Portugal is a country of great navigators and the western outskirts of Europe. Portuguese geographical discoveries

The African port of Ceuta, captured by the Portuguese in 1418, became the first springboard for the implementation of the Atlantic expeditions. The main initiator and inspirer of the development of new lands was the Portuguese Infante Enrique (Henry). The nickname "Seafarer" given to him by his contemporaries testifies to the role he played in initiating long-distance sea voyages. The main task that Henry the Navigator set was to find out how far south of Africa the lands of Muslim states stretch.

It was supposed to lay a trans-African trade route bypassing the countries of Islam. Travels were also motivated by the search for the mythical Christian kingdom of Prester John. Some thought it was on Far East, others in the South. Wealthy merchants and shipowners were involved in organizing the expedition. The first significant geographical discoveries Portuguese sailors became the island of Madeira (1419) and Azores (1427).

Geographical searches in the Middle Ages were held back in part by myths about the existence of the limits of the earth - boundaries, the crossing of which is mortally dangerous for humans. One of these limits was considered Cape Nun off the coast of modern Morocco. Starting from the 20s. 15th century this line was regularly crossed by Portuguese navigators. As a result, the myth about the limits of the ecumene was dispelled. After Captain Gil Eanesh reached Cape Bojador in 1434, the speed of sea progress to the south averaged one degree per year. In 1446, Captain Dinis Dias reached the territory of Senegal; a year later, another Portuguese captain, Alard Fernandez, advanced almost to the coast of Sierra Leone.

Travel has been supported catholic church. According to the bull of 1455 of Pope Nicholas I, all lands and seas open south of the cape Bojador, passed into the possession of the Portuguese king Afonso V and his descendants. Since that time, the royal authorities of Portugal have set the task of laying an enveloping Africa sea ​​route to India. The context of the relevant papal decisions was determined by the fall of Constantinople in 1453 and the capture of the old trade routes by the Ottoman Turks. In this regard, Afonso V was instructed to make geographical map peace.

In 1456, Captain Diogo Gomes reached the territory of modern Cape Verde. From the 60s. 15th century actively developing African coast Gulf of Guinea, from where Portuguese caravels brought gold and ivory to Europe. However, the death in 1460 of Infante Enrique led to sharp decline number of Portuguese travels.

A new impetus to the travels of Portuguese sailors was given in 1469 to the merchant Fernand Gomes the right to a monopoly on trade in the Gulf of Guinea. In exchange, Gomes undertook to explore 100 miles in southbound. Moving further south, the Portuguese sailors crossed the equator. The development of the Southern Hemisphere began.

Further development of the lands of southern Africa was facilitated by the opening in 1481 by King Juan II of a trading post on the Gold Coast. In 1482, the Portuguese entered the mouth of the Congo River, and by 1486 they reached the territory of Namibia. In 1488, an expedition led by Bartolomeu Dias reached the southernmost point of Africa, which he called "Cape of Storms." Rounding the African continent from the south, the European expedition traveled for the first time from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean. Almost at the same time, Pierre de Covilhã, secretly sent by the Portuguese king to search for the kingdom of Prester John, came overland to Ethiopia and India. The information he collected proved that there was a sea route from Europe to Asia. These discoveries of Portuguese travelers refuted the notions of encirclement that had prevailed since the time of Ptolemy. indian ocean dry land on all sides. The Cape of Storms was renamed Cape Good Hope, indicating the hope of reaching India by sea route.

Vasco da Gama, the greatest navigator of the fifteenth century, was born in the Portuguese city of Sinezh in the family of a high-ranking official. As a very young man, he learned to sail, but most attracted young man ship management. As da Gama grew up, the decision of the ruler of the country to continue geographical discoveries started by Dias. The young navigator was ready to go to sea, waiting only for orders.

Road to India

The long-awaited order was given in 1491. Da Gama was given four ships. At the head of his small flotilla, the young admiral set sail. For twelve days they reached the Green Cape. By mid-spring, they passed Mozambique and Melendi, behind which a sea trade route opened between India and the African continent.

With a fair wind, the flotilla moved on, first along the coast of Somalia, then, turning to the northeast, moved further and further away from coastline. Twenty-three days later, Vasco da Gama dropped anchor off the coast of Calcutta. Opening for Portugal trade route to India was completed in less than nine months. The places of King Henry the Navigator came true.

But the opening of the sea route to India did not guarantee the establishment of trade relations with the state. Its ruler Zamorin was dominated by Muslim merchants. These aggressive fanatics completely subjugated the weak Indian government. They forced Zamorin to deceive the captain of the Portuguese ships to go ashore. As soon as da Gama and his entourage entered the Zamorin palace, they were arrested and imprisoned as military hostages. Upon learning of the betrayal, the Portuguese remaining on the ships began to take hostages. Shots were also fired at the buildings of the city. Only under the threat of complete destruction of the city did the Indians release the hostages. The trade treaty with India was concluded under the threat of cannon fire.

After successfully reaching the goal of their mission, the ships turned towards their native port. The return trip was more difficult and longer - only after twenty-six months the travelers arrived in Belem. Vasco da Gama received an audience with the king. As a gift to the ruler, the naval commander brought full holds of jewelry, as well as a golden idol. The idol weighed almost thirty kilograms, its eyes were made of emeralds, and its chest was decorated with walnut-sized rubies.

After less than ten years, the Portuguese again equipped an expedition to India. This time the flotilla consisted of several dozen ships, led by Cabral. But sailing under his leadership was not as happy as da Gama's journey. Most of flotilla sank, besides local population was unfriendly towards the Portuguese navigators. Traders from the locals, having attacked foreigners, exterminated most of them.

Cabral began to prepare for the next expedition, but, remembering the sad fate that befell the first and its ineffectiveness, the king did not allow the offending naval commander to the mission. In the name of the king, da Gama took command.

Two years lasted his second voyage to the shores of India. Arriving here, he knew how to act in order to bring the local population into submission. Forceful intervention proved to be the most effective. Well-armed Portuguese soldiers, or rather, pirates, began to mercilessly exterminate the local population. One mention of the Portuguese brought everyone into mortal horror. Making regular raids into the villages, they everywhere collected bloody tribute. Vasco da Gama burned the ships of the Hindus along with everyone on board, people on the shore were burned alive, there was no mercy even for women and children. The streets of the villages were littered with corpses and dying people.

The brutal massacre was appreciated by the ruler of Portugal. The returning corsair was favored by the authorities and awarded titles and gold. After the second voyage to India, da Gama became the richest man in the state.

On the third voyage to the Indian shores, the navigator set off already in the status of Viceroy. Now his task was not to bring the peoples into submission, but to make the Portuguese colonies as prosperous as they were before. This voyage was as successful as the previous two.

The strengthening of the power given by the name of the Portuguese king was just as ruthless. At the same time, not only the local peoples suffered, but also the Portuguese, who violated the interests of their government.

Significance of Vasco da Gama

Vasco da Gama was a typical representative of his era. Cruelty towards the natives was the norm for this time. But this same man remained for centuries as the greatest navigator and excellent steward, faithful to his homeland.

After the Normans, the Portuguese were the first of the peoples medieval Europe stepped out into the open ocean sea”, as the Atlantic was called in antiquity. From the very beginning of the 15th century, they consistently overcame the many difficulties of sailing in the ocean.

Prince Enrique (1394-1460) played an important role in the development of navigation in Portugal. Later, in the 19th century, he was named Henry the Navigator, although he himself never sailed. The prince believed that no matter how huge the African continent is, it ends somewhere. Therefore, in order to go around it, it is necessary to build good ships and supply from accurate maps and navigational instruments. In 1418 Henry the Navigator built southwest coast Portugal in Sagris an observatory and a shipyard, and also founded a nautical school where geographers, cartographers, mathematicians and astronomers taught Portuguese sailors.

The merits of Henry the Navigator are marked not only by monuments, but also by coins. In 1960, in memory of the 500th anniversary of his death, a series of silver coins with his portrait was issued in Portugal.

In 1987, the Mint of Portugal announced a long-term program (1987-2001) for the issuance of commemorative coins "Golden Era Portuguese discoveries» in honor of the achievements and discoveries of the Portuguese navigators of the XV-XVI centuries. These 100 escudo coins were issued in an annual series of cupro-nickel and precious metals.

The first series, released in 1987-1988. consists of 4 coins dedicated to the 400th anniversary of the discovery of the Cape of Good Hope. These coins marked the voyages of Portuguese sailors along west coast Africa, which eventually led to the opening of a sea route to the Indian Ocean.

On the obverse side of each of the coins is depicted the coat of arms of Portugal from different periods. On the reverse side of the three coins, a ship of the voyage is depicted.

Eanesh lived. Cape Bogador

The first coin of the series is dedicated to one of the turning points in the history of navigation — sea ​​voyage Eanesha lived beyond Cape Bogador on the west coast of Africa. It is depicted on the reverse of the coin to the right of the ship. Medieval Europe believed that Cape Bogador was the edge of the world.

Captain Gil Eanesh was an able student and squire of Prince Henry. In 1433, he tried to go around Cape Bogador, but his team rebelled, and he was forced to turn the ship towards home, reaching only canary islands. A year later, Eanesh tried again and successfully rounded the cape, thus starting the era of great geographical discoveries.

Nunu Tristan

The second coin of the series is dedicated to the navigator and slave trader Nun Trishtan, who was also at the court of Henry. Trishtan discovered the mouth of the Gambia River after Eanesh passed south along Africa. The reverse side of the coin depicts Trishtan's ship and a group of islands to the right of it, which were also discovered by him.

Diogo Kahn

The next of the famous Portuguese captains was Diogo Can. The third coin of the series is dedicated to him. In 1482-86. he made 3 voyages south of the equator, during which he discovered and mapped 1450 miles of the western coast of Africa, reaching the Cape of the Holy Cross. Diogo Kahn was well versed in navigating the stars, which is why the coin dedicated to him depicts a compass and an astrolabe.

On the reverse side, to the right of the ship, there is a relief map of the southwestern part of Europe and the western coast of Africa. On the African coast you can see three stone pillar- such pillars with a cross and the royal coat of arms were installed by Diogo as a sign of the accession of new lands "for the glory of God and the king" to Portugal. On the circumference of the coin, divisions are applied like a compass, and the coordinates corresponding to the mouth of the Congo River, Cape St. Mary and Cape Holy Cross are marked with numbers.

Bartolomeu Dias de Novais

Diogo Cana's voyages were continued by the Portuguese navigator Bartolomeu Dias de Novais. In 1487 he was appointed head of an expedition to discover new lands south of Cape Holy Cross. After a voyage of 16 months and a length of 16,000, Bartolomeu's ships returned to Lisbon with great news - they were in the Indian Ocean and dug new cape, which was called the Cape of Storms, and the king later renamed it the Cape of Good Hope, because with this discovery, Portugal's chances of reaching the shores of India increased. Later, based on the report of Bartolomeu, another great navigator, Vasco da Gama, developed a sailing route to India in 1497-99.

The coin dedicated to Bartolomeu depicts the outlines of the African continent and the Cape of Good Hope is marked with a cross. Two identical sailboats on both sides of the continent symbolize successful journey south of Africa and further along the coast.

Simultaneously with voyages along the coast of Africa, Portuguese navigators began to study the waters of the Atlantic. More on this in the second part of the article.

A geographical discovery is a visit by a representative of a civilized people to a new part of the earth previously unknown to cultural mankind or the establishment of a spatial connection between already known parts of the land.

Why did the era of great geographical discoveries begin?

• Height European cities in the 15th century
• Active development of trade
• Active development of crafts
• Depletion of European mines of precious metals - gold and silver
• The discovery of printing, which led to the spread of new technical sciences and knowledge of antiquity
• Distribution and improvement of firearms
• Discoveries in navigation, the advent of the compass and the astrolabe
• Advances in cartography
• The conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks, which interrupted economic and trade ties Southern Europe with India and China

Geographic knowledge before the beginning of the Age of Discovery

In the Middle Ages, Iceland and the shores of North America were discovered by the Normans; land connections with the countries of far Asia and the Middle East, the Arabs explored the southern and eastern shores mediterranean sea, the shores of the Red Sea, the western bergs of the Indian Ocean, the roads connecting Eastern Europe through Central Asia, Caucasus, Iranian Highlands - with India

Beginning of the Age of Discovery

The beginning of the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries can be considered the activities of the Portuguese navigators of the 15th century and the inspirer of their accomplishments, Prince Henry the Navigator (03/04/1394 - 11/13/1460)

At the beginning of the 15th century, the geographical science of Christians was in a deplorable state. The knowledge of the great scientists of antiquity has been lost. The impressions from traveling alone: ​​Marco Polo, Carpini, Rubruk - did not become public and contained many exaggerations. Geographers and cartographers in the manufacture of atlases and maps used rumors; discoveries made by chance were forgotten; lands found in the ocean were lost again. The same applied to the art of navigation. The skippers had no maps, instruments, navigation knowledge, they were terribly afraid high seas, pressed to the shores.

In 1415, Prince Henry became Grand Master of the Portuguese Order of Christ, a powerful and wealthy organization. With her funds, on the isthmus of Cape Sagres, Henry built a citadel, from where until the end of his days he organized sea expeditions to the west and south, created a navigator school, attracted the best mathematicians, astronomers from Arabs and Jews, collected information wherever and from where he could about distant countries and voyages , seas, winds and currents, bays, reefs, peoples and shores, began to build more perfect and capital ships. The captains went out to sea for them, not only inspired to search for new lands, but also well prepared theoretically.

Portuguese discoveries of the 15th century

• Madeira island
• Azores
• the entire west coast of Africa
• mouth of the Congo River
• Cape Verde
• Cape of Good Hope

Cape of Good Hope, extreme south point Africa was discovered by the expedition of Bartalomeu Dias in January 1488

Great geographical discoveries. Briefly

• 1492 —
• 1498 Vasco da Gama discovers a sea route to India around Africa
• 1499-1502 - Spanish discoveries in the New World
• 1497 John Cabot discovers Newfoundland and the Labrador Peninsula
• 1500 - discovery of the mouth of the Amazon by Vicente Pinson
• 1519-1522 - the first circumnavigation of Magellan, the discovery of the Strait of Magellan, Mariana, Philippine, Moluccas
• 1513 - discovery Pacific Ocean Vasco Nunez de Balboa
• 1513 - Discovery of Florida and the Gulf Stream
• 1519-1553 - discoveries and conquests in South America Cortes, Pizarro, Almagro, Orellana
• 1528-1543 - Spanish discoveries of the interior of North America
• 1596 - discovery of the island of Svalbard by Willem Barents
• 1526-1598 - Spanish discoveries of the Solomon, Caroline, Marquesas, Marshall Islands, islands New Guinea
• 1577-1580 - the second round-the-world voyage of the Englishman F. Drake, the discovery of the Drake Strait
• 1582 - Yermak's campaign in Siberia
• 1576-1585 - British search for a northwestern passage to India and discovery in the North Atlantic
• 1586-1629 - Russian campaigns in Siberia
• 1633-1649 - the discovery by Russian explorers of the East Siberian rivers to the Kolyma
• 1638-1648 - discovery by Russian explorers of Transbaikalia and Lake Baikal
• 1639-1640 - Ivan Moskvin's exploration of the coast of the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bOkhotsk
• The last quarter of the 16th - the first third of the 17th century - the development of the British and French eastern shores North America
• 1603-1638 - French exploration of the interior of Canada, discovery of the Great Lakes
• 1606 - independently discovered by the Spaniard Kyros, the Dutchman Janson north coast australia
• 1612-1632 - discoveries by the British northeast coast North America
• 1616 - discovery of Cape Horn by Schouten and Le Mer
• 1642 Tasman discovers the island of Tasmania
• 1643 Tasman discovers New Zealand
• 1648 - opening of the Dezhnev Strait between America and Asia (Bering Strait)
• 1648 - Fyodor Popov discovers Kamchatka

Ships of the Age of Discovery

In the Middle Ages, the sides of the ships were sheathed with planks, with the top row of boards overlapping the bottom. This is a durable upholstery. but the ships become heavier from this, and the edges of the plating belts create unnecessary resistance to the hull. At the beginning of the 15th century, the French shipbuilder Julien proposed to sheathe ships end-to-end. The boards were riveted to the frames with copper stainless rivets. The joints were glued with resin. This sheathing was called "caravel", and the ships began to be called caravels. Caravels, the main ships of the Age of Discovery, were built at all shipyards in the world for another two hundred years after the death of their designer.

At the beginning of the 17th century, the flute was invented in Holland. "Fliite" in Dutch means "flowing, flowing". These ships could not be overwhelmed by any of the largest shafts. They, like corks, took off on a wave. The upper parts of the sides of the flute were bent inward, the masts were very high: one and a half times the length of the hull, the yards were short, the sails were narrow and easy to maintain, which made it possible to reduce the number of sailors in the crew. And, most importantly, the flutes were four times longer than wide, which made them very fast. In flutes, the sides were also installed end-to-end, the masts were made up of several elements. Flutes were much more capacious than caravels. From 1600 to 1660, 15,000 flutes were built and plowed the oceans, replacing caravels

Mariners of the Age of Discovery

• Alvise Cadamosto (Portugal, Venice, 1432-1488) - Cape Verde Islands
• Diego Can (Portugal, 1440 - 1486) - West coast of Africa
• Bartalomeu Dias (Portugal, 1450-1500) - Cape of Good Hope
• Vasco da Gama (Portugal, 1460-1524) - the way to India around Africa
• Pedro Cabral (Portugal, 1467-1526) - Brazil
• Christopher Columbus (Genoa, Spain, 1451-1506) - America
• Nunez de Balboa (Spain, 1475-1519) - Pacific Ocean
• Francisco de Orellana (Spain, 1511-1546) - Amazon River
• Fernando Magellan (Portugal, Spain (1480-1521) - first circumnavigation of the world
• John Cabot (Genoa, England, 1450-1498) - Labrador, Newfoundland
• Jean Cartier (France, 1491-1557) East Coast Canada
• Martin Frobisher (England, 1535-1594) - polar seas of Canada
• Alvaro Mendanya (Spain, 1541-1595) - Solomon Islands
• Pedro de Quiros (Spain, 1565-1614) - Tuamotu archipelago, New Hybrids
• Luis de Torres (Spain, 1560-1614) - the island of New Guinea, the strait that separates this island from Australia
• Francis Drake (England, 1540-1596) - second circumnavigation of the world
• Willem Barents (Netherlands, 1550-1597) - the first polar navigator
• Henry Hudson (England, 1550-1611), explorer of the North Atlantic
• Willem Schouten (Holland, 1567-1625) - Cape Horn
• Abel Tasman (Holland, 1603-1659) - Tasmania, New Zealand
• Willem Janszon (Holland, 1570-1632) - Australia
• Semyon Dezhnev (Russia, 1605-1673) - the Kolyma River, the strait between Asia and America

lucky geographical position, mastering Arabic geography and mathematics, maritime affairs contributed to the transformation of Portugal in the XV century. on maritime power. The beginning of the geographical discoveries of the Portuguese is associated with the activities of Prince Enrique the Navigator, a talented organizer of sea expeditions in which not only nobles, but also merchants took part. They tried to find the way to the desired shores of India by sailing along the western coast of Africa and rounding its southern edge. At the same time, the Portuguese, starting from the 40s of the XV century, regularly equipped expeditions to West Africa for slaves, ivory, golden sand, spices. The names "Pepper Coast", "Ivory Coast", "Gold Coast", "Slave Coast" appeared on the map of Africa. Huge profits came to the Portuguese treasury from the new lands.

In 1486, the navigator Bartolomeu Dias (1450-1500) managed to reach, sailing along the western coast of Africa, her southern edge and go to the Indian Ocean, but was forced to turn back under the threat of a riot of sailors. The southern tip of Africa was called the Cape of Good Hope - the hope that the next navigators could reach India. The expedition, which found a sea route to India, was led by the 28-year-old Portuguese Vasco da Gama (1469-1524). In the summer of 1497 he set out from Lisbon with four ships. Sailing along the western coast of Africa and bypassing the Cape of Good Hope, Vasco da Gama went to Mozambique. There, seeing Arab ships loaded with gold, silver, pearls and spices, he realized what riches he could find in India. Despite the resistance of the Arabs, he found a guide to the shores of India.

On May 20, 1498, Portuguese ships entered the Indian port of Calicut. According to one of the expedition members, they were received rather coolly. Over the gifts of the Portuguese to the Raja of Calicut, his housekeeper laughed, saying that the poor merchant would have given more. Vasco da Gama ordered the members of the expedition to buy spices. At the end of the year, having loaded the ships and received a letter from the Raja to the King of Portugal, Vasco da Gama went home.

The return to Portugal lasted almost a year. Vasco da Gama was received by the Portuguese King Manoel with great honors and received the title of "Admiral of Indian Waters".

The significance of Vasco da Gama's expedition was that it opened a sea route to India along the western coast of Africa. Simultaneously, this discovery laid the foundation of the Portuguese colonial empire. Thanks to their superiority in military force and naval technology, the Portuguese drove the Arabs out of the Indian Ocean. large territories the Portuguese usually did not capture, but created numerous, well-fortified trading posts on the coast. From here they attacked neighboring territories, forcing local leaders and rulers to pay tribute to them with spices. Gradually they increased their sphere of influence and in 1521 achieved the greatest success - Portuguese trading posts appeared in the Moluccas.

The spice trade was declared a monopoly (exclusive right) of the Portuguese king. Merchants who brought this product to Lisbon received 800% of the profit. To save high prices the king allowed to import 5-6 ships of spices per year. Taking control of east way to India, the Portuguese tried to find and western way. Already after the discovery of America by Columbus, a squadron led by Pedro Cabral discovered Brazil in 1500 and declared it the property of the Portuguese king. Like this small country Portugal created colonial empire, whose population in the XV century. was about 1 million people.