Who was Henry the Navigator and what did he do?
Prince Henry the Navigator (aka Infante Dom Henrique, 1394-1460) was a Portuguese prince who famously helped capture the North African city of Ceuta, sponsored voyages of exploration with the aim of building colonies in the North Atlantic and West Africa, and began the Portuguese involvement in the African slave trade.
How many voyages did Prince Henry the Navigator?
14 expeditions
Prince Henry’s school sent 14 expeditions into “The Sea of Darkness”. Prince Henry himself even convinced some explorers to go further south.
What voyages did Prince Henry the Navigator sponsor?
Funds appropriated from the Order of Christ largely financed the Atlantic voyages along the western coast of Africa that Henry began to promote in the mid-1420s.
Why was Prince Henry the Navigator an important explorer?
The Portuguese prince Henry the Navigator (1394-1460) launched the first great European voyages of exploration. He sought new lands and sources of revenue for his kingdom and dynasty and searched for eastern Christian allies against Islam.
Where did Henry the Navigator explore?
Africa
Although Prince Henry the Navigator was neither a sailor nor a navigator, he sponsored a great deal of exploration along the west coast of Africa. Under his patronage, Portuguese crews founded the country’s first colonies and visited regions previously unknown to Europeans.
What did Henry the Navigator invent?
Traditional biographies of Henry have credited him with other revolutionary achievements such as the invention of the oceangoing caravel ship and the perfection of the critical navigational instrument called the astrolabe.
What were Prince Henry the navigator’s reasons for exploring?
Prince Henry’s expeditionary goals were to increase navigational knowledge along the western coast of Africa and find a water route to Asia, to increase trade opportunities for Portugal, to find gold to provide the trips’ own funding, to spread Christianity around the world, and defeat Muslims-and perhaps even to find Prester John, a legendary wealthy priest-king thought to reside somewhere in Africa or Asia.
Why did Prince Henry the navigator encourage exploration?
Prince Henry the Navigator was the Prince of Portuagal who used his own money to pay for expeditions of discovery in the Atlantic Ocean and down the coast of Africa. His goals were to test and gain scientific knowledge, find a route to the rich spice trade of the Indies, and spread the Christian faith.
How did Prince Henry the navigator change the world?
Prince Henry the Navigator was the royal prince of Portugal and is commonly credited for starting the Age of Exploration. He was a patron for many explorers. He sent them down the west coast of Africa to create a map of the coast to defeat the Muslims. In 1418 Henry opened up the first school of oceanic navigation.
What did Prince Henry the navigator discover on his voyage?
What did Prince Henry the Navigator discover? Following this success, Henry began to explore the coast of Africa, most of which was unknown to Europeans. His objectives included finding the source of the West African gold trade and the legendary Christian kingdom of Prester John, and stopping the pirate attacks on the Portuguese coast.