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 preconditions were laid for the mass trade of slaves. All this became possible thanks to the brave sailors who, risking their lives, set off along an uncharted path towards storms and storms. However, in the list of names of those who distinguished themselves as discoverers during the Age of Discovery, there is rarely a prince who essentially laid the foundations for the exploration of uncharted lands.

During his life, Henry went to sea only three times over short distances, but, nevertheless, he is the most prominent representative of the discoverers. It was he who brought Portugal unprecedented fame and enormous wealth, which forced all European rulers to take into account 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, meet Henry the Navigator.

Brief biography of the Portuguese prince

Henry Henrique was born on March 4, 1394. was born to King Joan and Philippe, who was an English princess before her marriage. The high birth of the prince's mother brought her own traditions to the royal palace. First of all, this 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 discovery of creative talents. If we talk briefly about the childhood of Henry the Navigator, we can say that it was spent in constant study of music, painting, horse riding and learning to use various types of weapons.

From an early age the prince showed an inclination towards military affairs, and already at the age of twenty he took part in the capture of Ceuta together with his father. The fortress was located on the African coast, and this was the future discoverer’s first acquaintance 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 most of the treasury's income.

Three years after the capture of Ceuta, the prince settled in the south of Portugal and began preparing for Portuguese expansion in 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 achievements is very wide.

With the light hand of the prince, the Portuguese received Madeira, the Azores and moved deeper into the continent, capturing rich and promising lands. During the same period, accurate maps were created and new trade routes were laid out. Portugal began to engage in the slave trade, having received from the Pope a monopoly on the captured lands.

Henry the Navigator died in 1460, surrounded by people who studied at the school he founded. In his honor, a sculpture was erected in Lisbon, immortalizing the prince as a pioneer.

Childhood of the infanta

The main achievement attributed to Henry the Navigator is the discovery of the Middle 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.

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 his teachers. He showed a great inclination towards military strategy and natural sciences. Subsequently, he showed himself not only as a talented military leader, but also as a person versed in astronomy, geography and mathematics. In addition, Heinrich was excellent with weapons, which he was able to confirm when he reached the age of twenty.

Capture of Ceuta: the significance 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 the ruler who fought the Moors, so he decided to get his son involved in military affairs and went with him to take Ceuta. The young prince was inspired by his first successes, and in further battles he showed everything he was capable of. His fame quickly spread throughout Europe, and Henry began to receive offers to assume the post of head of the guard from the Pope, Emperor Sigismund and the King of England himself.

However, all this was no longer of interest to 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, which was legendary 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 an excellent ruler, focused on the development of his 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, it immediately becomes clear how multifaceted 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 captured many lands and assigned them to Portugal.

Having made the discovery of the Atlantic, Henry the Navigator showed himself as an explorer. He compiled many maps, classified information received from discoverers, and was engaged in serious scientific research in the occupied territories.

Many historians consider the monarch to be a missionary and a crusader, because he was an active disseminator of the Christian religion among the conquered peoples and set his priority tasks as the fight against the Arabs of North Africa.

Background to the Monarch's Geographical Explorations

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, Portugal would never have become such a strong maritime power at the beginning of the 15th century.

The monarch became interested in studying Africa at a young age. He knew that many trade routes ran through this continent, and countless riches were transported along them. Henry dreamed of a sea route around the African coast, which would allow gold to be brought to Lisbon, bypassing the difficult and long land route.

Finding a way to India also occupied the monarch’s thoughts. Its discovery would have allowed Henry the Navigator to actively trade with this country and import a huge amount of spices. At that time, herbs and spices were very expensive, and the Portuguese had to purchase them from intermediaries at exorbitant prices.

At the same time, Henry dreamed of finding out how many Arab states were located in Africa. He made plans to unite with the country of Prester John, which was considered the stronghold of Christianity on the continent. In this way, he hoped to gradually reclaim the lands 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 higher purpose of Christianity. One of his first accomplishments after the monarch settled on Sargish was the creation of a spiritual order. Later it received the name “Order of Christ”.

His followers took part in crusades against the Moors more than once. However, most of them were not successful.

New trends in shipbuilding

The main sea vessel in Henry's time was the caravel. It was usually used for fishing and transporting goods. As it turned out, a ship with a displacement of two hundred tons was poorly suited for geographical discoveries involving long sea voyages.

However, the monarch made some changes to the design of the vessel, which turned the caravel into a very maneuverable ship with three oblique sails. Henry also ordered the caravel to be lightened, and as a result it acquired a number of new characteristics:

• the ability to be independent of wind direction;
• increased capacity;
• the ability to pass not only through ocean storms, but also through narrow river mouths.

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 Henry believed that this was the most profitable investment in the future of his country.

Contribution to maritime affairs

We can say that the prince became the founder of nautical science. He carefully collected all the data that flowed to him from the sailors and tried to create new maps. It is noteworthy that he drew them with his own hands, and successfully applied his knowledge of astronomy in practice. The observatory he opened 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 took part in training future sailors and was known as a very demanding teacher. However, his extensive knowledge aroused admiration and respect among his 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 Henry made one great discovery after another. He annexed a whole group of islands to Portugal:

• Madeira;
• Azores;
• Cape Verde.

The Portuguese expedition was the first among European navigators to circumnavigate Cape Nun. During this period of time, it was considered impassable, because all the ships sank 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.

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, Henry realized how profitable this business was. He declared a state monopoly on this type of activity, gaining 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 enslaved peoples. Thus, the crown was able to move deeper into the continent and almost single-handedly trade in slaves.

Historical assessment of Henry's activities

Only after his death did Henry receive the nickname “Navigator”, which stuck with him. His successors were not able to fully implement all 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 sailors from Portugal to open a sea route to India; they were the first to circumnavigate 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 sides:

• 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 never married. He devoted himself to the study of maritime affairs.
• The nautical school opened by Henry accepted absolutely all people, regardless of class.
• On open and occupied lands, the monarch ordered the cultivation of sugar cane and grapes, which brought considerable income to the treasury.

Historians consider Henry’s contribution to the development of navigation invaluable, which perfectly corresponds to the nickname he was once given.

The Portuguese prince Enrique the Navigator made many geographical discoveries, although he himself went to sea only three times. He marked the beginning of the era of great geographical discoveries and significantly improved the position of Portugal.

Origin

Ancestor Enrique (Enrique), became the first Portuguese count, winning the title in 1095 in the fight against the Moors - Arabs and Berbers who professed Islam, who occupied northwestern Africa and part of Europe. The ancestor of the ruling house was a relative of the Duke of Burgundy and representatives of the Hungarian Arpad dynasty, but there is no documentary evidence of this version.

The Kingdom of Portugal was founded in 1139. The ruling dynasties, which were related to each other, changed from time to time, which was always accompanied by a bloody war. The beginning of the next period in the history of the ruling house was given by Enrique's father, Joan (Joan, John). During the change of power, he invaded Portugal, laying siege to Lisbon by land and sea. The military campaign, during which João fought bravely, was successful. Later, he increasingly strengthened his power and as a result became a full-fledged ruler.

Joan was the first to sit on the throne for almost half a century. In addition, he headed the order of knighthood, although this role usually goes to the king's son. It was John (Joan, Juan) who first laid the foundation for the exploration of the sea and new lands, but it was his son, Prince Enrique the Navigator, who achieved real success in this field.

As a child, the boy and his brothers were taught knightly virtues: horse riding, writing poetry, fencing, hunting, swimming, and playing checkers. Enrique was most interested in the art of war, although he did not neglect natural science and theology. Chivalry determined the entire future existence of the prince.

Interests of the colonialist

The personality of Prince Enrique the Navigator combined the interests of a colonizer, explorer, missionary and crusader. Already at the age of 21, he participated in the Battle of Ceuta, which later became a trading settlement. Henry (Enrique, Enrique) the Navigator settled in Lagos in the south of the country, Sagres, where he opened observatories and navigation schools.

During the years of Enrique's reign, expansion proceeded at an unprecedented pace. In just one year, twice as many territories were added as in the previous two decades. The Portuguese reached the western edge of the continent - Cape Verde.

Enrique the Explorer

But a much greater contribution was made by Henry the Navigator (Prince Enrique) as an explorer. Even after the defense of Ceuta, he learned from freed slaves that caravans with gold were constantly walking across the African desert. The prince, who was familiar with geography, understood that places where huge treasures were concentrated could be reached by sea. In addition, he understood that in the same way it was possible to reach Ethiopia and begin trade with it, and then reach India itself.

Enrique the Navigator immediately began preparing and equipping sea expeditions to the shores of Africa. He founded navigation and seafaring schools and observatories, and added astronomy and mathematics to the course at the University of Lisbon. For Catholic Portugal during the Middle Ages, it was very unusual that everyone was accepted into the navigating school, regardless of religious affiliation, class or ethnic differences. To this day, a huge wind rose has been preserved in the fortress, where the school was once located.

Position of Portugal

For Portugal at that time, it was important to find a sea route to India - a source of spices and other treasures. The country was located far from the main trade routes and could not participate in international trade. At that time, Portugal could only receive goods from the East at a very high price, which, of course, was completely unprofitable economically. The geographical position of the country, however, favored discoveries.

Major discoveries

Enrique the Navigator considered his main task to be a thorough analysis of the captains' reports and the ability to distinguish truth from fiction. Since 1419, he constantly equipped expeditions, and sailors, inspired by the king's support, participated in the discovery of Madeira, the Azores and Cape Verde. And this was at a time when Europeans considered Cape Noon on the coast where Morocco is now located, the extreme point of the world. They said that terrible sea monsters lived behind the cape, and the scorching sun would destroy any ship that dared to sail into those waters. But Prince Henry Enrique the Navigator, whose discoveries proved to the whole world the possibility of exploration, neglected these tales.

Sailors began to regularly sail beyond Cape Nun. Expeditions equipped by Enrique the Navigator discovered capes Bojador and Cabo Blanco there, and explored the Senegal and Gambia rivers. They moved further and further, returning with gold. The Portuguese built strongholds on open lands. Soon the first batches of slaves began to be sent from there.

Understanding how important the development of shipbuilding was in geographical discoveries, Enrique invited the best craftsmen to Portugal. Ships back then were not fast enough for long journeys, and this needed to change. Under Enrique, they created a caravel with oblique sails, which could move quickly and almost regardless of the direction of the wind. Under the leadership of Enrique, many geographical discoveries were made, but he himself went to sea only three times. It was rumored that he was afraid of pirates or simply considered it an insult to be among sailors. Most likely, the prince simply considered it his job to analyze the reports of sailors and supervise the equipment of new campaigns.

Missionary

The biography of Prince Enrique the Navigator is not limited to geographical discoveries alone, although they constituted the most significant part of it. As a knight, Enrique actively spread Christianity among the conquered peoples. He was a Master of the Order of Christ and took part in several campaigns against the Arabs living in northern Africa.

Prince's Legacy

After the death of Henry (Enrique), the active advance of the Portuguese in a southern direction slowed down significantly. But it was the activities of this man that laid the main pillars of the maritime and colonial power of Portugal. Enrique was no stranger to political intrigue, but in military affairs success was not always on his side.

Personal life

The prince never married. He was gloomy and very reserved, blaming himself for the death of his younger brother, who died in an unfortunate year in 1437. Prince Enrique the Navigator spent his last years within the walls of a school he built with his own hands. He was surrounded by students. A couple of years before his death, Enrique went to sea for the third time, but for a very short period of time. Prince Henry died in 1460 and was buried in the monastery chapel.

When people talk about the era of great geographical discoveries, his name is the last to be remembered. Although, thanks to the efforts of this particular romantic of long voyages and fanatical crusader warrior, Portugal began the colonial conquest of Africa, and black slaves were brought to Europe for the first time. But the organizer of these trips himself went to sea only three times in his entire life and no further than 200 miles. And yet the Portuguese Prince Henry deservedly bore the proud nickname “navigator”.

Infante Henry or Henrique, born in 1394, was the son of the Portuguese king John I and Philippa of Lancaster, who brought the traditions of British chivalry to the country. Enrique and his brothers were taught the seven knightly virtues - writing poetry, horse riding, fencing, playing checkers, hunting and swimming, but most of all the young man was interested in mastering a spear, although he did not neglect the study of natural sciences and theology. Chivalry as a military and religious service determined Henry's entire subsequent life. At the age of 21, he initiated the capture of a Moorish fortress in northern Africa.
Only 150 miles - such was the length of the first sea voyage, the future inspiration for the naval conquests of Portugal.

The king entrusted the defense of Ceuta, a new Portuguese outpost on the African coast, to Infante Henry. To achieve this, part of the treasury's income came under the complete and uncontrolled control of the prince, and after 5 years the prince became the Grand Master of the Order of the Cross.
Now enormous power was concentrated in the hands of the navigator: spiritual, military and financial. And Prince Henry used this power in the best way for Portugal. From freed Christian slaves, he learned about caravans that transported gold across the African desert from the coast of Guinea to the Muslim ports of the Mediterranean. The prince, knowledgeable in geography, decided that Guinea could be reached by sea, then the treasures taken from the infidels could be taken to Lisbon. In addition, by bypassing Muslim territories from the south, you can reach Christian Ethiopia and begin profitable trade with it, and then reach India itself by sea.
The Infante’s aggressive plans were also mixed with scientific curiosity, supported by accurate geographical maps found in Ceuta. And when Henry’s brother Prince Pedro brought from Venice the manuscript of the already famous traveler Marco Polo, the Infant firmly decided that the lands lay south of Ceuta.

Prince Henry began organizing sea expeditions to the northwestern shores of Africa. At the insistence of the prince, astronomy and mathematics were included in the program of the University of Lisbon in 1431. In 1438, near Cape Saint Vincent in the fortress of Sagres, Prince Henry organized the observatory and nautical school of the Villa de Infante. Prominent scientists, astronomers, cartographers and navigators from all over Europe were invited there, and the navigator prince participated in discussions along with the scientists. The school accepted all worthy people regardless of class, religious and ethnic differences, which was unusual for Catholic Portugal in the 15th century.
Through the efforts of the prince, the nautical school of Villa de Infanta became the first scientific center in European history. The fortress still preserves a huge 43-meter diameter wind rose - a diagram of long-term observations of the direction and strength of the wind. Inspired by the support of the prince, the captains of the Portuguese caravels discovered the island of Madeira in 1418. At the same time, the navigator began to explore new lands and soon the first settlers appeared in Madeira, and wine began to be delivered to the Metropolis - rare in quality even for wine-producing Portugal.

Then, for decades, Henry stubbornly equipped sea expeditions to the Canary Islands, but the captains could not get past the underwater rocks at Cape Bojador. Sailing ships were hit by holes on the ill-fated cape, where dragons were believed to be found at that time, and sank.
But in 1434, having rounded it from the open ocean, one of the captains opened the way to West Africa, and Henry received the honorary title of “navigator”.

But why did Henry the Navigator himself never set off on long-distance sea expeditions?
It was believed that the prince was afraid of pirates or that he considered it offensive for a person of royal blood to be among the sailors, but most likely the prince considered his main business to analyze the captains' reports, separate truth from fiction and equip new sea voyages. The romantic of distant travels, Henry the Navigator, deliberately closed the sea to himself.

Henry the Navigator never married. Reserved and gloomy, he believed himself responsible for the death of his younger brother Ferdinand, who was captured by the Moors during their unsuccessful naval expedition to Tangier in 1437.
Henry spent his last years in Sagrish, surrounded by students from his nautical school. Two years before his death, he briefly went to sea for the third time.
Henry the Navigator died on November 13, 1460.
His work was continued by the famous Portuguese sailors Bartolomeo Dias, Vasco da Gamma and the greatest of the Infante's followers, Ferdinand Magellan. They owe their achievements to the Portuguese Prince Henry the Navigator - the man on the coat of arms who was inscribed: “Talent for good deeds.”

As a child, he was interested in fencing, horse riding, studying science and religion. However, most of all he was attracted to military affairs and mastery of the spear. This occupation predetermined Henry’s future life.

First hikes and discoveries

in 1415, a military campaign was carried out and the fortress of Ceuta on the coast of Africa was captured. The king entrusted control over the conquered outpost to Henry. At that time, Henry learned of caravans traveling through the desert carrying gold from Guinea. He began searching for sea routes to gold-bearing lands. Beginning in 1418, Henry organized a series of naval expeditions, which resulted in the discovery of several islands on the northwestern coast of Africa (Madeira (1418) and the Azores (1427)). An interesting fact is that the organizer himself went on sea expeditions no more than three times.

The island of Madeira became the first colony of Portugal. Black slaves were sent to Portugal for the first time. Thus, the beginning of the slave trade was laid, on which Henry introduced a state monopoly. After the discovery of the Azores, they also began to be colonized. In the occupied territories, the Portuguese grew grapes and sugar cane, extracted valuable wood and sent it to their homeland.

One of the important directions for Portugal was the search for a sea route to India - the land of spices - around the African continent. Located far from the main trade routes, Portugal could not effectively participate in trade. Eastern goods were very expensive for the country that was poor at that time, and exports to other countries were small. Therefore, Henry paid great attention to sea voyages to the northwestern coast of Africa in order to find an eastern route to India.

In 1438, Henry founded an observatory and nautical school called Villa do Infante. It became the first center of science in Europe; the best European scientists, astronomers and cartographers of that time came here.

Last years

Prince Henry spent his last years in solitude, surrounded by students from his nautical school. The great Navigator died on November 13, 1460 in Sagres, Portugal.

After his death, Portuguese explorers managed to reach the shores of modern Sierra Leone and discover the Cape Verde Islands (now the Republic of Cape Verde). Henry's work in finding sea routes to India and the Far East was continued by such great travelers as.