1394-1460
Prince Of Portugal

Henry, the Duke of Viseu, is best known for the somewhat inaccurate name Henry the Navigator. The title Navigator was added to Prince Henry of Portugal's name in the nineteenth century by an admiring English scholar. This title has stuck despite the fact that Henry himself was not a famous navigator. He is credited with gathering navigators, scholars, and cartographers around him at Sagres, on the peninsula of St. Vincent overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. He used his wealth and influence to sponsor Portuguese voyages to the West Coast of Africa between 1419 and 1460. On these voyages the Portuguese made significant advances in navigation, and they began to sail a type of ship called the caravel. Caravels were perfected during Henry's lifetime in order to combat head winds and contrary currents on the return voyage of Portuguese ships from Guinea. Sailors learned to...