Prince Henry the Navigator

Essay # 100909

History > European

This paper discusses Prince Henry the Navigator and his investment in expeditions to Africa.

957 words () | 4 sources | APA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

The paper relates that Prince Henry the Navigator never traveled on an expedition himself, but he sponsored many. The paper then looks at the history of Prince Henry's birth and heritage and discusses the reasons behind his sponsored expeditions. The paper relates that Prince Henry wanted to spread Christianity and he was able to do this with his expeditions.

From the Paper:

"First, it is important to look at the history of Prince Henry's birth and heritage. Prince Henry was born in 1394 as a son of King John I. "Henry was born in 1394 as one of the sons of the Portuguese King John I, founder of the Aviz dynasty" (Engels 2006). In fact, he was the third son of King Joao. "His mother, the Queen, was Philippa of Lancaster, the daughter of John of Gaunt" (Henry the Navigator 2006). Henry persuaded his father to take part in an expedition against the Muslims. When Henry was involved with his brothers in this movement to stop the Muslim stronghold in Morrocco, Henry learned about riches in Africa. Henry wanted part of these riches, but he knew the only way this was going to happen was if he could travel directly to these lands where he hoped to find gold (Engels 2006). Therefore, he allowed different expeditions in order to try to find wealth. However, he never actually went on an expedition. "Truth is, Prince Henry of Portugal never set sail on voyages of discovery" (Africans in America 2006). While he never participated in the expeditions, he did sponsor many expeditions."

Sample of Sources Used:

Africans in America - Part 1 - Prince Henry the Navigator. Retrieved Dec. 6, 2006, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part1/1p259.html
Engels, A. Henry the navigator. Retrieved Dec. 6, 2006, from http://www.win.tue.nl/cs/fm/engels/discovery/henry.html
Explorers, pioneers, and Frontiersmen - Henry the Navigator. (2005). Retrieved Dec. 6, 2006, from http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1118.html
Henry the Navigator. Retrieved Dec. 6, 2006, from http://www.thornr.demon.co.uk/kchrist/phenry.html