Cabral, Pedro Álvares, << kuh BRAHL, PAY throo AHL vuh reesh >> (1467?-1528?), a Portuguese navigator, sailed to Brazil and claimed it for Portugal in 1500. His voyage helped Portugal develop a large empire in the 1500’s.
Cabral was born in Belmonte, Portugal, near Covilhã, to a noble family. He was educated at the royal court and became a member of the King’s Council. In 1499, King Manuel I appointed him commander of a fleet with instructions to further the work of Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama (see Da Gama, Vasco ). Cabral probably never had sailed a ship before, but the king trusted him.
Cabral and his fleet of 13 ships sailed from Belem, near Lisbon, on March 9, 1500. He headed for India and planned to follow the route outlined by Da Gama. As instructed, the fleet sailed southwest and passed the Canary and Cape Verde islands. The sailors hoped for winds that would carry them around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa. However, the fleet sailed off course, probably because of the weather.
On April 22, the crew sighted what is now southeastern Brazil. Upon disembarking, Cabral claimed the area for Portugal, in accordance with the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas (see Line of Demarcation ). He named it Island of the True Cross. Cabral had lost one ship, and another returned to Portugal with news of the landing. The remaining 11 ships stayed in Brazil for only eight days and then continued the voyage to India.
On May 29, a storm scattered the fleet as it tried to round the Cape of Good Hope. Four vessels were lost and one reached Madagascar. The other six ships met at Mozambique and followed the African coast northward. The fleet crossed the Indian Ocean and arrived in Kozhikode (also called Calicut), India, on September 13. There, many crew members were killed in a battle with a band of Muslim merchants. The fleet then sailed to Cochin and Cannanore, India, where it took on valuable spices.
Only four ships from Cabral’s fleet returned to Lisbon on June 23, 1501. Manuel I considered Cabral for command of another expedition to India but chose Da Gama instead. Cabral then retired from court and royal service and lived out his days on his estates.
