Infante Dom Henrique, known as the ‘Navigator,’ was a central figure in the early days of Portuguese discoveries: born in 1394, he participated in the expedition to Ceuta and, as Master of the Order of Christ and 1st Duke of Viseu, founded a centre for nautical studies in the region of Cape St. Vincent — the so-called School of Sagres.
There, supported by popes and the royal family, he brought together scientists and navigators to perfect navigation techniques and promote the gradual exploration of the coast and interior of Africa, with religious and commercial objectives, leaving a lasting legacy even without completing all his plans before his death in 1460.
Portugal's Maritime Expansion - Prince Henry the Navigator
Influence of Prince Henry on Portugal’s Maritime Expansion
1. Origin and titles
Prince Henry was born in 1394, participated in the Ceuta expedition, was Master of the Order of Our Lord Jesus Christ and 1st Duke of Viseu. The son of King John I and Queen Philippa of Lancaster, Prince Henry played a very important role in the history of Portuguese maritime discoveries.
2. Settlement in the southwest and the School of Sagres
Returning from that first journey to Africa, he settled in the extreme southwest of the European continent, near Cape St. Vincent, and there, true to his motto — Talent de bien faire — he created a centre for nautical studies and experiments that became known as the School of Sagres, as it was located near the promontory of that name.
3. Collaborators and voyages
He attracted to his company a cartographer and builder of nautical instruments — Mestre Jácome de Maiorca — and navigators such as the Venetian Cadamosto, among others.
4. Science and improvement of seamanship
Dedicated to mathematics and astronomy, he applied them to the improvement of the seamanship of his time, in order to implement the plan that consisted of the gradual discovery of the coast and interior of Africa, simultaneously aiming at the conversion of its natives to the Christian faith and the establishment of commercial relations useful to the Portuguese.
5. Papal support and financing
Authorised by papal bulls from Popes Eugene IV, Nicholas V and Callistus III, he applied both the revenues of the Order of Christ and others donated to him by his brother Dom Duarte and his nephew Dom Afonso V to this end.
6. Legacy of Prince Henry
When he died in 1460, although he had not completed all the work he had planned, he left it well on track — which is why he was rightly nicknamed the Navigator.
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