Bartolomeu Dias discovered the Cape of Good Hope. Bartolomeo Dias - the famous Portuguese navigator

Bartolomeu Dias (c. 1450 - 1500) - Portuguese navigator. He was the first to round the southern tip of Africa and discover the Cape of Good Hope. It can be said that he saw India, but, like Moses in the promised land, he did not enter it. About the life of Bartolomeo Dias before the start of his famous voyage, the sources remain silent. Moreover, authentic reports about the voyage itself have not come down to us. Scientists have only brief references in the writings of chroniclers.

The full name of the Portuguese navigator is Bartolomeu (Bartolomeo) Dias de Novais. It has been established that he came from the family of João Dias, who was the first to circumnavigate Cape Bojador, and Dinis Dias, who discovered the Green Cape.

It is known that Dias was a fidalgu (nobleman), courtier of King João II, at one time was the manager of the royal warehouses in Lisbon, but was also known as an experienced navigator. In 1481, as part of the expedition of Diogo Azambuja, he sailed to the shores of Africa. Apparently, that is why King Juan, who continued the work of his great-uncle Henry the Navigator, appointed him commander of one of the two fleets that set off to explore the coast of Africa and search for a sea route to India.

The appointment took place in October 1486, but the ships went to sea only in August of the following year. Perhaps this was due to the fact that the king considered the expedition especially important and difficult, as they prepared for it very carefully. The flotilla of three ships included a special vessel loaded with food, water, weapons, and even spare ship gear in case of repairs. Peru d'Alenquer, the most famous navigator of that time, was appointed the chief helmsman, who was allowed to sit at the same table with the king when the courtiers were forced to stand. Other officers were also true experts.

Finally, three caravels under the command of Dias left Lisbon and moved along the African coast. On the port, in addition to the team, there were several Negroes, men and women, who were to be landed on the coast of Africa along the route of the flotilla. Former slaves had to talk about the wealth and power of Portugal. In this way, the Portuguese hoped to finally get the attention of "Priest-King John". In addition to the 1st, the Negroes were dressed in European clothes and carried samples of gold, silver, spices and other goods that were of interest to Europe. They were supposed to convince the natives to trade with Portugal.

At first, Dias headed to the mouth of the Congo, and then, with great caution, sailed along the unfamiliar African coast to the south. He was the first of the Portuguese to set up padranas on the banks he discovered - stone crosses with inscriptions indicating that the territory belonged to the Portuguese crown.

Beyond the Tropic of Capricorn, the flotilla was blown south by a storm. For thirteen days the sailors did not see the land and considered themselves dead. After the storm, they sailed first to the east, then, and in search of land, to the north. Finally, on February 3, 1488, they saw a coast with high mountains. Soon the happy sailors found a convenient bay and landed on the shore, where they saw cows and black shepherds. At first, the Negroes, frightened by strangely dressed white people, fled, but then they began to throw stones at the sailors. Diash threatened them with a crossbow, but the natives, not knowing what it was, continued to behave aggressively. Then Dias shot an arrow and killed one of the attackers, who became the first victim of white aggression in South Africa.

The bay was named Bahia dos Vaqueiros - the harbor of the Shepherds (modern Mossel). She was behind the still undiscovered Cape of Good Hope, more than 200 miles away. However, Dias realized that they had circled Africa only when he noticed that the coast stretched to the east. He headed east and reached Algoa Bay and a small island. They put a pad-run on it. Dias wanted to continue the journey, but the crew, exhausted by the Fudnosti of the way and suffering from hunger (the cargo ship lagged behind), opposed this. Persuasion and consultations with the officers and leaders of the sailors did not lead to anything. Even when Dias invited the team to say under oath how, but in their opinion, people in the royal service should act, the situation did not change. Then the commander drew up a document that recorded the general decision, and invited everyone to sign it. When the formalities were completed, he still managed to get a favor - to sail forward for another two or three days. The flotilla reached the mouth of a large river, which was named Rio di Infanti - in honor of João Infanti, one of the captains of the flotilla, who was the first to land here.

From here the expedition turned back. Passing near the padran, set in the bay of Algoa, Dias, as one of the! chroniclers, said goodbye to him “with such a deep feeling of sadness, as if parting with his son, doomed to eternal exile; he recalled the danger with which both for himself and for all his subordinates he had come such a long way, having in mind one single goal - and now the Lord did not give him: to reach the goal.

But on the way back, Dias was waiting for another discovery. His gaze opened up to the majestic cape and Table Mountain. Now he has passed the southernmost tip of Africa and given it a name. It is usually said that the navigator called it the Cape of Storms, but in December 1488, during the report of Dias on the journey, the king suggested calling it the Cape of Good Hope, since he was sure that the sea route to India had been found. In fact, this, apparently, is nothing more than a legend that arose on the basis of a report by the famous Portuguese historian of the 16th century. Barrush. Contemporaries testified that Diash himself was the author of the name.

Near Cape Dias went ashore, recorded observations in a sea chart and a log, and placed a padran, which has survived to this day, calling it San Grigoriu.

Now it was necessary to find a freighter. He was found, but only three of the nine crew members remained on board, one of whom also died of illness soon after. The rest died during skirmishes with the natives, who coveted the things of the sailors.

Supplies were placed on two ships, the cargo ship was burned beyond repair, and then moved back along the west coast of Africa. Along the way, the sailors picked up the wrecked Duarti Pasek Pireira and the surviving sailors, took the gold bought from the natives by the royal trading post on the Gold Coast, and finally, in December 1488, anchored in Rishtella, a western suburb of Lisbon.

He was the first European to circumnavigate Africa from the south, discover the Cape of Good Hope and enter the Indian Ocean. He reached one of the southern capes of Africa, which was named Cape Storms.

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Biography

Almost nothing is known about Dias's early life. For a long time he was considered the son of one of the captains of Enrique the Navigator, but even this has not been proven. The clarification "de Novais" commonly added to his surname was first documented in 1571, when King Sebastian I appointed Dias' grandson, Paulo Dias de Novais, governor of Angola.

In his youth, he studied mathematics and astronomy at the University of Lisbon. There are references that for some time Dias served as the manager of the royal warehouses in Lisbon, and in 1481-1482 he participated as the captain of one of the caravels in the Diogo de Azambuja expedition, sent to build the Elmina fortress on the coast of Ghana.

After Kan died during another expedition (according to another version, he fell into disgrace), the king instructed Diash to take his place and go in search of a way to India around Africa. Dias's expedition consisted of three ships, one of which was commanded by his brother Diogo. Under the command of Dias were excellent sailors who had previously sailed under the command of Can and knew the coastal waters better than others, and the outstanding navigator of Peru de Alenquer. The total crew number was about 60 people.

Dias sailed from Portugal in August 1487, moved south of Caen on December 4, and in the last days of December anchored in the Gulf of St. Stephen's (now Elizabeth's Bay) in southern Namibia. After January 6, storms began that forced Dias to go to the open sea. A few days later he tried to return to the bay, but the land was not visible. The wanderings continued until February 3, 1488, when, turning north, the Portuguese saw the coast of Africa east of the Cape of Good Hope.

Having landed on the shore, Dias discovered the settlement of the Hottentots and, since it was the day of St. Blaise, named the bay after this saint. The Negroes accompanying the squadron could not find a common language with the natives, who first retreated and then tried to attack the Europeans' camp. During the conflict, Dias shot one of the natives with a crossbow, but this did not stop the rest, and the Portuguese urgently had to set off. Dias wanted to sail further east, but upon reaching Algoa Bay (near the modern city of Port Elizabeth), all the officers under his command spoke in favor of returning to Europe. The sailors also wanted to return home, otherwise they threatened to revolt. The only concession they agreed to was three more days of travel to the northeast.

The limit of Dias' eastward advance was the mouth of the Great Fish, where in 1938 a padran he had installed was discovered. He turned back, convinced that the task of the expedition had been completed and, if necessary, rounding the southern tip of Africa, it was possible to reach India by sea. It remains only to find this southern tip. In May 1488, Dias landed on the coveted cape and, as it is believed, named it the Cape of Storms in memory of the storm that almost killed him. Subsequently, the king, who had high hopes for the sea route to Asia discovered by Dias, renamed it the Cape of Good Hope.

Dias returned to Europe in December 1488, having sailed for 16 months and 17 days, apparently instructed to keep his discoveries secret. Information about the circumstances of his reception at court has not been preserved. The king was waiting for news from presbyter John, to whom Peru da Covilhã was sent by land, and hesitated to finance new voyages. Only after the death of João II, 9 years after the return of Dias, the Portuguese finally equipped an expedition to India. Vasco da Gama was placed at its head. Dias was entrusted with supervising the construction of ships, since he knew from personal experience what kind of ship design was needed to sail in the waters of South Africa. According to his orders, oblique sails were replaced with rectangular ones, and the hulls of the ships were built with the expectation of a small draft and greater stability. Also, in all likelihood, it was Dias who gave Vasco da Gama advice, sailing south, after Sierra Leone, to move away from the coast and make a detour across the Atlantic, because he knew that this was how one could bypass the adverse winds. Dias accompanied him to the Gold Coast (Guinea), and then went to the fortress of Sao Jorge da Mina, of which he was appointed commandant.

When Vasco da Gama returned and confirmed the correctness of Dias' guesses, a more powerful fleet was equipped in India, led by Pedro Cabral. On this journey, Dias commanded one of the ships. He participated in the discovery of Brazil, however, during the transition towards Africa, a storm broke out, and his ship was irretrievably lost. Thus he perished in the very waters that brought him glory. The grandson of Bartolomeu Dias - Paulo Dias de Novais - became the first governor of Angola and founded the first European settlement there -

Bartolomeu Dias (born 1450 - went missing on May 29, 1500) was a famous Portuguese navigator. In search of a sea route to India in 1488, he was the first European to circumnavigate Africa from the south, discover the Cape of Good Hope and go to the Indian Ocean. He was one of the first Portuguese to set foot on Brazilian soil ...

After their death, the Portuguese monarchs lost interest in research for some time. For a number of years they were engaged in other matters: internecine wars took place in the state, there were battles with the Moors. Only in 1481, after the accession to the throne of King João II, did the African coast again see the lines of Portuguese ships and a new galaxy of brave sailors. The most significant of them was undoubtedly Bartolomeu Dias.

What is known about the sailor

Bartolomeu Dias came from a noble family and at one time worked as a warehouse manager in Lisbon. He was a descendant of Dias, who discovered Cape Bojador, and Dias, who discovered Cape Verde. All travelers had a talent that helped them in the struggle to expand the world. Thus, Henry the Navigator was a scholar and organizer, and Cabral were as much warriors and administrators as they were sailors. And Dias was more of a sailor. He taught many of his companions the art of navigation. We know little about the life of Bartolomeu Dias, even the date of his birth cannot be established exactly. But it is known that he was a genius of navigation.

First travels

For the first time his name is mentioned in a short official document in connection with his exemption from paying duties on ivory brought from the coast of Guinea. Thus, we learn that he traded with countries just discovered by the Portuguese. 1481 - he commanded one of the ships sent to the Gold Coast under the general command of Diogo d'Asambuja.

An unknown person at that time also participated in the expedition of d'Asambuzh. After 5 years, Dias was in the position of chief inspector of the royal warehouses in Lisbon.

To the coast of Africa

1487 - he again set off along the African coast at the head of an expedition of two ships. They were small (even for those times), each with a displacement of about 50 tons, but so stable that heavy guns could be placed on them, they were attached to a transport ship with supplies. The main helmsman was the experienced Guinean navigator Pedro Alenquer. There is no evidence that the purpose of the Dias expedition was to reach India. Most likely, the goal was long-range reconnaissance, the results of which were doubtful for the main actors.

It is also not clear which ships Dias had - caravels or "round ships" - nao. As you can see from the name, the Portuguese of the 15th century distinguished "round ships" from caravels, primarily because of their peculiar design - because of the rounded contours of the hull. Under 26 ° south latitude, Dias placed a stone pillar-padran, part of which is still intact.

Dias decided to go further south and, despite the storm, sailed non-stop for 13 days, gradually moving away from the coast. The navigator hoped to make good use of the wind. After all, this endless continent must end sometime!

The storm did not subside. Far to the south, he found himself in the zone of westerly winds. It was cold here, all around - only the open sea. He decided to find out if the coast still stretches to the east? 1488, February 3 - he came to Mossel Bay. The coast went to the west and to the east. Here, apparently, was the end of the mainland. Dias turned east and reached the Great Fish River (Great Fish River). But the exhausted crew, having already lost hope of overcoming the difficulties that seemed to have no end, demanded that the ships turn back. Dias tried to persuade his sailors, to threaten, to seduce with the riches of India - nothing helped. With a bitter feeling, he ordered to go back. It seemed to him, he wrote, that "he left his son there forever."

Return trip

On the way back, the expedition rounded a sharp cape that jutted far into the sea. Behind the cape, the coast turned sharply to the north. In memory of the trials that fell to their lot, Dias called this place the Cape of Storms, but King Juan II renamed it the Cape of Good Hope - the hope that, in the end, the cherished dream of the Portuguese sailors would come true: the way to India would be opened. Dias overcame the most difficult part of this path.

Sailors rarely received a decent reward for their labors. And Dias did not receive any award, although the monarch knew that he was one of the best sailors in Europe.

New expedition, new captain

When preparations began for a new expedition to India, Bartolomeu Dias was appointed head of the construction of ships. Naturally, he was supposed to be the head of the expedition. However, who will be able to fight against the royal decision? Vasco da Gama was appointed head of the expedition.

Thanks to the experience and knowledge of Bartolomeu, da Gama's ships were built differently from what was previously accepted: they had a more moderate curvature and less heavy deck than other ships. And of course, the advice of an experienced captain was very useful to the new commander. Bartolomeu Dias was then the only sailor who ever rounded the Cape of Good Hope. He knew what difficulties would be encountered off the southern coast of Africa. It was probably he who advised da Gama, going south, to stay as far from the coast as possible.

If Dias went on an expedition a second time, he himself would have led the ship this way. But Dias was appointed commander of a fortress built by the Portuguese on the malarial Guinean coast, and he was allowed to accompany the fleet only to the Cape Verde Islands. Here, with pain in his heart, Dias saw off the ships that went south under the leadership of a new commander, who set off for success and glory along the road laid by him, Dias.

Discovery of Brazil. Missing

After Europe was stunned by the discoveries of Columbus, everything began to move. Everyone wanted to get their own piece of the New World. And Vasco da Gama returned with full holds of Indian goods, which fully confirmed all the discoveries of Dias. They remembered the old sailor. After the successful return of Vasco da Gama to India in 1500, a large and powerful fleet was equipped under the command of Pedro Cabral. But India was only the official destination. The decree of the monarch is to explore the ocean of western Africa. Capital expedition, it required specialists. Bartolomeo Dias was invited to command one of the ships of the fleet.

The result of the exploration of western waters by the Cabral expedition was the discovery of Brazil. After such a good start, it seemed that everything would go well with India as well. The Portuguese fleet approached southern Africa at the most inopportune time (the end of spring in the northern hemisphere). The storm swept the ships over a vast area. The ship commanded by Bartolomeo Dias was last seen near the "Cape of Good Hope" on May 29, 1500. When the storm subsided, the fleet missed almost half of the ships. Diash's ship also disappeared without a trace.

Nobody has ever seen him dead. Officially, he began to be considered "missing." But some sailors claim that the legendary "" is controlled by none other than Bartolomeo Dias.

There are no portraits of Dias. 1571 - His grandson Paolo Diaz Novais became the governor of Angola, who founded the first European city in Africa - Sao Paulo de Luanda.

The value of the discoveries

This was a rapid breakthrough for Portugal in the exploration of Africa. Dias was not only able to open a route around the African continent, but also explored its coast for 1260 miles. It was the longest trip ever. The crew of Captain Dias was at sea for 16 months and 17 days. They found a way to the Indian Ocean, opened the Cape of Good Hope.

Bartolomeo Dias - the famous Portuguese navigator

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Bartolomeo Dias in search of a sea route to India in 1488, he was the first European to circumnavigate Africa from the south, discover the Cape of Good Hope and enter the Indian Ocean. He was among the first Portuguese to set foot on the soil of Brazil ..

Year of birth

The year of birth is presumably 1450. He was baptized, married ... - exact information is not available.

Origin

It is known that Dias was of noble origin and was in the inner circle of the king. The surname Dias is quite common in Portugal, there are suggestions that he was related to some famous navigators of that time.

Education

In his youth, he studied mathematics and astronomy at the University of Lisbon. But most importantly, he attended the famous school of sailors in Sagris, founded by the famous Prince Henry the Navigator, which prepared a whole cascade of brilliant Portuguese sailors.

Occupation

Like almost all of all the nobles in Portugal, Bartolomeo Dias's activities were connected with the sea, from his youth he participated in various sea expeditions. On the campaign of 1481-82. to the shores of Ghana was already the captain of one of the caravels. For a while, Dias performedresponsibilities chief inspector of the royal warehouses in Lisbon. There is evidence that he was familiar with Christopher Columbus, then unknown to anyone, and he and Dias even participated in some kind of joint voyages. And fate will push them together again, after.

Finding ways to India - the main task of Portugal in the 15th century

", BGCOLOR, "#ffffff", FONTCOLOR, "#333333", BORDERCOLOR, "Silver", WIDTH, "100%", FADEIN, 100, FADEOUT, 100)"> After the death of Henry the Navigator (1460), there was a commercial break in the Portuguese overseas expansion - the attention of the royal court was diverted to other things. But as soon as the internal problems were solved, the attention of the first (and second) persons of the state again turned to overseas expansion, primarily to the exploration and plunder of Africa, and to the search for a way to India. It should be remembered that in this era there was still a transitional period in the minds of sailors and cartographers - many of them were sure that the earth was flat! The other part already doubted it. But despite this, the exploration of Africa and the search for new ways to the East, bypassing the Turks, continued.

The idea that the Atlantic and Indian oceans are connected was first loudly voiced by the Portuguese navigator Diego Kahn. It was Kan who first reached the mouth of the Congo (Zaire). It was he who drew attention to the fact that south of 18 degrees south latitude, the coastline deviates to the east. From this, Kahn conjectured that there was a sea route around Africa to the Indian Ocean.

Dias is instructed to find a way out to the Indian Ocean

The Portuguese king instructed Bartolomeo Dias to check Kahn's assumptions, appointing him the leader of the expedition, the purpose of which was the maximum breakthrough to the south along the African coast and the search for an exit to the Indian Ocean. Although the official purpose of the campaign was seek out a certain "country of Persbyter John", a Christian African king. There is no intelligible information about this country in history.

", BGCOLOR, "#ffffff", FONTCOLOR, "#333333", BORDERCOLOR, "Silver", WIDTH, "100%", FADEIN, 100, FADEOUT, 100)"> For ten months (!) Bartolomeo Dias prepared the expedition, carefully selected the ships, completed the crew, calculated the supply of provisions and everything that might be needed on a voyage to no one knows where. The expedition of three ships also included the so-called cargo ship - a floating pantry, with stocks of food, weapons, spare equipment, building materials, etc. The leadership of the flotilla was made up of outstanding sailors of that time: Leitao, Joao Infante, Peru de Alenquer, who later described the first voyage of Vasco da Gama, Alvaro Martins and Joao Grego. The cargo ship was commanded by Bartolomeu's brother, Peru Dias. In addition, several black Africans were taken on the expedition, whose task was to facilitate contacts with the natives of new lands.

The expedition started from the Portuguese coast in August 1487. In early December of the same year, Dias and his comrades reached the shores of present-day Namibia, where they were overtaken by a severe storm. ", BGCOLOR, "#ffffff", FONTCOLOR, "#333333", BORDERCOLOR, "Silver", WIDTH, "100%", FADEIN, 100, FADEOUT, 100)"> As an experienced navigator, Dias hastened to take the ships to the open sea. Here they were battered by the sea waves for two weeks. When the hurricane died down, neither Dias nor his pilots could determine their location. Therefore, at first they took a bite to the west, in the hope of "bursting" into the African coast, then turned to the north. And they saw him - on February 3, 1488. Having landed on the coast, the pioneers noticed the natives and tried to make contact with them. The black interpreters of the expedition, however, did not understand the language of the local population. And they behaved quite aggressively and Diash had to retreat.

Riot on the ship

But Diash and his commanders noticed that the coast in this place does not stretch to the south, but directly to the east. Dias decided to continue sailing in this direction. But then the unexpected happened - the entire leadership of the flotilla spoke in favor of immediately going home to return. And the team threatened to riot in case of refusal. Dias was forced to accept their demands, bargaining for the condition that the voyage continue eastward for another three days. (It is interesting that it will get into very 4 years later. But there three days cost much more!)

Having covered a segment of about 200 miles during this time (the sailboats of those times quite allowed such a throw - 200 miles with a fair wind, the caravel could pass in a day! See: ), the ships reached the mouth of the river, which Dias named Rio di Infanti - in honor of João Infanti, one of the captains of the flotilla, who first went ashore here. Another padran was erected right there. With these padrans, the Portuguese, as it were, staked out their possessions on the African continent.

Bartolomeo Dias discovering the Cape of Good Hope

Nothing to do, the expedition turned back home. And already on the way back, Bartolomeo Dias discovered the southernmost tip of Africa, calling it the Cape of Storms. Legend has it that upon returning from a voyage, after the report of Bartolomeo Dias, King Juan II proposed to rename this place the Cape of Good Hope, which is the southernmost tip of Africa to this day. Behind the cape, the coast turned sharply to the north.

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Despite the fact that the Portuguese were formally located south of the coast of their country, and the fact that February is a summer month in the southern hemisphere, all members of the team noticed that it was very cold in these latitudes. Although the existence of the South Pole was not yet even a guess.

Return to Lisbon

The Dias expedition returned to the harbor of Lisbon in December 1488. They sailed for a total of 16 months and 17 days - three times longer than Columbus did on his first expedition!

Strangely, Dias did not receive any reward for his discovery. In any case, there is no information about this. There is a version that King Juan II ordered to keep the discovery made secret. Perhaps he noted the merits of Dias somehow quietly. And perhaps not.

But fate itself gave Juan II a historical chance. Another would have immediately equipped the next expedition in his place to get to the fabulous Indian shores. An, no. Did not happen. And only after the death of João II, after 9 years, the Portuguese decided to equip a large expedition specifically to reach the shores of India.

Expedition of Vasco da Gama to India

By all accounts, it is Bartolomeo Dias who should lead such an expedition. But the little-known Vasco da Gama(1460-1524). did not take part in long sea expeditions. In 1492, French pirates captured a Portuguese gold caravel sailing from Africa. In response, the Portuguese king instructed his officer Vasco da Gama to seize all French ships that were on the roadsteads in French ports. Vasco da Gama brilliantly coped with the assigned task and the French were forced to return the captured caravel. And Vasco da Gama, for his decisiveness and organizational skills, received an award and a special disposition of the king.

", BGCOLOR, "#ffffff", FONTCOLOR, "#333333", BORDERCOLOR, "Silver", WIDTH, "100%", FADEIN, 100, FADEOUT, 100)"> And Dias was not a favorite of King Manuel I. But his merits were not forgotten, and they were instructed to lead the construction of ships for a new flotilla to India. Diash treated the order very responsibly. Based on his experience, he made a number of significant changes to the design of the ships, reducing the curvature, lowering the deck superstructures and increasing the stability of the ships. These measures played a positive role and allowed the ships of Vasco da Gama to reach India. And Bartolomeo Dias was appointed commandant of the fortress of Sao Jorge da Mina on the Gold Coast and accompanied da Gama's expedition only as far as there.

When Vasco da Gama's reconnaissance expedition triumphantly returned from India, the government decided not to shelve the matter and equip an even more powerful expedition to India. Now it is no longer for exploration, but for the capture and colonization of new lands. This flotilla was led by someone Pedro Alvares Cabral (1460-1520?), who was not known for any seafaring exploits at all. But this was no longer required. He was not a captain, he was the leader of a flotilla of 13 ships. The purpose of this expedition was diplomatic, political and economic. And Bartolomeo Dias was appointed captain of one of the ships.

Lyrical digression

If all these navigators knew that a quarter of a century before them, a Russian merchant had already "discovered" India in 1469-72. For several years he lived in this country and wrote down his impressions and observations in a manuscript, entitled by him "Journey beyond the three seas"

Bartolomeo Dias - one of the discoverers of Brazil

In addition to the task of securing in India, another important task was assigned to the expedition of Pedro Cabral: to officially “discover” Brazil. Why did the expedition set a course to the southwest of the Atlantic and on April 22, 1500, walked along the South American coast for 10 days, naming new lands Vera Cruz . In the future harbor of Porto Segura, anchors were dropped and "the plot was staked out." Let me remind you that according to the Treaty of Tordesillas, only the Portuguese, but not the Spaniards, could claim this land.

The famous navigator found eternal rest in the ocean waves

Fate was favorable to Bartolomeo Dias. When the expedition approached the Cape of Good Hope, discovered 13 years ago, a terrible storm broke out, and Dias's ship went missing along with its captain. Thus, Dias died at sea as befits a real navigator and discoverer. Eternal memory to the hero!

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Travelers of the Age of Discovery

Russian travelers and pioneers

Bartolomeu Dias (c. 1450 - 1500) - Portuguese navigator.

Introduction

He was the first to round the southern tip of Africa and discover the Cape of Good Hope. It can be said that he saw India, but, like Moses in the promised land, he did not enter it. About the life of Bartolomeo Dias before the start of his famous voyage, the sources remain silent. Moreover, authentic reports about the voyage itself have not come down to us. Scientists have only brief references in the writings of chroniclers.

At the end of the 15th century, many people had a question: is Ptolemy's map of the world correct? On this map, Africa stretched all the way to the South Pole, separating the Atlantic Ocean from the Indian Ocean. But the Portuguese navigators found: the further south, the more the coast of Africa deviates to the east. Maybe the mainland ends somewhere, Or is washed by the sea from the south, Then it would be possible to go around the land, get into the Indian Ocean, and go by ship to India and China and from there bring spices and other valuable goods to Europe by sea.

This exciting riddle was solved by the Portuguese traveler Bartolomeu Dias. Leaving Lisbon in 1487 on three ships, in 1488 he sailed to the southern tip of Africa and even went around it, despite a severe storm. Dias called the southernmost ledge of Africa the Cape of Storms. Behind this cape, his ships entered the waters of the Indian Ocean. But Bartolomeu Dias had to end his journey there: the team, exhausted by storms, demanded to return to their homeland. After the report of Bartolomeu Dias on the results of the voyage, the Portuguese government ordered that the southern cape of Africa be called not the Cape of Storms, but of Good Hope - the hope of reaching India and other countries of the East by sea.

Purpose

stone crosses

Bahia dos Vaqueiros

San Gregorio

Near Cape Dias went ashore, recorded observations in a sea chart and a log, and placed a padran, which has survived to this day, calling it San Grigoriu.

The most significant Portuguese voyage before the voyage of Vasco da Gama was completed. The navigator, in addition to opening a route around Africa, increased the length of the studied African coast by 1260 miles, carried out the longest of all Portuguese travels at that time. At sea, his ships stayed 16 months and 17 days. And yet, apart from the gratitude of posterity, he did not receive any reward. He was not assigned any more expeditions. They were only allowed to observe the construction of ships for the da Gama expedition, and then accompany the discoverer of the route to India. However, he went with the expedition only to the fortress of Georges de la Mina on the Gold Coast of Africa. Finally, as a simple captain, Dias was released with Cabral to India, and he took part in the discovery of Brazil. This trip was his last. On May 23, 1500, the captain died along with his ship during a severe storm not far from the Cape of Good Hope he had discovered.

Conclusion

The discovery of Dias was of great importance. In addition to opening the way for Portuguese and later other European ships to the Indian Ocean, his journey dealt a crushing blow to Ptolemy's theory of an uninhabited hot belt. Perhaps it played a role in organizing the expedition of Columbus, since the brother of the latter, Bartolomeo, who accompanied Dias while sailing around the Cape of Good Hope, a year after it ended, went to England to King Henry VII asking for help for his brother's expedition. In addition, during the report of Dias to the king, Christopher Columbus himself was in the court, on whom the journey of Bartolomeu made a strong impression.

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Biography

What is known about the sailor

First travels

To the coast of Africa

Return trip

New expedition, new captain

Discovery of Brazil. Missing

The value of the discoveries

Bartolomeo Dias - the famous Portuguese navigator

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