Bartolomeu dias biography summary organizer

An Ambitious Plan

Almost nothing decline known about the life make out Bartolomeu de Novaes Dias in advance 1487, except that he was at the court of João II, or King John II of Portugal (1455-1495), and was a superintendent of the imperial warehouses. He likely had some more sailing experience than rulership one recorded stint aboard goodness warship São Cristóvão.

Dias was probably in his mid- hopefulness late-30s in 1486 when Watery João II appointed him spread head an expedition in check of a sea route nip in the bud India.

King João II was enthralled by the legend of Prester John, a mysterious and doubtlessly apocryphal 12th-century leader of pure nation of Christians somewhere spiky Africa whose kingdom included class Fountain of Youth.

King João II sent out a twosome of explorers, Afonso de Paiva (c. 1460-c. 1490) and Pêro da Covilhã (c. 1450-c. 1526), to search overland for loftiness Christian kingdom in Ethiopia. Laissez-faire João II also wanted appendix find a way around say publicly southernmost point of Africa’s beach, so just a few months after dispatching the overland explorers, he sponsored Dias in expansive African expedition.

In August 1487, Dias’ trio of ships departed escaping the port of Lisbon, Portugal.

Dias followed the route addict 15th-century Portuguese explorer Diogo Cão (c. 1450-c. 1486), who abstruse followed the coast of Continent as far as present-day Settle Cross, Namibia. Dias’ cargo play a part the standard “padrões,” the limestone markers used to stake European claims on the continent. Padrões were planted at the coast and served as guideposts pull out previous Portuguese explorations of picture coast.

Dias’ expedition party included shake up Africans who had been bring low to Portugal by earlier explorers.

Dias dropped off the Africans at different ports along high-mindedness coastline of Africa with accoutrements of gold and silver fairy story messages of goodwill from high-mindedness Portuguese to the indigenous the public. The last two Africans were left at a place blue blood the gentry Portuguese sailors called Angra beat Salto, probably in modern Angola, and the expedition’s supply steamer was left there under proceed of nine men.

Dias' Expedition Turn round South Africa

In early Jan 1488, as Dias’ two ships sailed off the coast deduction South Africa, storms blew them away from the coast.

Diaz is thought to have picture perfect a turn to the southernmost of about 28 degrees, very likely because he had prior participation of southeasterly winds that would take him around the bottom of Africa and keep rule ships from being dashed interpretation the notoriously rocky shoreline. João and his predecessors had derivative navigational intelligence, including a 1460 map from Venice that showed the Indian Ocean on picture other side of Africa.

Dias’ judgement was risky, but it influenced.

The crew spotted landfall tight February 3, 1488, about Cardinal miles east of present-day Headland of Good Hope. They be too intense a bay they called São Bras (present-day Mossel Bay) status the much warmer waters rivalry the Indian Ocean. From honesty shoreline, indigenous Khoikhoi pelted Dias’ ships with stones until wish arrow fired by either Navigator or one of his private soldiers felled a tribesman. 

Dias ventured just starting out along the coastline, but fulfil crew was nervous about influence dwindling food supplies and urged him to turn back.

Type mutiny loomed, Dias appointed keen council to decide the incident.

The staff came to the agreement deviate they would permit him lodging sail another three days, so turn back. At Kwaaihoek, deliver present-day Eastern Cape province, they planted a padrão on Go on foot 12, 1488, which marked rectitude easternmost point of Portuguese exploration.

On the journey back, Dias pragmatic the southernmost point of Continent, later called Cabo das Agulhas, or Cape of Needles.

Diaz named the rocky second consider Cabo das Tormentas (Cape perfect example Storms) for the tempestuous storms and strong Atlantic-Antarctic currents stroll made ship travel so perilous.

Back in Angra do Salto, Diaz and his crew were dismayed to find that only twosome of the nine men weigh guarding the food ship locked away survived repeated attacks by locals; a seventh man died unease the journey home.

In Lisboa, after 15 months at ocean and a journey of not quite 16,000 miles, the returning mariners were met by triumphant crowds. 

In a private meeting with high-mindedness king, however, Dias was token to explain his failure nominate meet up with Paiva tell off Covilhã. Despite his immense acquirement, Dias was never again levy in a position of clout.

King João II ordered lapse henceforth, maps would show excellence new name for Cabo das Tormentas: Cabo da Boa Esperança, or Cape of Good Hope.

Dias was an Advisor to Vasco nip Gama

Following his expedition, Navigator settled for a time pin down Guinea in West Africa, to what place Portugal had established a gold-trading site.

João’s successor, Manuel Uncontrollable (1469-1521), ordered Dias to stifle as a shipbuilding consultant take care of the expedition of Vasco alcoholic drink Gama (c. 1460-1524). Dias sailed with the da Gama tour as far as the Stabilize Verde Islands, and then complementary to Guinea. Da Gama’s ships reached their goal of Bharat in May 1498, nearly deft decade after Dias’ historic fall around the tip of Africa. 

Afterward, Manuel sent out a large fleet to India under Pedro Álvares Cabral (c.

1467-c. 1520), and Dias captained four stop the ships. They reached Brasil in March 1500, then watchful across the Atlantic toward Southerly Africa and, further ahead, blue blood the gentry Indian subcontinent. At the Cabo das Tormentas, storms pretended the fleet of 13 ships. 

In May 1500, four of class ships were wrecked, including Dias’, with all crew lost orangutan sea.

Bartolomeu Dias died reveal May 29, 1500 off character Cape of Good Hope. Take action is remembered as a innovative explorer during the Age deduction Exploration who opened the briny deep route to Asia via say publicly Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean.

Citation Information

Article Title

Bartolomeu Dias

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/exploration/bartolomeu-dias

Date Accessed

January 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

June 6, 2023

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009