Henry the Navigator - what he discovered. Henry the Navigator and great geographical discoveries. Interesting facts about Henry the Navigator

When people talk about the era of great geographical discoveries, his name is the last to be remembered. Although, thanks to the efforts of this particular romantic of long voyages and fanatical crusader warrior, Portugal began the colonial conquest of Africa, and black slaves were brought to Europe for the first time. But the organizer of these trips himself went to sea only three times in his entire life and no further than 200 miles. And yet the Portuguese Prince Henry deservedly bore the proud nickname “navigator”.

Infante Henry or Henrique, born in 1394, was the son of the Portuguese king John I and Philippa of Lancaster, who brought the traditions of British chivalry to the country. Enrique and his brothers were taught the seven knightly virtues - writing poetry, horse riding, fencing, playing checkers, hunting and swimming, but most of all the young man was interested in mastering a spear, although he did not neglect the study of natural sciences and theology. Chivalry as a military and religious service determined Henry's entire subsequent life. At the age of 21, he initiated the capture of a Moorish fortress in northern Africa.
Only 150 miles - such was the length of the first sea voyage, the future inspiration for the naval conquests of Portugal.

The king entrusted the defense of Ceuta, a new Portuguese outpost on the African coast, to Infante Henry. To achieve this, part of the treasury's income came under the complete and uncontrolled control of the prince, and after 5 years the prince became the Grand Master of the Order of the Cross.
Now enormous power was concentrated in the hands of the navigator: spiritual, military and financial. And Prince Henry used this power in the best way for Portugal. From freed Christian slaves, he learned about caravans that transported gold across the African desert from the coast of Guinea to the Muslim ports of the Mediterranean. The prince, knowledgeable in geography, decided that Guinea could be reached by sea, then the treasures taken from the infidels could be taken to Lisbon. In addition, by bypassing Muslim territories from the south, you can reach Christian Ethiopia and begin profitable trade with it, and then reach India itself by sea.
The Infante’s aggressive plans were also mixed with scientific curiosity, supported by accurate geographical maps found in Ceuta. And when Henry’s brother Prince Pedro brought from Venice the manuscript of the already famous traveler Marco Polo, the Infant firmly decided that the lands lay south of Ceuta.

Prince Henry began organizing sea expeditions to the northwestern shores of Africa. At the insistence of the prince, astronomy and mathematics were included in the program of the University of Lisbon in 1431. In 1438, near Cape Saint Vincent in the fortress of Sagres, Prince Henry organized the observatory and nautical school of the Villa de Infante. Prominent scientists, astronomers, cartographers and navigators from all over Europe were invited there, and the navigator prince participated in discussions along with the scientists. The school accepted all worthy people regardless of class, religious and ethnic differences, which was unusual for Catholic Portugal in the 15th century.
Through the efforts of the prince, the nautical school of Villa de Infanta became the first scientific center in European history. The fortress still preserves a huge 43-meter diameter wind rose - a diagram of long-term observations of the direction and strength of the wind. Inspired by the support of the prince, the captains of the Portuguese caravels discovered the island of Madeira in 1418. At the same time, the navigator began to explore new lands and soon the first settlers appeared in Madeira, and wine began to be delivered to the Metropolis - rare in quality even for wine-producing Portugal.

Then, for decades, Henry stubbornly equipped sea expeditions to the Canary Islands, but the captains could not get past the underwater rocks at Cape Bojador. Sailing ships were hit by holes on the ill-fated cape, where dragons were believed to be found at that time, and sank.
But in 1434, having rounded it from the open ocean, one of the captains opened the way to West Africa, and Henry received the honorary title of “navigator”.

But why did Henry the Navigator himself never set off on long-distance sea expeditions?
It was believed that the prince was afraid of pirates or that he considered it offensive for a person of royal blood to be among the sailors, but most likely the prince considered his main business to analyze the captains' reports, separate truth from fiction and equip new sea voyages. The romantic of distant travels, Henry the Navigator, deliberately closed the sea to himself.

Henry the Navigator never married. Reserved and gloomy, he believed himself responsible for the death of his younger brother Ferdinand, who was captured by the Moors during their unsuccessful naval expedition to Tangier in 1437.
Henry spent his last years in Sagrish, surrounded by students from his nautical school. Two years before his death, he briefly went to sea for the third time.
Henry the Navigator died on November 13, 1460.
His work was continued by the famous Portuguese sailors Bartolomeo Dias, Vasco da Gamma and the greatest of the Infante's followers, Ferdinand Magellan. They owe their achievements to the Portuguese Prince Henry the Navigator - the man on the coat of arms who was inscribed: “Talent for good deeds.”

The era of great geographical discoveries significantly expanded the horizons of people's ideas about the world. During this period, the fleet of different countries was actively built, the science of shipbuilding developed, new trade routes were formed, educational institutions appeared that combined the knowledge of the East and Europe, and the preconditions were laid for the mass trade of slaves. All this became possible thanks to the brave sailors who, risking their lives, set off along an uncharted path towards storms and storms. However, in the list of names of those who distinguished themselves as discoverers during the Age of Discovery, there is rarely a prince who essentially laid the foundations for the exploration of uncharted lands.

During his life, Henry went to sea only three times over short distances, but, nevertheless, he is the most prominent representative of the discoverers. It was he who brought Portugal unprecedented fame and enormous wealth, which forced all European rulers to take into account the opinion of this country. Today we will tell you about this amazing person, who is undeservedly rarely mentioned in the context of sea discoveries. So, meet Henry the Navigator.

Brief biography of the Portuguese prince

Henry Henrique was born on March 4, 1394. was born to King Joan and Philippe, who was an English princess before her marriage. The high birth of the prince's mother brought her own traditions to the royal palace. First of all, this concerned the upbringing of children. The spirit of chivalry was brought up in the sons, which consisted not only in physical development, but also in the discovery of creative talents. If we talk briefly about the childhood of Henry the Navigator, we can say that it was spent in constant study of music, painting, horse riding and learning to use various types of weapons.

From an early age the prince showed an inclination towards military affairs, and already at the age of twenty he took part in the capture of Ceuta together with his father. The fortress was located on the African coast, and this was the future discoverer’s first acquaintance with sea voyages. Henry the Navigator managed to show himself in the most favorable light and gained fame as an excellent military leader. From this period, he was entrusted with the further defense of this fortress and most of the treasury's income.

Three years after the capture of Ceuta, the prince settled in the south of Portugal and began preparing for Portuguese expansion in Africa. Gradually, a nautical school was opened in the country, where the best cartographers of the world taught, an observatory was founded, new models of ships were developed, and sea expeditions were equipped one after another. All this was carried out under the careful supervision of Henry the Navigator. What he actually discovered is little known to the general public, although the list of his achievements is very wide.

With the light hand of the prince, the Portuguese received Madeira, the Azores and moved deeper into the continent, capturing rich and promising lands. During the same period, accurate maps were created and new trade routes were laid out. Portugal began to engage in the slave trade, having received from the Pope a monopoly on the captured lands.

Henry the Navigator died in 1460, surrounded by people who studied at the school he founded. In his honor, a sculpture was erected in Lisbon, immortalizing the prince as a pioneer.

Childhood of the infanta

The main achievement attributed to Henry the Navigator is the discovery of the Middle Atlantic. But in his childhood, the prince did not at all dream of great geographical discoveries, although historians know very little information about this period of his life.

From the few records we can conclude that the young infant was a very diligent student. He literally absorbed all the knowledge presented to him by his teachers. He showed a great inclination towards military strategy and natural sciences. Subsequently, he showed himself not only as a talented military leader, but also as a person versed in astronomy, geography and mathematics. In addition, Heinrich was excellent with weapons, which he was able to confirm when he reached the age of twenty.

Capture of Ceuta: the significance of the first military campaign

At the age of twenty, Henry the Navigator went on a military campaign with his father. Joan I dreamed of going down in history as the ruler who fought the Moors, so he decided to get his son involved in military affairs and went with him to take Ceuta. The young prince was inspired by his first successes, and in further battles he showed everything he was capable of. His fame quickly spread throughout Europe, and Henry began to receive offers to assume the post of head of the guard from the Pope, Emperor Sigismund and the King of England himself.

However, all this was no longer of interest to the future discoverer. He was inspired by the idea of ​​exploring Africa in order to form new trade routes and unite with the African Christian state, which was legendary in Europe. These and other similar ideas forced Henry the Navigator to move to Sagrish and engage in shipbuilding.

Political portrait of Prince Henry

Contemporaries and descendants considered Henry an excellent ruler, focused on the development of his state. He skillfully combined completely different interests in his political activities and enjoyed the unlimited trust of the clergy.

If we consider his personality from all sides, it immediately becomes clear how multifaceted he is. First of all, the monarch was a colonialist, since his main interests extended far beyond the borders of his state. For the crown, he captured many lands and assigned them to Portugal.

Having made the discovery of the Atlantic, Henry the Navigator showed himself as an explorer. He compiled many maps, classified information received from discoverers, and was engaged in serious scientific research in the occupied territories.

Many historians consider the monarch to be a missionary and a crusader, because he was an active disseminator of the Christian religion among the conquered peoples and set his priority tasks as the fight against the Arabs of North Africa.

Background to the Monarch's Geographical Explorations

I would like to note that the discovery of the Atlantic by Henry the Navigator and his other achievements were preceded by a certain chain of events. If not for her, Portugal would never have become such a strong maritime power at the beginning of the 15th century.

The monarch became interested in studying Africa at a young age. He knew that many trade routes ran through this continent, and countless riches were transported along them. Henry dreamed of a sea route around the African coast, which would allow gold to be brought to Lisbon, bypassing the difficult and long land route.

Finding a way to India also occupied the monarch’s thoughts. Its discovery would have allowed Henry the Navigator to actively trade with this country and import a huge amount of spices. At that time, herbs and spices were very expensive, and the Portuguese had to purchase them from intermediaries at exorbitant prices.

At the same time, Henry dreamed of finding out how many Arab states were located in Africa. He made plans to unite with the country of Prester John, which was considered the stronghold of Christianity on the continent. In this way, he hoped to gradually reclaim the lands from the Moors, creating a new empire.

Henry's contribution to the spiritual life of Europe

The Portuguese monarch was very pious and believed in the higher purpose of Christianity. One of his first accomplishments after the monarch settled on Sargish was the creation of a spiritual order. Later it received the name “Order of Christ”.

His followers took part in crusades against the Moors more than once. However, most of them were not successful.

New trends in shipbuilding

The main sea vessel in Henry's time was the caravel. It was usually used for fishing and transporting goods. As it turned out, a ship with a displacement of two hundred tons was poorly suited for geographical discoveries involving long sea voyages.

However, the monarch made some changes to the design of the vessel, which turned the caravel into a very maneuverable ship with three oblique sails. Henry also ordered the caravel to be lightened, and as a result it acquired a number of new characteristics:

• the ability to be independent of wind direction;
• increased capacity;
• the ability to pass not only through ocean storms, but also through narrow river mouths.

New ships were built in large numbers in shipyards, which the monarch actively opened and personally inspected. Significant funds were spent on this from the treasury, but Henry believed that this was the most profitable investment in the future of his country.

Contribution to maritime affairs

We can say that the prince became the founder of nautical science. He carefully collected all the data that flowed to him from the sailors and tried to create new maps. It is noteworthy that he drew them with his own hands, and successfully applied his knowledge of astronomy in practice. The observatory he opened made it possible to observe the starry sky and create landmarks for researchers.

Henry opened the first nautical school and invited specialists from all over the world to teach. He himself also took part in training future sailors and was known as a very demanding teacher. However, his extensive knowledge aroused admiration and respect among his students.

Discoveries of Henry the Navigator

The monarch equipped his first sea expedition in the nineteenth year of the 15th century, and from that time Henry made one great discovery after another. He annexed a whole group of islands to Portugal:

• Madeira;
• Azores;
• Cape Verde.

The Portuguese expedition was the first among European navigators to circumnavigate Cape Nun. During this period of time, it was considered impassable, because all the ships sank on the way to it. This gave rise to a lot of legends about sea monsters devouring people. Henry managed to get around the cape and created several fortresses on the Guinean coast.

From the new lands, sailors brought gold, precious stones and slaves, which brought incredible income to the Portuguese crown.

Legalized slave trade

After the first batch of slaves, Henry realized how profitable this business was. He declared a state monopoly on this type of activity, gaining unlimited opportunities for enrichment.

To consolidate his power in the new lands, the monarch enlisted the support of the Catholic Church. He turned to the Pope with a request to approve the further colonization of African lands by Portugal in exchange for a promise: to spread the ideas of Christianity among enslaved peoples. Thus, the crown was able to move deeper into the continent and almost single-handedly trade in slaves.

Historical assessment of Henry's activities

Only after his death did Henry receive the nickname “Navigator”, which stuck with him. His successors were not able to fully implement all his ideas, but they managed to build a strong and strong state on the foundation that Henry laid in his time.

In addition, his dreams inspired sailors from Portugal to open a sea route to India; they were the first to circumnavigate the Cape of Good Hope.

Interesting facts about Henry the Navigator

The personality of the monarch is very interesting and multifaceted, so we decided to make a selection of interesting facts that characterize him from different sides:

• Throughout his life he went to sea three times.
• Henry blamed himself for the death of his younger brother, for whom he decided not to pay the ransom.
• The monarch never married. He devoted himself to the study of maritime affairs.
• The nautical school opened by Henry accepted absolutely all people, regardless of class.
• On open and occupied lands, the monarch ordered the cultivation of sugar cane and grapes, which brought considerable income to the treasury.

Historians consider Henry’s contribution to the development of navigation invaluable, which perfectly corresponds to the nickname he was once given.

Henry the Navigator - Duke of Portugal Henrique de Viseu. Born March 4, 1394, died November 13, 1460. Known for his participation in seafaring expeditions to the Madeira Islands and along the west coast of Africa.

early years

Henry was the third son of King John I and Philippa of Lancaster. Henry (Enrique) and his brothers Duarte and Pedro were educated at home. Since childhood, Henry was distinguished by his craving for chivalric romance and astronomy. He dreamed of taking part in military campaigns and conquering his own kingdom.

The starting point for the rise of Henry was the capture of the Moroccan city of Ceuta in 1415. According to Henry Gomes' biographer Enessu Zurare, the brothers convinced their royal father to conduct a military campaign that would allow them to prove themselves in real combat. King John agreed and began preparations for an attack on Ceuta. At the same time, the king ordered to spread a rumor that an attack would be carried out on another city in order to lull the vigilance of the Moroccans.

At this time, a plague swept through Portugal, and the queen became one of its victims. Despite this, the army set out in July 1415. King John took Ceuta by surprise. As he expected, capturing the city was an easy task. As Zurare later wrote, Henry played the main role in this victory. However, despite the fact that Henry was indeed an outstanding warrior, it was undoubtedly King John who led the campaign. Henry was tasked with governing Ceuta and assuming leadership of the civil and administrative authorities.

In 1418, an emergency arose. The rulers of Fez and Granada made an attempt to return the city to Morocco. Henry hastened to head to Ceuta with reinforcements, but upon arriving in the city he discovered that the Portuguese garrison had successfully repelled the attack. Henry put forward a proposal to attack Grenada, although he was well aware that this would antagonize Castile.

John, who fought for many years against the attempts of the Castilians to annex Portugal, knew that this was fraught with big problems. He prevented Henry from inciting conflict.

At the age of 26, Henry receives the title of Duke of Viseu and is declared Lord of Covhil. In 1420, Henry became head of the Order of Christ, the Portuguese equivalent of the Knights Templar. In subsequent years, Henry led an ascetic and chaste life. However, he still had an illegitimate daughter. Moreover, his brother Duarte often condemned Henry for being extravagant and unnecessary.

Expeditions to Madeira

While heading the Order of Christ, Henry had access to the brotherhood's charitable funds. In the mid-1420s, Henry decided to finance Atlantic expeditions from the order's treasury. He wanted to find new opportunities for Portugal in trade and gold mining. His main idea was to create profitable colonies on previously unused islands. His expeditions to Madeira were the most successful.

While Henry only financed the Atlantic expeditions, his brother Pedro took an active part in them. Pedro visited England, Flanders, Germany, Hungary and returned home through Italy, Aragon and Castile. Henry's other brother, Duarte, became king of Portugal at this time, succeeding his father John in 1433. During the five years of Duarte's reign, Henry's expeditions to the Canary Islands did not bring the desired success, for this reason Enrique ordered his captains to move further along the Atlantic coast. During this voyage, sailors rounded Cape Boyador in 1434, destroying the superstition that had previously stopped them. Over the next years, Henry's captains advanced along the Rio de Oro and began colonizing the Azores.

In 1437, Henry received Duarte's reluctant consent to an expedition to Tangier. The capture of Ceuta brought good profits to Portugal, and the brothers believed that possession of neighboring Tangier would increase Ceuta's security. Henry, along with his younger brother Fernando, attacked Tangier and were defeated. Henry proved himself to be an incompetent general and tactician. Fernando was taken hostage and killed in 1443. Henry blamed himself for his death. King Duarte died in 1438, shortly before Henry's return from Tangier.

His heir was Alfonso V, who at that time was only six. Henry was forced to accept the regency. For the next ten years, Pedro and Henry effectively ruled the country in harmony with each other. In 1441, one of Henry's Caravels returned from West Africa loaded with gold and slaves. This silenced everyone who had previously criticized Henry for waste on expeditions. Already in 1448, the slave trade began to bring unprecedented profits to Portugal. Henry used the money to build a fort and warehouse on the island of Arguin.

By this time, Alfonso had reached 14 years of age. His mother died in Castile, and the young king married Pedro's daughter Isabella. Pedro was against this alliance and a serious conflict arose between him and Alfonso, which threatened to escalate into an armed confrontation. Heinrich felt between two fires. He understood that he had to fight the king on Pedro’s side, but until the last he tried to stay in the background. He did not take part in the skirmish at Alfaroberira in 1449, when his brother Pedro was killed. After Pedro's death, Henry moved to the south of Portugal, to his castle of Sagres, where he spent most of the rest of his life. Henry received from the king the right to manage caravel voyages to Africa and conduct trade. Thanks to Henry's further expeditions, the Cape Verde Islands were discovered.

Alfonso had little interest in expeditions and trade. He wanted to participate in conquests and battles. The king renewed Portugal's attempts to conquer Morocco. Henry was already 64 years old at that time. Despite his age, the Duke still handled weapons well. Henry took part in the capture of Alcácer. When the city capitulated, Alphonse gave Henry the right to determine the terms of cooperation with the captured Moroccans, and he showed great leniency.

Henry spent the last years of his life in his castle, surrounded by students. Henry the Navigator died on November 13, 1460, in the same place.

Heritage

Despite the fact that Henry did not set himself the task of making discoveries important for geography and history, and his only goal was to make a profit for Portugal, his expeditions made a huge contribution to world science. Most of his research was unprofitable for Portugal, and only the colonization of Madeira became a triumph for the country. However, no matter what goals Henry the Navigator pursued during his travels, he made a lot of great discoveries, even if this was not part of his plans. Henry the Navigator is considered a legendary historical figure and one of the most famous travelers in history.

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Geographical discoveries of Prince Enrique the Navigator

In 1297, after the completion of the Reconquista in Portugal, King Dinis I turned his attention to foreign trade and in 1317 entered into an agreement with the Genoese merchant Manuel Pessagno, appointing him first admiral of the Portuguese fleet, the purpose of which was to protect the country from attacks by Muslim pirates. The outbreak of the bubonic plague epidemic led to a decrease in the country's population in the second half of the 14th century, which contributed to the increased importance of the sea coast, where most of the population was engaged in fishing and trade. In 1325-1357, Afonso IV of Portugal patronized maritime trade and sent the first expeditions to the Atlantic Ocean. In 1415, Portugal, seeking control of navigation off the African coast, captured Ceuta, located on the African coast of Gibraltar.

The 20-year-old Prince Enrique, nicknamed the Navigator in the 19th century, took part in the Portuguese campaign against Ceuta, although he himself did not sail, but was only the organizer of sea expeditions. In Ceuta, he learned that to the south of the Atlas Mountains lies the vast Sahara Desert, in which, however, there are inhabited oases; that the local Moors send caravans across the desert to a large river and bring gold and black slaves from there. Behind the strip of deserts, in West Africa, two large rivers actually flow: one - to the west - Senegal; the other is to the east - Niger. In the 15th century, both rivers were mixed and even connected with the Nile. This information was intertwined in Enrique's mind with the biblical legend about the country of Ophir, where King Solomon mined gold, and he decided to reach the country of gold and slaves by sea. Thus began (from 1416) a long and well-organized campaign of naval expeditions. The ships moved along the African continent and returned to Portugal, using a wide belt of favorable winds and coastal currents. One of the results of these expeditions was the discovery of Madeira (1418–1419) and the Azores (1427–1431).

The island of Madeira, located 900 kilometers southwest of Portugal, became the first Portuguese colony. On his lands they began to grow sugar cane and planted vineyards.

The exploration of Africa itself was fraught with great difficulties, for example, Cape Bojador in the south of the Canary Islands posed a huge danger for navigation. But the southern route to the tropical lands of Africa was finally opened - in 1434, Gilles Janisch rounded the cape.

In 1444, Henry's captains discovered the Senegal River, two years later they reached the Geba River in Sierra Leone. During Henry's lifetime, the Portuguese were unable to advance south of this point. But in 1455 and 1456 the Venetian Alvise da Cadamosto, the most famous of Henry's skippers, sailed up the River Gambia, which flows in the Gambia, and the following year discovered the coast of the Cape Verde Islands. At this time, a massive trade in African slaves began, the center of which was located in Argen, near Cabo Blanco. Henry encouraged the slave trade, and considered the act of baptizing slaves as a way to save their souls. The prince's expeditions began to generate income and in the eyes of the Portuguese nobles and merchants, Henry turned into a national hero.

Life story
Henry (Enrique) the Navigator - Portuguese prince, nicknamed the Navigator. For 40 years, he equipped and sent numerous naval expeditions to explore the Atlantic coasts of Africa, creating the preconditions for the formation of a powerful colonial empire of Portugal. Born March 4, 1394 in Porto. Third son of King Joan I (founder of the Avis dynasty) and his wife Philippa of Lancaster (daughter of John of Gaunt).
In 1415, Prince Henry and his father took part in a military campaign, which resulted in the capture of the Moorish fortress of Ceuta, located on the African coast of Gibraltar. There he learned that caravans loaded with gold, coming from the Niger River valley, were crossing the Sahara, but decided that Portugal should look for sea routes to the gold-bearing lands of Guinea. Thus began (from 1416) a long and well-organized campaign of sea expeditions. The ships moved along the African continent and returned to Portugal, using a wide belt of favorable winds and coastal currents. One of the results of these expeditions was the discovery of Madeira (1418–1419) and the Azores (1427–1431).
The island of Madeira, located 900 km southwest of Portugal, became the first Portuguese colony. On his lands they began to grow sugar cane and planted vineyards.
The exploration of Africa itself was fraught with great difficulties, for example, Cape Bojador in the south of the Canary Islands posed a huge danger for navigation. But the southern route to the tropical lands of Africa was finally opened - in 1434 Gilles Ianish rounded the cape.
Henry was greatly influenced by his brother Prince Pedro, the king's second son. In 1418–1428 he visited many of the royal courts of Europe. Pedro later arrived in Venice, where he observed with interest the trade of the Venetians with the eastern countries and where he was presented with the manuscript of the Book of Marco Polo. After reading the manuscript, Henry suggested that the captains of his ships collect information about the sea route to India, as well as about the African Christian country of Ethiopia. He hoped to reach this land by bypassing the Muslim countries from the southeast. His brother Pedro also supported him in this.
After his second campaign in Ceuta (1418), Henry established his residence in the Algarve, the southernmost province of Portugal, where the secure bay of Lagos was located. In 1443, Henry received Sagrish, the southwestern point of Portugal at Cape São Vicente, or, as it was then called, the “Sacred Cape,” at his disposal. There, at the expense of the Portuguese spiritual-knightly Order of Christ, of which he was the head, the prince founded an observatory and a nautical school. Called Villa do Infante, it became a center of attraction for prominent scientists, cartographers and astronomers of the time.
Henry's life was a chain of personal tragedies. In 1437, together with his younger brother Ferdinand, he took part in an unsuccessful expedition to Tangier; Ferdinand was captured by the Moors and imprisoned, where he died because Henry failed to ransom him. After this, his elder brother King Duarte died in 1438. The middle brother Pedro became regent, but, having begun a fight against the pretender to the throne Alfonso V, was killed at Alfarrobeira in 1449.
All these events led to the fact that expeditions were organized sporadically by Henry, and long intervals appeared in their schedule. However, in 1444 Henry's captains discovered the Senegal River, and two years later they reached the Geba River in Sierra Leone. During Henry's lifetime, the Portuguese were unable to advance south of this point. In 1455 and 1456 the Venetian Alvise da Cadamosto, the most famous of Henry's skippers, sailed up the Gambia River in Gambia, and the following year discovered the coast of the Cape Verde Islands. At this time, a massive trade in African slaves began, the center of which was located in Argen, near Cabo Blanco. Henry encouraged the slave trade, and considered the act of baptizing slaves as a way to save their souls. The prince's expeditions began to generate income and in the eyes of the Portuguese nobles and merchants, Henry turned into a national hero.
Henry spent his last years in almost complete solitude in Sagrish, surrounded only by members of his “university,” although in 1458 he accompanied a successful expedition to Tangier and further south to Arquila. He then returned to Sagrish on the "Sacred Cape", where he died on November 13, 1460.