Prince Henry the Navigator
Portuguese prince and patron of early exploration
He is often credited as one of the main initiators of the Age of Discovery.[1] Born on 4 March 1394 and dying on 13 December 1460, Prince Henry was a Portuguese prince who played a key role in the early Portuguese Empire and is often seen as a main initiator of the Age of Discovery.[1]
Quick Facts
- Born
- 4 March 1394
- Birthplace
- Porto, Portugal
- Died
- 13 December 1460
- Place of death
- Sagres, Portugal
- Burial place
- Batalha Monastery
- House
- Aviz
- Father
- John I of Portugal
- Mother
- Philippa of Lancaster
Facts from the source article.
Life and work
He was baptized in Porto and may have been born there.[2] At age 21, Henry participated in the expedition to capture the Moorish port city of Ceuta in northern Morocco.[3] After the capture of Ceuta, Henry was knighted and made Duke of Viseu.[4] He gained appointment as administrator of the Order of Christ on May 25, 1420.[5]
Henry died on 13 November 1460 and was initially buried in the Church of Saint Mary of Lagos.[6] His tomb at the Monastery of Batalha is inscribed with his motto "Talant de bien faire".[6] Between 1439 and 1448, while his brother Peter served as regent, Henry encouraged the settlement of the Azores.[2] A much lighter vessel, the caravel, was created under Henry's guidance; it could sail farther, faster, and was highly maneuverable, even sailing into the wind.[7]
What the cited sources add
Prestage states that Henry's objects after Ceuta included knowing the country beyond Cape Bojador and opening up trade relations.[8] Prestage notes that Henry was responsible for a disastrous attack on Tangier in 1437.[8] According to Prestage, the centre of Henry's maritime activity was Lagos, not Sagres.[8] Prestage reports that Henry died deeply in debt as the price of his lifelong service.[8]
Prestage writes that Henry lived up to the very letter of his device, "Talant de bien faire".[8]
References
- Wikipedia, "Prince Henry the Navigator" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Ivana Elbl, "Man of His Time (and Peers): A New Look at Henry the Navigator." Luso-Brazilian Review 28.2 (1991): 73–89. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Prince Henry the Navigator" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bradford, 1960. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Prince Henry the Navigator" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Beazley, 1923, p. 151. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Prince Henry the Navigator" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Frederick Charles Danvers: The Portuguese in India, volume I, 1894, London: W. H. Allen & Co. Limited, p. 19.; Frederick Charles Danvers: The Portuguese in India, volume I, 1894, London: W. H. Allen & Co. Limited, p. 19.; Frederick Charles Danvers: The Portuguese in India, volume I, 1894, London: W. H. Allen & Co. Limited, p. 19. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Prince Henry the Navigator" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Prestage, Edgar. "Prince Henry the Navigator." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 23 May 2015 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Prince Henry the Navigator" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Danvers, 1894, p. 23. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Prince Henry the Navigator" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Merson, "The Genius That Was China: East and West in the Making of the Modern World", The Overlook Press, 1990, p. 72 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Prestage, Edgar. "Prince Henry the Navigator." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 23 May 2015. facts only, no text reused. newadvent.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Prince Henry the Navigator (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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