The era of great geographical discoveries significantly expanded the horizons of people's ideas about the world. During this period, a fleet of different countries was actively being built, the science of shipbuilding was developing, new trade routes were being formed, educational institutions appeared combining the knowledge of the East and Europe, and the prerequisites for mass trade in slaves were laid. All this became possible thanks to the brave sailors, who, risking their lives, set off on an unknown path towards storms and storms. However, in the list of names of those who proved to be 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.
Henry Enrique the Mariner in his life only three times went to sea at short distances, but, nevertheless, he is the most prominent representative of the discoverers. It was he who brought Portugal unprecedented glory and huge wealth, which made all European rulers reckon with the opinion of this country. Today we will tell you about this amazing person who is undeservedly rarely mentioned in the context of sea discoveries. So, get acquainted - Henry the Navigator.
A Brief Biography of the Portuguese Prince
Henry Enrique was born on March 4 in 1394. The Crown Prince was born from King Joan and Philippe, who was an English princess before marriage. The arrogance of the prince's mother brought her traditions to the royal palace. First of all, this concerned the upbringing of children. The sons brought up the spirit of chivalry, which consisted not only in physical development, but also in the disclosure of creative talents. If we talk about the childhood of Henry the Navigator briefly, then we can say that it proceeded in constant studies in music, painting, horseback riding and in teaching to master different 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 with his father. The fortress was located on the African coast, and this was the first acquaintance of the future discoverer with sea trips. Heinrich the Navigator managed to show himself in the most favorable light and gained fame as a magnificent military leader. From this period, he was entrusted with the further defense of this fortress and most of the treasury revenue.
Three years after the capture of Ceuta, the prince settled in southern Portugal and began to prepare for the Portuguese expansion in relation to Africa. Gradually, a seaworthy school 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 the other. All this was carried out under the close supervision of Heinrich the Navigator. What he actually discovered is little known to the general public, although the list of his accomplishments is very wide.
With the prince’s light hand, the Portuguese received Madeira, the Azores , the Cape Verde Islands and advanced deeper into the continent, capturing rich and promising lands. In the same period, accurate maps were created, new trade routes laid. Portugal began to engage in the slave trade, having received from the Pope a monopoly on seized lands.
He died the sailor of Portugal in November 1460, surrounded by people who studied at the school he founded. In honor of him, a sculpture was erected in Lisbon, perpetuating the prince as a pioneer.
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 dream of great geographical discoveries, although historians know very little information about this period of his life.
From the few records, we can conclude that the young infant was a very diligent student. He literally absorbed all the knowledge presented to him by teachers. He showed great inclination towards military strategy and the natural sciences. In the future, he showed himself not only as a talented military leader, but also as a person versed in astronomy, geography and mathematics. In addition, Henry possessed excellent weapons, which he managed to confirm when he was twenty years old.
Capture of Ceuta: the significance of the first military campaign
At the age of twenty, Henry the Navigator set off 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 add his son to military affairs and went with him to take Ceuta. The first successes inspired the young prince, and in further battles he showed everything that he was capable of. His fame quickly spread throughout Europe, and proposals began to come to Henry to take on the post of head of protection from the Pope, Emperor Sigismund and the king of England himself.
However, all this did not interest the future discoverer. He was inspired by the idea of exploring Africa in order to form new trade routes and unite with the African Christian state, about which there were legends in Europe. These and other similar ideas forced Henry the Navigator to move to Sagrish and engage in shipbuilding.
Political portrait of Prince Henry
Contemporaries and descendants considered Henry a magnificent ruler, focused on the development of their state. He skillfully combined completely different interests in his political activities and enjoyed the unlimited trust of the clergy.
If we consider his personality from all sides, then it becomes immediately clear how versatile he is. First of all, the monarch was a colonialist, 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 proved himself as a researcher. He compiled many maps, classified the information received from the discoverers, and engaged in serious scientific research in the occupied territories.
Many historians consider the monarch a missionary and crusader, because he was an active distributor of the Christian religion among the conquered peoples and set his priorities - the fight against the Arabs of North Africa.
Monarch geographical background
I would like to note that the discovery of the Atlantic by Henry the Navigator and his other achievements was preceded by a certain chain of events. If not for it, then Portugal at the beginning of the XV would never have become such a strong naval power.
The monarch, at a young age, became interested in studying Africa. He knew that many trade routes ran through this continent, with innumerable wealth being transported along them. Henry dreamed of a sea route around the African coast, which would allow to bring gold to Lisbon, bypassing the difficult and long land route.
Finding a way to India also occupied the thoughts of the monarch. Its opening to Heinrich the Navigator would allow him to actively trade with this country and import a huge amount of spices. Spices and spices were very expensive at that time, and the Portuguese had to purchase them from intermediaries at sky-high prices.
In parallel, Henry dreamed of finding out how many Arab states are located in Africa. He made plans to unite with the country of Presbyter John, who was considered the mainstay of Christianity on the continent. Thus, he hoped to gradually conquer the land from the Moors, creating a new empire.
Henry's contribution to the spiritual life of Europe
The Portuguese monarch was very pious and believed in the ultimate mission of Christianity. One of his first accomplishments after the monarch settled on Sargish was the creation of a spiritual order. In the future, he received the name "Order of Christ."
His followers more than once took part in the Crusades to the Moors. However, most of them were unsuccessful.
New trends in shipbuilding
The main naval vessel during the time of Henry was 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 suitable for geographical discoveries associated with long sea voyages.
However, the monarch brought some changes to the design of the ship, which turned the caravel into a very maneuverable ship with three oblique sails. Henry also commanded the caravel to be lightened, and in the end it acquired a number of new characteristics:
- the ability to not depend on the direction of the wind;
- increased capacity;
- the ability to pass not only through ocean storms, but also through narrow estuaries.
New ships were built in large numbers at shipyards, which the monarch actively opened and personally inspected. Significant funds were spent on this from the treasury, but Henry believed that this was the most profitable investment in the future of his country.
Contribution to Maritime
We can say that the prince became the founder of seafaring science. He carefully collected all the data flocking to him from the sailors, tried to create new maps. It is noteworthy that he drew them with his own hands, and successfully put into practice his knowledge of astronomy. The observatory opened by him made it possible to observe the starry sky and create landmarks for researchers.
Henry opened the first nautical school and invited specialists from all over the world to teach. He himself also participated in the training of future sailors and was known as a very demanding teacher. However, his extensive knowledge aroused admiration and respect among students.
Discoveries of Henry the Navigator
The monarch equipped his first sea expedition in the nineteenth year of the 15th century, and from that time on, Henry made one great discovery after another. He joined Portugal a whole group of islands:
The Portuguese expedition was the first among European sailors to get around Cape Nun. During this period of time it was considered impassable, because all the ships were sinking on the way to it. This gave rise to a lot of legends about sea monsters devouring people. Henry managed to get around the cape and created several fortresses on the Guinean coast.
Sailors brought gold, precious stones and slaves from the new lands, which brought unthinkable income to the Portuguese crown.
Legal slave trade
After the first batch of slaves, Henry realized how profitable this business was. He declared a state monopoly on this type of activity, having unlimited opportunities for enrichment.
To consolidate his power in the new lands, the monarch secured 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 got the opportunity to move deep into the continent and almost single-handedly trade in slaves.
Historical assessment of the activities of Henry
Only after his death, Henry received the nickname "The Navigator", which was assigned to him. His successors could not fully realize all his ideas, but they managed to build a strong and strong state on the foundation that Henry had laid in his time.
In addition, his dreams inspired sailors from Portugal to open the 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 that characterize him from different angles:
- Throughout his life he went to sea three times.
- Henry blamed himself for the death of his younger brother, for whom he decided not to pay the ransom.
- The monarch was never married. He dedicated himself to the study of marine affairs.
- Absolutely all people were admitted to the seafaring school opened by Henry, regardless of the estates.
- On open and occupied lands, the monarch ordered the cultivation of sugarcane and grapes, which brought considerable revenue to the treasury.
Historians consider Henry's invaluable contribution to the development of navigation, which, as well as possible, corresponds to the nickname given to him once.