell you about this most amazing person, who is undeservedly rarely mentioned in the context of marine discoveries. So, meet Henry the Navigator.
Short biography of the Portuguese prince
Heinrich Enrique was born on March 4, 1394. The crown prince was born to King Joan and Philippe, who was an English princess before her marriage. The nobility of the prince's mother brought her own traditions to the royal palace. First of all, it concerned the upbringing of children. The spirit of chivalry was brought up in the sons, which consisted not only in physical development, but also in the disclosure of creative talents. If we talk briefly about the childhood of Henry the Navigator, then we can say that it proceeded in constant studies in music, painting, horseback riding and in learning to use various types of weapons.
From an early age, the prince showed a penchant for military affairs, and already at the age of twenty he took part in the capture of Ceuta along with his father. The fortress was located on the African coast, and this was the first acquaintance of the future discoverer with sea voyages. Henry the Navigator managed to show himself in the most favorable light and gained fame as an excellent military leader. From this period, he was entrusted with the further defense of this fortress and a large part of the treasury's income.
Three years after the capture of Ceuta, the prince settled in southern Portugal and began to studypreparations for Portuguese expansion into Africa. Gradually, a nautical school was opened in the country, where the best cartographers of the world taught, an observatory was founded, new models of ships were developed, and sea expeditions were equipped one after another. All this was carried out under the careful supervision of Henry the Navigator. What he actually discovered is little known to the general public, although the list of his accomplishments is very wide.
With the light hand of the prince, the Portuguese received Madeira, the Azores, the Cape Verde Islands and moved deep into the continent, capturing rich and promising lands. In the same period, accurate maps were created, new trade routes were laid. Portugal began to engage in the slave trade, having received from the Pope a monopoly on the occupied lands.
Heinrich the Navigator of Portugal died in November 1460, surrounded by people who studied at the school he founded. In honor of him, a sculpture was erected in Lisbon, immortalizing the prince as a discoverer.
Infant's childhood
The main achievement attributed to Henry the Navigator is the discovery of the near Atlantic. But in his childhood, the prince did not at all dream of great geographical discoveries, although historians know very little information about this period of his life.
According to the few records, it can be concluded that the young infant was a very diligent student. He literally absorbed all the knowledge presented to him by teachers. He showed a great inclination towards military strategy and the natural sciences. In the future, he showed himself not only as a talentedmilitary commander, but also as a person versed in astronomy, geography and mathematics. In addition, Heinrich was excellent with weapons, which he managed to confirm when he was twenty years old.
The capture of Ceuta: the meaning of the first military campaign
At the age of twenty, Henry the Navigator went on a military campaign with his father. Joan I dreamed of going down in history as a ruler who fought against the Moors, so he decided to addict his son to military affairs and went with him to take Ceuta. The first success inspired the young prince, and in further battles he showed everything he was capable of. The fame of him quickly spread throughout Europe, and Henry began to receive offers to join the post of head of the guard from the Pope, Emperor Sigismund and the King of England himself.
However, all this no longer interested the future discoverer. He was inspired by the idea of exploring Africa in order to form new trade routes and unite with an African Christian state, which was legendary in Europe. These and other similar ideas forced Heinrich the Navigator to move to Sagrish and take up shipbuilding.
Political portrait of Prince Henry
Contemporaries and descendants considered Henry an excellent ruler, focused on the development of his state. He skillfully combined completely different interests in his political activities and enjoyed the boundless trust of the clergy.
If you look at his personality from all sides, it immediately becomes clear how many-sided he is. Firstturn, the monarch was a colonizer, since his main interests extended far beyond the borders of his state. For the crown, he seized many lands and assigned them to Portugal.
Having made the discovery of the Atlantic, Henry the Navigator showed himself as an explorer. He made many maps, classified the information received from the discoverers, and was engaged in serious scientific research in the occupied territories.
Many historians consider the monarch a missionary and a crusader, because he was an active distributor of the Christian religion among the conquered peoples and set as his priority tasks the struggle against the Arabs of North Africa.
Prerequisites for the Monarch's geographical surveys
I would like to note that the discovery of the Atlantic by Henry the Navigator and his other achievements were preceded by a certain chain of events. If not for her, then Portugal at the beginning of the 15th century would never have become such a strong sea power.
The monarch became interested in the study of Africa at a young age. He knew that many trade routes ran through this continent, and untold we alth was transported along them. Heinrich dreamed of a sea route around the African coast, which would allow bringing gold to Lisbon, bypassing the difficult and long land route.
Searching for a way to India also occupied the thoughts of the monarch. Its discovery by Henry the Navigator would have allowed active trade with this country and the import of a huge amount of spices. At that time, spices and spices were very expensive, andthe Portuguese had to buy them from intermediaries at exorbitant prices.
In parallel, Heinrich dreamed of finding out how many Arab states are located in Africa. He made plans to unite with the country of Prester John, which was considered the stronghold of Christianity on the continent. Thus, he hoped to gradually win back the lands from the Moors, creating a new empire.
Henry's contribution to the spiritual life of Europe
The Portuguese monarch was very devout and believed in the higher purpose of Christianity. One of his first accomplishments after the monarch settled in Sargish was the creation of a spiritual order. Later it was called the "Order of Christ".
His followers more than once took part in the crusades against the Moors. However, most of them were unsuccessful.
New trends in shipbuilding
The main sea vessel in Henry's time was the caravel. Usually it was used for fishing and transportation of goods. As it turned out, a ship with a displacement of two hundred tons was not well suited for geographical discoveries associated with long sea voyages.
However, the monarch made some changes to the design of the ship, which turned the caravel into a very maneuverable ship with three slanting sails. Heinrich also ordered to lighten the caravel, and as a result, it acquired a number of new characteristics:
- ability not to depend on wind direction;
- increased capacity;
- skillpass not only through ocean storms, but also through narrow estuaries.
New ships were built in large numbers in shipyards, which the monarch actively opened and personally inspected. Significant funds were spent on this from the treasury, but Heinrich believed that this was the most profitable investment in the future of his country.
Contribution to maritime affairs
It can be said that the prince became the founder of nautical science. He carefully collected all the data flowing to him from the sailors, tried to create new maps. It is noteworthy that he drew them with his own hand, and successfully put into practice his knowledge of astronomy. The observatory he opened made it possible to observe the starry sky and create landmarks for researchers.
Heinrich opened the first nautical school and invited specialists from all over the world to teach. He himself also took part in the training of future sailors and was known as a very demanding teacher. However, his vast knowledge inspired admiration and respect from the students.
Discoveries of Henry the Navigator
The monarch equipped his first sea expedition in the nineteenth year of the XV century, and from that time Henry made one great discovery after another. He annexed a whole group of islands to Portugal:
- Madeira;
- Azores;
- Cape Verde Islands.
The Portuguese expedition was the first European navigator to circumnavigate Cape Nun. During this period of time, it was considered impassable, because all the ships sank on the way to it. It spawned a lotlegends about sea monsters devouring people. Henry managed to get around the cape and created several fortresses on the Guinean coast.
From the new lands, sailors brought gold, precious stones and slaves, which brought incredible income to the Portuguese crown.
Legalized Slave Trade
After the first batch of slaves, Heinrich realized how profitable this business was. He declared a state monopoly on this type of activity, having received unlimited opportunities for enrichment.
To consolidate his power in the new lands, the monarch enlisted the support of the Catholic Church. He turned to the Pope with a request - to approve the further colonization of African lands by Portugal in exchange for a promise: to spread the ideas of Christianity among the enslaved peoples. So the crown was able to move deep into the continent and almost exclusively trade in slaves.
Historical evaluation of Heinrich's activities
It was only after his death that Henry received the nickname "The Navigator", which stuck with him. His successors were not able to fully implement all of his ideas, but they managed to build a strong and strong state on the foundation that Henry laid in his time.
In addition, his dreams inspired the sailors from Portugal to open a sea route to India, they were the first to go around the Cape of Good Hope.
Interesting facts about Henry the Navigator
The personality of the monarch is very interesting and multifaceted, so we decided to make a selection of interesting facts,characterizing it from different angles:
- Three times in his life he went to sea.
- Heinrich blamed himself for the death of his younger brother, for whom he decided not to pay the ransom.
- The monarch was never married. He devoted himself to the study of maritime science.
- Absolutely all people were admitted to the nautical school opened by Heinrich, regardless of class.
- On the open and occupied lands, the monarch ordered the cultivation of sugar cane and grapes, which brought considerable income to the treasury.
Historians consider Heinrich's contribution to the development of navigation to be invaluable, which, as well as possible, corresponds to the nickname given to him.
