5. what is one way henry the navigator changed europeans’ view of the world?

Who Was Prince Henry the Navigator?

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. Henry is regarded as an originator of the Age of Discovery and the Atlantic enslaved people trade.

Early Influences

Henry the Navigator was born in 1394 in Porto, Portugal. He was the third surviving son of King John I and Philippa of Lancaster.

In 1415, Henry, his father and his older brothers led an attack on Ceuta, a town in Morocco along the Strait of Gibraltar. The attack succeeded, and Ceuta fell under Portuguese control. Henry became fascinated with Africa, a continent about which the Portuguese knew little. He developed a desire to learn about the Muslims who lived there, primarily in hopes of conquering them and spreading Christianity. And he became aware of Africa’s many resources, which he hoped to exploit for Portugal’s gain.

Significance in History

Henry is often credited with beginning the Age of Discovery, the period during which European nations expanded their reach to Africa, Asia and the Americas. Henry himself was neither a sailor nor a navigator, his name notwithstanding. He did, however, sponsor many exploratory sea voyages. In 1415, his ships reached the Canary Islands, which had already been claimed by Spain. In 1418, the Portuguese came upon the Madeira Islands and established a colony at Porto Santo.

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When these expeditions began, Europeans knew virtually nothing about the area past Cape Bojador on the west coast of Africa. Superstition had kept them from going farther. But under Henry’s orders, Portuguese sailors moved beyond Bojador. By 1436, they had traveled as far as the Rio de Oro.

In addition to sponsoring exploratory voyages, Henry is also credited with furthering knowledge of geography, mapmaking and navigation. He started a school for navigation in Sagres, at the southwestern tip of Portugal, where he employed cartographers, shipbuilders and instrument makers. It was from Lagos, near Sagres, that many of his sponsored trips began.

Enslaved People Trade

Henry has the dubious distinction of being a founder of the Atlantic enslaved people trade. He sponsored Nuno Tristao’s exploration of the African coast, and Antao Goncalves’s hunting expedition there in 1441. The two men captured several Africans and brought them back to Portugal. One of the captured men, a chief, negotiated his own return to Africa, promising in exchange to provide the Portuguese with more Africans. Within a few years, Portugal was deeply involved in the enslaved people trade.

Death

Henry died in 1460 in Sagres, Portugal. By the time of his death, Portuguese explorers and traders had advanced as far as the region of modern-day Sierra Leone. It would be another 28 years before Vasco de Gama, under the Portuguese flag, would sail clear around Africa and complete an expedition to India. 

Henry the Navigator
Henry the Navigator, as well as new technology, greatly assisted the Europeans’ ability to expand trade around the world. As the Europeans were able to expand trade around the world, they created a surplus of supplies and became wealthy. Consequently, Europeans start to grow in population throughout their colonies. Henry the Navigator helped the Europeans discover more land and made it easier to expand overseas. Europeans relied on the use of new technology and Henry the Navigator to expand trade around the world.
One way that helped the Europeans expand trade around the world was technology. The marine chronometer was an important piece of technology. Marine chronometer was a specialized clock for finding longitude at…show more content…
This ship was fast and was very easily moved unlike past ships. Though the Caravel was pretty small, they were extremely useable. The ship Nina and the Pinta were made by the famous ship maker Christopher Columbus. PBS.org notes that “Judging by his name, you might think that Henry the Navigator was a great explorer with extraordinary navigating skills. Truth is, Prince Henry of Portugal never set sail on voyages of discovery.” Even though he did not travel himself, he sent fourteen expeditions toward…show more content…
The movements of Europeans stretch beyond the limits of their homelands and both to the East and the West. This is movement that was started by Henry the Navigator and had important results. In time it led to European influence and in some ways European domination to every continent on the globe. People from the late fifteenth century all wanted new lands. Ferdinand Magellan, Vasco da Gama who found sea route to India, Pedro Cabral who discovered Brazil, and Bartolomeu Dias who reached Africa all expanded Europeans land and all studied at the Institute of Sagres. The start of the late fifteenth century, explorers, conquerors, missionaries, merchants, and adventurers was seeking to claim new land to colonize or to live. It was only a matter of time before royal enemies fought over land possession and trade routes. This fighting over lands, settlements, trade, and exploration actually led to the growth of New World. The Europeans, technology allowed them to use their influence, negotiation, or military force to control the lands and as the trade routes grew an economic system of mercantilism was

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