Abstract The focus of this paper is on Portuguese explorer, Prince Henry the Navigator, and the tools and techniques he introduced to his sailors, which revolutionized sailing and furthered exploration more than anyone else had up to that point.
From the Paper "The Portuguese are an adventurous people, and Henry knew that if he could just capitalize on this, he could drive his sailors to go farther and do more than anyone else had up to that point. From the Muslims, ?[the Portuguese] had learned better ship design, cartography, sailing, and navigation and math skills (European Age of Exploration).? To that end, Henry established an observatory and the first school for navigators in Sagres, Portugal, where he lived. Before the sailors could be taught anything new, however, Henry had to work to convince them that their fears would not come to pass. "Expeditions moved slowly due to the [sailors"] belief that waters at the equator were at the boiling point, that human skin turned black, and that sea monsters would engulf ships (Mariner's Museum).?"
Abstract 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."
Tags: Christianity, geography, slaves, riches, caravel, Portugal
