Enrique the navigator that discovered. Henry the Navigator: biography, creativity, career, personal life

Henry the Navigator was born on March 4, 1394 to the Portuguese king João I. The beginning of the era of the Great geographical discoveries is associated with his name. Heinrich Enrique himself lived in the city of Porto. As a member of the royal family, it was necessary for him to study the history and culture of his state, to learn how to manage the country. In his youth, the young prince was engaged in fencing and horseback riding, comprehended the natural sciences and religion.

Heinrich paid special attention to military craft and exercises with a spear. His mother, a true Englishwoman, instilled in her children the ideals of chivalry, upbringing and respect for elders. Heinrich and his brothers played chess and composed poetry. However, all his work was manifested in military art. It was military affairs that determined the further fate of the crown prince.

Passion for war and religion made Henry a minister of the church - a knight - a crusader. He was directly involved in military campaigns, the seizure of various territories. The Portuguese prince was a participant in a military campaign in Africa, as a result of which he was able to capture the fortress of the Moors and bring many slaves home.

First military campaigns

The capture of the fortress of Ceuta, located on the African coast, becomes Henry's first sea campaign. From that moment on, an irresistible desire to travel, make discoveries and acquire new lands arises in him. Henry became the founder of navigation in Portugal, although he himself was directly involved in expeditions no more than three times. However, despite this, the nickname "Seafarer" was firmly entrenched in him.

While in Africa, the prince learned about caravans carrying gold and spices from Guinea. He began to look for sea routes to the gold-bearing lands. He made huge plans to annex new territories. Henry participated not only in military campaigns. As a true knight - a crusader, he sought to free the Christian population from the infidels. It was from Christian slaves that he learned about gold-rich lands and made preparations for sea voyages.

Heinrich sought to enrich Portugal, so he abandoned his military career and devoted all his time to the construction of shipyards and ships. The crown prince retired from the royal court and settled in Sagrisha, where he began to plan sea voyages. In Sagrisha, Heinrich becomes the founder of the spiritual - knightly order and began work on the construction of ships.

No one before Henry dared to go out into the Atlantic Ocean, considering it unsafe. Since no one was engaged in swimming on the ocean, there were no maps of the islands and coasts either. Heinrich independently studied the geography of Africa and tried to put theoretical knowledge on maps. This was a creative person. With his filing, many successful sea expeditions were organized.

Expeditions of Henry the Navigator

An excellent education, received by Henry through the efforts of his mother Philippa, served him well. In 1416, Enrique sent the first ships to the coast of Africa. Travelers reached the western coast of Morocco, but refused to sail further. The first failure did not frighten Henry. He continued to form new expeditions.

In 1420, through the efforts of a navigator, the island of Madeira was discovered, which became the first colony of Portugal. A few years later, the Azores were discovered. Heinrich Enrique petitioned the Pope to grant Portugal new lands inhabited by Christian peoples. The pope agreed, and the new lands passed to the Portuguese crown.

Black slaves were brought from Madeira to Portugal. The slave trade began to develop, on which the king introduced a state monopoly. A flood of gold, silver, spices and slaves poured into Europe. Open territories became not only colonies, but also markets for raw materials and products. The international market begins to take shape.

Practically without going to sea, Heinrich was able to make many travels and discoveries. Through his efforts, the Cape Verde Islands were discovered, the mouth of the Senegal River was discovered, and a geographical map of the western coast of the African continent was created.

During the life of Henry the Navigator, Portugal was still a rather poor and small country, so the prince paid attention to the development of trade relations between colonies and peoples. New goods began to arrive in the country, international relations were established. In 1458, the last expedition organized by Henry went to sea.

The Portuguese prince devoted the last years of his life to the development of a sea route to India. In Sagrisha, he founded a navigational school, opened an observatory and invited many foreign specialists to train young sailors.

Heinrich Enrique made an invaluable contribution to the development of the maritime affairs of Portugal, took part in the training of sailors. It was he who made the necessary changes to the design of the caravel so that it would be possible to safely go out into the open ocean on it. Enormous funds were spent on the construction of ships and shipyards, which subsequently fully paid off.

On the territory of Portugal, a monument was opened to the famous navigator. The era of the Great Geographical Discoveries began with the reign of Henry.

Infante Enrique received from his father the title of Duke de Viseu, then ruler of the Algarve and became Grand Master of the Order of Christ in 1420. Having settled in 1436 in Lagos, near Cape Sagrish, he united sailors, mathematicians, geographers, astrologers, merchants and doctors around him, became interested in the development of navigation, shipbuilding and began to conduct research expeditions along the African coast. Under his command, the island of Madeira was settled, then the Azores, the Portuguese reached Cape Bogador (1434), Cape Verde (1444) and Sierra Leone (1460). An exemplary ruler of the Renaissance, Enrique was not alien to the ideas of crusades against Muslims, gaining profits and the joy of knowledge.

Ryukua A. Medieval Spain / Adelina Ryukua. - M., Veche, 2014, p. 378-379.

Henry the Navigator (Dom Enrique o Navegador) (March 1394 - 13. XI. 1460) - Portuguese prince, inspirer and organizer of the Portuguese overseas expansion. With the support of influential merchants of coastal cities, he organized a number of expeditions to the northwestern shores Africa and in the waters of the Central Atlantic. During these expeditions, the island of Madeira (1420) and the Azores (1432) were discovered, and the gradual advance of Portuguese navigators along the Mauritanian and Senegalese coasts began. For the development and exploitation of the newly discovered territories, Henry the Navigator created the Order of Christ on the model of the spiritual and knightly orders. Henry the Navigator developed a program of colonial conquests, according to which, in the 30s and 40s of the 15th century, Portuguese navigators advanced from Cape Bojador to the coast of Guinea and discovered the Cape Verde Islands (1456). On the initiative of Henry the Navigator, the export of African slaves to Portugal began (in 1441). Under Henry the Navigator, about 3,500 km of the West African coast was discovered and mapped. In the last years of his life, Henry the Navigator developed plans for new expeditions, the purpose of which was to establish a through sea route to India.

Soviet historical encyclopedia. In 16 volumes. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1973-1982. Volume 4. THE HAGUE - DVIN. 1963.

Henry the Navigator, Enrique (Dom Hen-rique o Navegador) (1394-1460), Portuguese prince - son of King João I of Avis, head (master) of the Christian order, organizer of numerous sea expeditions to explore the western coast of Africa and part of the Atlantic. In 1420, at the expense of the order, he founded an observatory and a maritime school in Sagris (Portugal) and for 40 years sent ships in the South, in search of gold, slaves, a sea route to India and the African Christian country of "Prester John". The most significant geographical discoveries made by his envoys (he did not sail himself) are the identification of the Madeira archipelago (1419–1420), as well as the Azores (1427–1459) and Verde Cape (1456–1460). The prince's captains surveyed and mapped 3600 km of the coast of Africa - from Gibraltar to 11 ° N. sh., examined the lower navigable sections of a number of rivers, including Senegal and the Gambia. Henry the Navigator (he received this nickname in the 19th century) played a huge role in the history of Portugal. Thanks to him, many experienced sailors were trained in the country, its merchant fleet became the first in Europe. Under him, the mass trade in African slaves, the training of dogs for catching people and the exploitation of the first (island) Portuguese colonies began. The founder of navigational science in Portugal, the initiator of systematic expeditions, who dreamed of opening a sea route to India, Henry did no less to explore the Earth than many sailors and travelers who risked their lives.

Modern illustrated encyclopedia. Geography. Rosman-Press, M., 2006.

Read further:

Iberian states, after the conquest of the Iberian Peninsula by Muslims and before the formation of a unified Spanish state, this term refers to the kingdoms of Asturias, León, León and Castile, Spain.

Historical Persons of Spain (index of names).

Literature:

Magidovich I.P., Essays on the history of geogr. discoveries, M., 1957;

Sanceau, E., Henry the Navigator..., N. Y., 1947.

When they talk about the era of great geographical discoveries, his name is remembered last. Although thanks to the efforts of this romantic long-distance voyage and a fanatical crusader warrior, Portugal began the colonial seizure of Africa, and black slaves were first brought to Europe. But the organizer of these trips in his entire life went to sea only three times and no further than 200 miles. And yet, the Portuguese Prince Henry deservedly bore the proud nickname "navigator".

Infante Heinrich or Enrique, born in 1394, was the son of King João I of Portugal and Philippe of Lancaster, who brought the tradition of British chivalry to the country. Enrique and his brothers were taught the seven knightly virtues - writing poetry, riding, fencing, playing checkers, hunting and swimming, but most of all the young man was interested in owning a spear, although he did not neglect the study of natural sciences and theology. Chivalry as a military and religious service determined the whole subsequent life of Henry. At the age of 21, he initiated the capture of the Moorish fortress in northern Africa.
Only 150 miles - such was the length of the first sea voyage, the future inspirer of the Portuguese sea conquests.

The defense of Ceuta, a new outpost of the Portuguese on the African coast, was entrusted by the king to Infante Henry. To do this, part of the income of the treasury passed into the complete and uncontrolled conduct of the prince, and after 5 years the prince became the Grand Master of the Order of the Cross.
Now, in the hands of the navigator, enormous power was concentrated: spiritual, military and financial. And Prince Henry disposed of this power in the best way for Portugal. From freed Christian slaves, he learned about the caravans that transported gold from the coast of Guinea through the African desert to the Muslim ports of the Mediterranean. Known in geography, the prince decided that Guinea could be reached by sea, then the treasures taken from the infidels could be taken to Lisbon. In addition, bypassing Muslim territories from the south, one can reach Christian Ethiopia and begin profitable trade with it, and then reach India itself by sea.
Scientific curiosity, reinforced by accurate geographical maps found in Ceuta, was mixed with the Infante's conquest plans. And when Henry's brother Prince Pedro brought from Venice the manuscript of the already famous traveler Marco Polo, the Infante firmly decided that the lands lie south of Ceuta.

Prince Henry took up the organization of sea expeditions to the northwestern coast of Africa. At the insistence of the prince, in 1431 astronomy and mathematics were included in the program of the University of Lisbon. In 1438, near Cape St. Vincent, in the fortress of Sagres, Prince Henry organized an observatory and a nautical school, Villa de Infante. Prominent scientists, astronomers, cartographers and navigators from all over Europe were invited there, and the navigator prince participated in discussions along with scientists. Everyone worthy was admitted to the school, regardless of class, religious and ethnic differences, which was unusual for Catholic Portugal in the 15th century.
Through the efforts of the prince, the nautical school of Villa de Infanta became the first scientific center in European history. A huge wind rose 43 meters in diameter is still preserved in the fortress - a diagram of long-term observations of the direction and strength of the wind. Inspired by the support of the prince, the captains of the Portuguese caravels discovered the island of Madeira in 1418. At the same time, the navigator began to explore new lands and soon the first settlers appeared in Madeira, and wine began to be delivered to the Metropolis - a rare quality even for wine-growing Portugal.

Then, for decades, Henry stubbornly equipped sea expeditions to the Canary Islands, but the captains could not get past the underwater rocks at Cape Bojador. Sailing ships received holes on the ill-fated cape, where, as it was believed at that time, dragons were found, and sank.
But in 1434, having rounded it from the side of the open ocean, one of the captains opened the way to West Africa, and Henry received the honorary title of "navigator".

But why did Henry the Navigator himself never go on long sea expeditions?
It was believed that the prince was afraid of pirates or that he considered it insulting for a person of royal blood to be among the sailors, but most likely the prince considered it his main business to analyze the reports of the captains, separate truth from fiction and equip new sea voyages. The romantic of distant wanderings, Henry the Navigator, deliberately closed the sea for himself.

Henry the Navigator never married. Restrained and gloomy, he considered himself guilty of the death of his younger brother Ferdinand, who was captured by the Moors during their unsuccessful sea expedition to Tangier in 1437.
Heinrich spent his last years in Sagrisha, surrounded by students of his nautical school. Two years before his death, he briefly went to sea for the third time.
Henry the Navigator died on November 13, 1460.
His work was continued by the famous Portuguese sailors Bartolomeo Dias, Vasco da Gamma and the greatest of the Infante's followers, Ferdinand Magellan. They owe their achievements to the Portuguese prince Henry the Navigator - the man on the coat of arms, which was inscribed: "Talent for good deeds."

But the organizer of these trips in his entire life went to sea only three times and no further than 200 miles. And yet, the Portuguese Prince Henry deservedly bore the proud nickname " navigator».

Infante Henry or Enrique, born in 1394, was the son of the Portuguese king João I and Philippe of Lancaster, who brought the tradition of British chivalry to the country. Enrique and his brothers were taught the seven knightly virtues - writing poetry, riding, fencing, playing checkers, hunting and swimming, but most of all the young man was interested in owning a spear, although he did not neglect the study of natural sciences and theology. Chivalry as a military and religious service determined the whole subsequent life of Henry. At the age of 21, he initiated the capture of the Moorish fortress in northern Africa. Only 150 miles - such was the length of the first sea campaign, the future inspirer of the sea conquests of Portugal.

The defense of Ceuta, a new outpost of the Portuguese on the African coast, was entrusted by the king to Infante Henry. To do this, part of the income of the treasury passed into the complete and uncontrolled conduct of the prince, and after 5 years the prince became the Grand Master of the Order of the Cross. Now in hand navigator enormous power was concentrated: spiritual, military and financial. And Prince Henry disposed of this power in the best way for Portugal. From freed Christian slaves, he learned about the caravans that transported gold from the coast of Guinea through the African desert to the Muslim ports of the Mediterranean. Known in geography, the prince decided that Guinea could be reached by sea, then the treasures taken from the infidels could be taken to Lisbon. In addition, bypassing Muslim territories from the south, you can reach Christian Ethiopia and start profitable trade with it, and then reach India itself by sea. Scientific curiosity, reinforced by accurate geographical maps found in Ceuta, was mixed with the Infante's conquest plans. And when Henry's brother Prince Pedro brought from Venice the manuscript of the already famous traveler Marco Polo, the Infante firmly decided that the lands lie south of Ceuta.

Prince Henry took up the organization of sea expeditions to the northwestern coast of Africa. At the insistence of the prince, in 1431 astronomy and mathematics were included in the program of the University of Lisbon. In 1438, near Cape St. Vincent, in the fortress of Sagres, Prince Henry organized an observatory and a nautical school, Villa de Infante. Prominent scientists, astronomers, cartographers and navigators from all over Europe were invited there, and the navigator prince participated in discussions along with scientists. Everyone worthy was admitted to the school, regardless of class, religious and ethnic differences, which was unusual for Catholic Portugal in the 15th century. Through the efforts of the prince, the nautical school of Villa de Infanta became the first scientific center in European history. A huge wind rose 43 meters in diameter is still preserved in the fortress - a diagram of long-term observations of the direction and strength of the wind. Inspired by the support of the prince, the captains of the Portuguese caravels discovered the island of Madeira in 1418. At the same time, the navigator began to explore new lands and soon the first settlers appeared in Madeira, and wine began to be delivered to the Metropolis - a rare quality even for wine-growing Portugal.

Then, for decades, Henry stubbornly equipped sea expeditions to the Canary Islands, but the captains could not get past the underwater rocks at Cape Bojador. Sailing ships received holes and sank on the ill-fated cape, where dragons were believed at that time. In 1434, having rounded it from the side of the open ocean, one of the captains opened the way to western Africa, and Henry received the honorary title of "navigator".

But why did Henry the Navigator himself never go on long-distance sea expeditions. It was believed that the prince was afraid of pirates or that he considered it insulting for a person of royal blood to be among the sailors, but most likely the prince considered it his main business to analyze the reports of the captains, separate truth from fiction and equip new sea voyages. The romantic of distant wanderings, Henry the Navigator, deliberately closed the sea for himself and, like a true knight, kept his word.

Henry the Navigator never married. Restrained and gloomy, he considered himself guilty of the death of his younger brother Ferdinand, who was captured by the Moors during their unsuccessful sea expedition to Tangier in 1437. Heinrich spent his last years in Sagrisha, surrounded by students of his nautical school. Two years before his death, he briefly went to sea for the third time.

monuments and monuments to Henry the Navigator

Henry the Navigator died on November 13, 1460. His work was continued by the famous Portuguese sailors Bartolomeo Dias, Vasco da Gamma and the greatest of the Infante's followers, Ferdinand Magellan. They owe their achievements to the Portuguese prince Henry the Navigator - the man on the coat of arms, which was inscribed: "Talent for good deeds."

(1394-1460), correct Enrica (Dom Enrique o Navigator), Portuguese prince, nicknamed the Navigator. For 40 years, he equipped and sent numerous sea expeditions to explore the Atlantic coast of Africa, creating the prerequisites for the formation of a powerful colonial empire of Portugal. Born March 4, 1394 in Porto. The third son of King Joan I (founder of the Avis dynasty) and his wife Philippa of Lancaster (daughter of John of Gaunt).

In 1415, Prince Henry, together with his father, took part in a military campaign, as a result of which the Moorish fortress of Ceuta, located on the African coast of Gibraltar, was taken. There he learned that caravans loaded with gold, following from the Niger River valley, crossed the Sahara, but decided that Portugal should look for sea routes to the gold-bearing lands of Guinea. Thus was the beginning (since 1416) of a long and well-organized campaign of sea expeditions. The ships moved along the African continent and returned to Portugal, using a wide belt of tailwinds and coastal currents. One of the results of these expeditions was the discovery of Madeira (1418-1419) and the Azores (1427-1431). Madeira Island, located 900 km southwest of Portugal, became the first Portuguese colony. On his lands began to grow sugar cane and planted vineyards. The exploration of Africa itself was fraught with great difficulties, for example, Cape Bojador in the south of the Canary Islands posed a great danger to navigation. But the southern route to the tropical lands of Africa was finally opened - in 1434 Gilles Ianish rounded the cape. Henry was strongly influenced by his brother Prince Pedro, the king's second son. In 1418-1428 he visited many of the royal courts of Europe. Later, Pedro arrived in Venice, where he observed with interest the trade of the Venetians with the eastern countries, and where he was presented with the manuscript of the Book of Marco Polo. After reviewing the manuscript, Heinrich invited the captains of their ships to collect information about the sea route to India, as well as about the African Christian country of Ethiopia. He hoped to reach this land by bypassing the Muslim countries from the southeast. In this he was supported by his brother Pedro. After the second campaign in Ceuta (1418), Henry established his residence in the Algarve, the southernmost province of Portugal, where the reliable bay of Lagos was located. In 1443, Henry received at his disposal Sagrish, the southwestern point of Portugal at Cape San Vicente, or, as it was then called, the "Sacred Cape". There, at the expense of the Portuguese spiritual and knightly order of Christ, of which he was the head, the prince founded an observatory and a nautical school. Called Villa do Infante, it became a center of attraction for prominent scientists, cartographers and astronomers of the time. Henry's life was a chain of personal tragedies. In 1437, together with his younger brother Ferdinand, he participated in an unsuccessful expedition to Tangier; Ferdinand was taken prisoner by the Moors and imprisoned, where he died because Henry failed to ransom him. After that, in 1438, his older brother, King Duarte, died. The middle brother Pedro became regent, but, starting a fight with the contender for the throne, Alfonso V, he was killed at Alfarrobeira in 1449. All these events led to the fact that the expeditions were organized by Henry sporadically, and long intervals appeared in their schedule. Nevertheless, in 1444 Henry's captains discovered the Senegal River, two years later they reached the Gebe River in Sierra Leone. South of this point, during the life of Henry, the Portuguese could not advance. In 1455 and 1456 the Venetian Alvise da Cadamosto, the most famous of Henry's skippers, sailed up the Gambia River in the Gambia, and the following year discovered the coast of the Cape Verde Islands. At this time, a massive trade in African slaves began, the center of which was located in Argen, not far from Cape Blanco. Henry encouraged the slave trade, and considered the act of baptizing slaves as a way to save their souls. The prince's expeditions began to generate income, and in the eyes of the Portuguese nobles and merchants, Henry became a national hero. Henry spent his last years in almost complete seclusion in Sagrisha, surrounded only by members of his "university", although in 1458 he accompanied a successful expedition to Tangier and further south to Arquila. He then returned to Saghris on the "Sacred Cape", where he died on November 13, 1460.
LITERATURE
Melnikova E.A. The image of the world. Geographic representations in Western and Northern Europe. M., 1998

Collier Encyclopedia. - Open Society. 2000 .

See what "HEINRICH THE NAVIGator" is in other dictionaries:

Henrique ... Wikipedia

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