Henry the Navigator (1394-1460) was a Portuguese prince who sponsored explorations of the west African coast during the 1400’s. These explorations helped advance the study of geography and made Portugal a leader in navigation among European nations of the time. Henry sent out more than 50 expeditions but went on none of these voyages himself. Henry also was known for his activities as a crusader against the Moors (Muslims in northwestern Africa).
Henry was born on March 4, 1394, in Porto, Portugal. He was the third son of King John I and Queen Philippa. Henry’s horoscope at birth said he had a special destiny to achieve great conquests, a belief he kept throughout his life. He sought opportunities for power and glory, especially as a crusader prince. In 1415, he helped lead the Portuguese capture of the Moorish port of Ceuta at the Strait of Gibraltar. He earned a knighthood for his valor. In 1417, he became grand master of Portugal’s Order of Christ, one of the country’s wealthiest institutions. The Order of Christ was a religious military order that had succeeded the Order of the Temple, to which the crusading Knights Templars belonged (see Knights Templars ).
The Portuguese hoped that by capturing Ceuta, they could gain access to the highly profitable gold trade from central Africa. When this proved impossible, Henry directed raids on north African ports westward toward the Atlantic Ocean, trying to gain strategic position over Moorish traders. He sent the Portuguese explorers Joao Goncalves Zarco and Tristao Vaz Teixeira down the African coast to find a more direct overland route to central Africa. By 1420, the two explorers had reached the islands of Porto Santo and Madeira, both part of the Madeira Islands group.
Henry sent colonists to the island of Madeira and began planting sugar. Sugar was highly profitable, but its production required much labor. In 1441, Henry’s sailors began bringing African slaves to the island to meet the heavy demand for labor. Madeira became the model for future slave-based plantations in the Americas.
Profits from sugar production and slave trading, along with revenues from the Order of Christ, helped to fund Henry’s later voyages. One of his goals was to send explorers beyond Cape Bojador, in what is now Western Sahara. At that time, Cape Bojador was the southernmost location known to Europeans. After several unsuccessful attempts, an expedition led by Gil Eanes finally sailed past the cape in 1434. Later voyages reached the Cape Verde islands (1455-1456) and Sierra Leone (1460).
Henry died on Nov. 13, 1460. The navigational knowledge and drive for exploration gained under his direction led to several historic voyages within 50 years of his death. One of the most famous was Vasco da Gama’s voyage around the southern tip of Africa to India in the late 1490’s.
A number of myths have surrounded Henry’s life. Some people have claimed that Henry was a talented scientist. But in reality, he followed astrology as much as astronomy. Astrology is the belief that the stars and other heavenly bodies influence people’s lives. Astronomy is the scientific study of the universe and the objects in it. Henry has also been credited with organizing a navigational school at Sagres, near Cape St. Vincent, Portugal, but historians are not sure that the school existed.
