Prince Henry the Navigator was the son of King Joao and his mother, the Queen, Philippa of Lancaster. He lived in Portugal and was born in 1394. Prince Henry was most famous for the voyages of discovery. He organized and financed the discoveries. Henry was a very commited man. He stuck to his word and was devoted to his work. Prince Henry was the Governor of the Order of Christ. He made it possible for the Europeans to explore Africa. Henry wanted to find a water route to India, but the passage way to India was very dangerous, long and slow. Prince Henry had decided to have Portugal to have a share of riches. Back then in Henry's time, the ocean was a dangerous place. Even back then, Africa had been a myterious place, that seemed to have been endless miles of sand. Henry the navigator had set up schools for sailors to learn about the oceans.
He helped unlock the secrets of Africa. Prince Henry had also paid for many sailing expeditions from the Portuguese treasures. The maps made it easier for the sailors to learn from the previous expeditions. When Henry died in 1460, his sailors had only reached to the Canary Islands in West Africa. Later on, people didn't relize that the Indians he had encountered weren't really from India. This is a summary of Prince Henry the Navigator's life. |
