What did Henry's African expedition tell us?

In Henry's time, goods shipped from Africa and the East attracted more and more European navigators and explorers.

Indian spices are becoming more and more popular in Europe, not only because they can make food more delicious, but also help to preserve food. Cinnamon, pepper, turmeric, clove, cardamom, sesame, etc. They are all shipped from their place of origin, and it takes a long way to enter the European kitchen. The above products first pass through the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea by sea, and then are carried by camels by land through the northern no-man's land. Because of long-distance transportation and paying taxes again and again, these goods are very expensive in Europe.

The middleman is a Muslim. They went to India to get their products, then shipped them to the Mediterranean and sold them to Italian businessmen. The latter is responsible for sales in European countries. Whether it is the former or the latter, the profits are surprisingly high.

The most precious thing is shipped from the African continent: gold. The gold mine was developed by Africans, and only they know where it is. Muslims cross the desert to buy gold in a city called Tongbuyuan, and then cross the Sahara desert to sell valuable commodities in the Mediterranean. The profit is very high.

Prince don henley dreamed of reaching the gold producing area in order to buy gold directly without intermediaries. However, people had not seen any relevant maps at that time, and they didn't know what would happen if they drove south. Until 142 1, the Portuguese never crossed the foot of Australia. On this side of the corner, the west coast of Africa has been inhabited, with villages, farmland and water for navigators to supplement food and water. Outside this corner, everything is much more complicated, and the ship is in danger of hitting the rocks, because people think that the coastal water is too shallow and the land is on the edge of the Sahara desert, so it is impossible to get fresh water, because the land is dry and green.

In addition, there is a seemingly insurmountable obstacle: Cape Gadol. This place has not only shallows, but also hidden boulders and powerful currents. But this place is the exploration goal that Prince Henry has already set. Although several islands in the Atlantic Ocean were discovered at 14 18 and later, none of them reached the planned goal of crossing Cape Gadol.

Prince Henry did not give up. 1433, he appointed Jill Ennis as the captain of "Barca" and asked him to lead a long voyage. His task is to cross Cape Gadol and advance along the African coast. Because of fear, Eanes went back to work as soon as he arrived in the Canary Islands. Prince Henry was very angry. After scolding them, he sent Inis to make a new attempt.

This time, Captain Ines, determined not to finish the task and not to come back to see the prince, led the sailors to sail at 1434. The trip was extremely smooth, and we successfully crossed the terrible Cape Gadol with only a compass and a water detector. What I saw during the voyage was completely opposite to what I heard in the past-the sea didn't boil and people didn't turn black.

Unable to find anyone, any animals or anything to take back, Ines pulled up several grasses as proof of his achievements and presented them to Prince Henry.

The prince was very happy when he learned the news of their success. He gave the land to Jill Ines, made him a knight, and held a grand wedding for him in his hometown of Lagos.

Geographically, this voyage doesn't seem to have many remarkable achievements, but it broke through the limits of sailing in people's minds and set an example for later exploration.

1435, Battaia and Ines set out again with Henry's orders. They safely bypassed Cape Gadol and then sailed south to a bay area, which they named Ruizworth Bay. There are no houses, trees, people and animals here, but footprints of people and camels were found on the beach. There is no doubt that this is the place where camel teams often come. Perhaps it is these camel teams that transport gold to North Africa. If so, a trade point can be established in Ruizworth.

They rejoiced at the bright future, so they set sail back at once and reported this promising discovery to the prince. After receiving the report, the prince was very satisfied and decided to send Battaia by sailboat the next year.

Battaia set out. He was surprised when he saw the first current in the vast desert from a distance. He thought he had discovered what Arab travelers called "Huang Jinhe", so he called it "Huang Jinhe". However, the young navigator was too impatient, and the current was just a tributary of the sea reaching the coast. However, this name has been used to this day.

From 1437 to 1440, Prince don henley neglected his exploration activities because of the Portuguese royal family's attack on Tangier in North Africa and the power struggle within the royal family. Until the end, Prince Don Pietro was appointed as the Regent. After the Queen fled, Prince Henry was able to free his hands and devote himself to the exploration activities on the west coast of Africa.

144 1 year, Prince don henley ordered the construction of a small boat and chose his personal bodyguard Ando Gonsalves as the captain to sail south along the west coast of Africa.

Ando led the people aboard and set off. Before leaving, I was ordered by the king: I need to bring back seal skin and seal oil when I come back. He finished the task without any difficulty. Before returning to China, he telephoned the crew of 2 1 and suggested obtaining unexpected "goods"-local people. Everyone agrees with his suggestion. That evening, Ando took nine crew members aboard a sampan to find the locals. The coast is inhabited by nomadic tribes with dark gray skin. The Portuguese call them "aborigines" or "barbarians". They found human footprints as soon as they got off the boat, and later they caught a local and a black Moorish woman-slaves of the local people. On the way back, Amdo Gon savis met another knight of Prince Henry, Nuno Tristan. Henry also ordered the latter to leave Portugal and go to Huang Jinhe. He first used the15th century "revolutionary ship" at sea, namely the Karavila paddle sailboat.

The two captains agreed to go back to that place to catch more locals. They consider this "commodity" a great achievement. Late at night, they jumped down from the sampan and surrounded two groups of "savages" who were sleeping in the hut. These people rose to defend themselves when they found that they were suddenly attacked by strangers. As a result, some people were killed, some escaped, and 10 people were captured. Among these prisoners, a man named Adahu is an important person in this tribe.

The Portuguese were in high spirits about the victory. Then the two captains broke up. Ando Gon savis set sail for home. Nuno Tristan continued south to Cape Blanco.

When he got home, Captain Ando was rewarded by the prince. But it is still difficult for them to understand the prisoner's words. Finally, Adahu made it clear to the captain that if he was willing to let him go and send him back to his original place, he would give the captain five or six Moorish blacks in exchange. If he is willing to release his two partners, he will give it to the captain 10 moor.

Amdo Gonsalves was very interested in this idea and immediately reported to the prince, who approved the proposal. The next year, Ando set sail again for a very clear purpose: buying and selling slaves.

Adahu put on the clothes given by the prince because the prince wanted to "touch" the residents of that place. But as soon as I arrived in that area, Yadahu disappeared.

Ando Gonsalves thinks he's been cheated. He was very angry, so he went into a bay called Huang Jinhe in Battaia and waited there for seven days. Finally, a moor brought news of Adahu. The courier said that 10 people would deliver it the next day as originally agreed. Really trustworthy. Besides sending 10 people, Ada Tiger also added some gold powder, a machete they called a dagger and some ostrich eggs.

This is the first time to buy slaves on the African coast. Later, many times, because local residents also had the sad habit of treating prisoners as slaves, they began to sell slaves to the Portuguese in exchange for various commodities. The sale and capture of slaves lasted for a long time.

Prince don henley was satisfied with the results of these voyages. His brother Regent Don Pietro was also satisfied. The Regent also issued an order granting Prince don henley the sole right to send ships to the south of Cape Gadol, and at the same time granting him the right to collect taxes paid to the King in the past, that is, each ship pays 65,438+0.5 of the goods brought back. The prince used these proceeds to promote and develop his "sailing" career.

To the south of Cape Blanco, there is a deep-water bay called Altun Bay, which contains several islands of different sizes and shapes. Portuguese navigators have been to 1443 to 1444.

Nuno Tristan was the first navigator to reach Altun Bay. When he first got there, he was so excited that he thought he had finally reached the miracle area. Because he saw some strange animals walking on the water in the distance, with thin and long bodies and many claws.

He was extremely curious and approached slowly. Finally, I found that what I saw was actually a canoe full of people, and people paddled together with their feet.

Seeing the natives in front, he immediately thought of catching them, so he immediately began to attack. Results 14 people were arrested and the rest escaped.

Then Nuno Tristan led the crew to an island, which he named "Wang En Island" because many "Wang En birds" built nests and laid eggs there. The scenery on the island is very beautiful, but the sailors are not interested in enjoying the beautiful feathers of birds. Instead, they caught some and baked them on the fire and had a delicious meal.

Langsat Roth de Lagos was the first navigator to lead six armed Karavila ships at his own expense. Although he paid for the expedition himself, he had to get the consent of Prince don henley and promised to give him 1/5 of the goods he brought back. His target is also Altun Bay, and Jill Ennis is the vice captain.

In nayar Island and Cidell Island, he carried out a veritable robbery, and it was a robbery. Catch 235 men, women and children.

Back in Portugal, after Lagos broke down, local residents saw the scene of slave sharing for the first time. Because it was to be divided into five equal parts, the wife was forced to leave her husband and the child was snatched from her mother's arms. The women rolled on the ground crying in despair.

Prince don henley saw all this on his horse, and he was not tempted. But the response of civilians is anger. Some people sympathize with the misery of slaves and go away crying; Others tried to stop the separation of families, which caused confusion. But in the end, the slaves were divided. The prince got the share of 47 people, and the other slaves sold it on the spot. The seller is profitable.

Another expedition in Altun Bay was Gonzalo de sintra. He is young and willing to work, and he was educated in Prince don henley's family since childhood. He always dreamed of doing something unusual to please the prince. However, he was unlucky and his exploration was repeatedly frustrated.

He tried to catch the local people, but found nothing. Local residents have learned what the Portuguese who have been here before have done and know what will happen if they don't escape in time. In this way, although Gonzalo de sintra and his friends ran from one island to another, every time they got off the boat, they were empty.

The sailors were quite depressed and sighed, "It seems that we are not people with great achievements." The captain swore that he would never leave here unless he did something amazing.

In order to achieve his goal, this time he led 12 people to nayar Island by sampan. When they reached the island, the tide was low, so they anchored and landed. It was dark and there was no one around. They decided to lie on the beach and have a rest, but they were so tired that they all fell asleep.

When they woke up the next morning, they were startled: the tide was high and the sampan floated to the sea, but no one could swim. They are trapped on the island and can only be at the mercy of local people, because there are many more local people than them. Few sailors who took part in this adventure survived.

There are two theories about the death of Gonzalo de Sintra. He died after a long struggle with more than 200 local people. On the other hand, the local girls threw mud at his face, and then the men killed him.

The misfortunes of some navigators did not stop the voyage from continuing. Every year, the Karavila paddle sailboat sails south and brings back wealth along the newly discovered land along the African coast.

Many captains, such as Amdo Gonsalves and Nuno Tristan, have set sail more than once. Every experience is extremely useful for them to choose a route, avoid trouble and solve problems that arise.

1444, another explorer, Denise Diaz, arrived in Cape Verde and Palma Island.

In the same year, Nuno Tristan sailed to senegal river. This voyage brought the Portuguese into direct contact with the blacks in sub-Saharan Africa for the first time. Since then, senegal river has been regarded as the dividing line between "the land of aborigines" and "the land of blacks".

There are great differences between the two sides of senegal river, with different scenery and different people. The land south of senegal river is more fertile, with many exotic plants and animals. Such as giraffes, elephants and so on. They are all animals that have been heard before but have never seen with their own eyes. The skin of local people is much darker than that of indigenous people. They bravely defended themselves with poisonous arrows. Poisonous arrows are so powerful that they can kill people if they cut a little skin. They are also chilling opponents.

This magical world fascinated the Portuguese and forced them to adapt to this environment. In order to establish effective contact with local people, attitudes must be changed. Friendly treatment can achieve better results than hostile action. However, language is an insurmountable obstacle, because no one knows the language of Africans in that area, and even the best translators are helpless.

When people can't communicate in the same language, they will look for other ways of communication, such as gestures, sounds, pictures and expressions ... In short, they use various methods according to the environment at that time and everyone's imagination.

When Dienis Dias landed in Cape Verde, he wanted to show the blacks that they had come "for peace". To this end, they put several things on the ground: a cake, a mirror and a piece of paper with a cross on it. Cake and mirror are gifts. The cross is used to test whether they know Christianity, because Portuguese navigators have always wanted to find a legendary kingdom where Christians live, that is, "the kingdom of King Joao of India who believes in Christianity".

But there was no result, because black people smashed everything to pieces, indicating that they were not interested in those things at all. Of course, the two sides fought immediately. Another navigator, Gomez Pires, ordered his men to shoot arrows to show that they would be punished if they didn't eat toast. The black man responded with a poisonous arrow.

Not all first encounters are so bad. According to the records at that time, there were also some interesting and even touching experiences. For example, once, a black tribe saw a Portuguese ship with sails from a distance for the first time. They thought it was a flock of birds. When the ship approached and lowered the sail, they thought it was a group of huge fish. As they got closer, they saw someone on it, exactly like them, but with different skin colors. They no longer doubt that they have realized an ancient dream-the soul of their ancestors has returned. Cheers rang out from the beach: "One minute! A Min Ryder! "

Until 1445, the contact between the Portuguese and the people along the coast of Africa was limited to coastal areas and discovered islands, and no one dared to rashly enter a strange continent. Joao Fernandez was the first explorer to enter the interior of Africa.

Joao Fernandez sailed as a crew member of the Karavila ship under the command of Ando Gonsalves. After "Huang Jinhe", he asked not to disturb him, "just to have a look". He wants to know what the people there are like, what their habits are and what language they speak.

A few years ago, he was captured in North Africa and learned Arabic. But this knowledge didn't help him much, because the tribe that accepted him was written in Arabic letters, but what he said was different. The tribe agreed to let the Christian tourist stay with them, but first they took all his things: clothes and food, gave him a robe like the one they were wearing, and then they went on their way together.

For seven months, Joao Fernandez has been following nomadic tribes, living in the same rhythm with them, drinking camel milk, eating dates, grass and small meat like them.

He endured thirst when crossing the desert. According to him, there are no rivers in that area, and the only wells are very scarce. Not even a drop of water for three days.

He also saw the sandstorm and worried that he would get lost. But nomads are very good at distinguishing roads and directions. As for how to do this, he didn't understand, thinking that they were guided by the wind.

He found that the animals there were similar to those in Europe, such as pheasants, rabbits, antelopes, sheep and goats. Besides the camel, which is not new to him, he also met a strange bird-ostrich. It is much bigger than other birds. It can't fly, but it runs very fast

He also found that swallows who left Europe in early autumn in search of a warm climate lived in this land. The same is true of geese, except that they will fly south and fly to the black area after flying over the desert.

He also spent some time in the mansion of a Lord there. God's name is Ode Aimee. He is considered to be very rich, but his territory, including his family, is only 150 people. His wealth is only camels, cows, several horses, some gold and slaves. In this nomadic kingdom, people live in tents and change their residences almost every day, staying in one place for as long as 1 week.

In the long journey, he gradually got news from further places, confirming that there is a kingdom of Meili, which is located in the black area and there is a lot of gold there.

Seven months later, Joao Fernandez returned to the coast, hoping to see the Portuguese ship Karavila appear, so that he could return to Portugal. One day, the Portuguese Karavila ship really appeared! Joao Fernandez was almost ecstatic when he saw those ships from a distance! He began to shout and wave to his compatriots. He didn't expect that living in the desert for seven months changed his appearance. He wore the same clothes as the locals. No one on board recognized him. Nevertheless, a ship in Karavila tried to pass, but the wind and waves were too big to succeed. Later, I tried to put down the sampan and row to the beach, but I also failed.

The garbage returned to Karavila again, which may be the most uncomfortable moment of Joao Fernandez's whole adventure. He thinks his compatriots have abandoned him here forever. He shouted loudly, and his despair touched the people on the paddle boat in Karavila. They think he is a Moor and hope to save his relatives from being imprisoned on the ship and will be sold as slaves at any cost.

Finally, despite the heavy wind and waves, the sampan reached the beach. When the crew recognized Joao Fernandez, they were pleasantly surprised. He was saved! My body is intact, and I have many stories to tell. I long for a piece of meat, a piece of bread, and especially a glass of wine.

At that time, Prince don henley lived in Algavi almost all the time in order to organize sailing expeditions. It is convenient for him to organize an expedition fleet to be sent to the African coast. Every year, some Karavila paddle sailboats set out with a dual mission: to gain wealth and discover new land by capturing slaves or trading with the residents in this area. The captains were all recruited in Portugal. However, if foreigners who have sea experience or want to know strange places come, the prince will also take them in. So many foreigners participated in the Portuguese "discovery", especially the Italian Kada Mosto, who left detailed travel notes.

Qatar Mosto 1432 was born in Venice. When he first went to sea, he was only 13. Since then, he has sailed in the Mediterranean and Atlantic, and has also been to northern Europe.

1454, at the age of 22, he was caught in a storm on his way to Flanders by the "Calais" paddle boat, so he took refuge in Cape Saint Vincent.

When Prince don henley learned that the "Calais" had arrived, he sent an emissary aboard, and brought Madeira products such as sugar and dragon resin for sale.

Qatar Mosto heard about sailing along the coast of Africa in his conversation with the emissary, and learned that he could make huge profits from it. So he decided to serve Prince don henley. Because of his many years of sailing experience, the prince warmly received him, ordered the construction of a Karavila paddle sailboat, and appointed him as the captain.

On March 22nd 1455, Mosto, Qatar, anchored south. Bon voyage, it took only three days to reach St. Bordeaux. On this first voyage, he went to Gambia and visited Madeira Islands, Canary Islands, Algin Bay, Cabblanco, Senegal, Domell Kingdom, Cape Verde and Xinghe River in Barba. He observed this new world with great curiosity, broad mind and sincere love. Today, 500 years later, reading his travels still makes people fondle.

Qatar Mosto discovered the country of Bu Domell about1400km south of senegal river. Other Portuguese navigators have been there before, and the news about the Dark Lord couldn't be better. It is said that the Lord is kind-hearted, never breaks his word, and can trust and trade with him.

Qatar Mosto took many horses, blankets, silk and other goods with him. As usual, I also brought a black translator, who was sent there to ask if they were interested in the transaction.

Bu Domell led 15 cavalry and 50 infantry to the beach, and sent someone to invite the captain to visit his home ashore.

The first contact between two people was extremely friendly. Qatar Mosto gave his master seven horses and harnesses, and Bu Domell immediately gave the guest a beautiful girl. Later, the host and the guests went to the mainland together. Qatar Mosto agreed to accompany his host, first, to collect the nux vomica, and second, to see the local conditions and customs there.

In the village, he had the opportunity to meet the Lord's nephew, Spooner. The captain was deeply impressed by the leafy house, environment and local etiquette. In his travels, he said that African lords have neither wealth nor palaces, but just by looking at their manners, they can be sure that they are indeed great lords, and they are more awe-inspiring than many European kings.

Bu Dohmeier walked around the village, and there were always 200 people from front to back. He is divorced from the people and pays attention to etiquette. Meet his subjects in his main mansion every morning and afternoon. The structure of this mansion is unusual. There are seven connected courtyards, and there is a big tree in the middle of each courtyard for people waiting to enjoy the cool.

When it comes to the interview, the audience must take off their robes, leaving only the leather skirt they are wearing, and then enter the first yard on their knees, with their heads down, telling the audience the reasons all the way. In addition, he sprinkled soil on his hair one by one to show his respect for the Lord. The Lord disdained the visitor and pretended not to hear what he was nagging, but then he proudly solved all the problems without compromise.

Domell countries believe in Islam. This religion comes from North Africa and originated in caravans. Qatar Mosto tried to persuade Bou Domell to convert to Christianity, but failed. Qatar Mosto lived there for a few days and carefully recorded everything he saw. For example, the bread there is made of corn, and the soybeans are big and bright, like paintings. Broad beans are red, big and flat. They look good. He also said that palm wine is sweet. He said that the land, lakes, pastures and trees there have no owners, and everyone can get what they need. What surprised him most was that the black people there liked horses and snakes. Women are beautiful, happy and good at dancing. He is very interested in the elephants there. He said, "In our forest, elephants flock like wild boar. They have huge bodies, but short legs. They have two teeth like wild boar, but the teeth are facing down, not up. This animal has knees, which move when walking. They lie on the ground and stand up like other animals. Elephants will not attack people unless they are attacked. "

He also mentioned in his travel notes that the organ is regarded as a living thing with several voices there. Black people also think that Karavila paddle boat has eyes, so it can walk in a certain direction in the ocean. They don't understand what a candle is, and they are very surprised when they see a small flame. Qatar Mosto decided to teach them how to make candles, because there are bees there, and they can use beeswax.

When he set foot on the journey again a few days later, he was very moved. He is an unusual discoverer. He can appreciate the diverse world, and will not treat others as inferior just because they are different from himself, nor will he try to force them into his familiar pattern when he sees everything around him.

To the west of Cape Verde, which the Portuguese call Cape Verde, there is an archipelago consisting of 10 islands. During the period of 1446~ 1460, several navigators serving Prince don henley visited these islands: Diego Gomez, Italian Calda Mosto and Antonio Danori. At that time, these islands were uninhabited, and no one in the world knew about their existence, so the discovery of these islands can be called "absolute discovery."

These islands were not discovered on the same voyage because there was a long time difference between the two voyages. But by 1460, the known islands are Santiago, san felipe (volcanic island), Mayo, San Christen (beautiful island), Riana (salt island) and Brava. Don Alfonso gave these islands to his brother Fernando, and the prince later sent his entourage Diego Alfonso to these islands several times to see if he could find more islands.

Subsequently, Portugal began to immigrate to Cape Verde. They first occupied the island of Santiago and divided it into two captain areas, one for Antonio Danori, where he established the town of Ribeira Grande (now the old city); The other was given to Diego Alfonso, who founded the town of Alcatraz, which no longer exists.

Portuguese colonists, African slaves and farm tools, livestock and plants were sent to the island. Because the island is short of water, it is not suitable for agriculture, but growing cotton still has some benefits. As for domestic animals, only goats finally adapted to the environment there, because goats can survive without green grass and drinking seawater.

People bask in salt, fish and collect rice awns there. Mimang is a plant that can be crushed and soaked in lime-treated urine to make a very popular pigment.

However, the main reason for the subsequent development of Santiago Island is its important geographical position as a navigation hub in Europe, Africa, America and Asia. Ships must replenish fresh food and fresh water when passing there, and its port has also become a trade center. Grand Town in Ribeira has developed into an important transit point for the sale of slaves.

The second immigrant island was Felipe Island, which was later called Huoshao Island because of its volcanoes. When the volcano erupted, the colonists were frightened out of their wits. This volcano is still active today.

Several other islands were occupied after a long time.

Don Alfonso V has four strongholds in North Africa since he came to power in 1448, adding a resounding title to his title. From then on, he was no longer called "King of Portugal and Algavi", but "King of Portugal, Algavi and overseas territories in Africa", and people called him "King of Africa" for short. With the overseas voyage of the Portuguese and the discovery of the new continent, its colonial rule in Africa has been consolidated and expanded day by day.

1460165438+1October 13. Prince don henley died in Sagres at the age of 66. This year, the last continent discovered by his Karavila fleet was Sierra Leone. People used to call his great discoveries during his lifetime "the great discoveries of Henry's time", that is, from the Atlantic Islands to Sierra Leone, they were all discovered in the year of his death.

Henry is a man who is revered and reviled by later generations. His achievements were unique in the embryonic period of capitalism in feudal society. He is a devout Christian, never married and has no children. He devoted himself almost all his life to maritime exploration activities, and promoted and organized the cause of maritime exploration that opened an era. During his lifetime, he built the earliest observatory for Portugal, founded a navigation school, established a navigation service factory, trained a large number of sailors, cartographers and people who developed navigation equipment, and accumulated a lot of navigation materials.

Henry left many unfulfilled wishes when he died-the Portuguese must try to bypass the southern tip of Africa and reach India. This requires drawing larger charts and collecting more detailed information about monsoon and tide. There is no doubt that sailing exploration has its successors.