Why is Prince Henry of Portugal called "Sailor"?

The full name of Prince Henry of Portugal is Don? Alfonso? Enrique. Born in 1394, he was called a "sailor" because of his support for navigation, including setting up a navigation school and rewarding navigation. Prince Henry is the third son of King Joao I of Portugal. It is said that on the day of his birth, the astrology predicted that he would make a great and noble expedition and find something that others could not see. Prince Henry studied strategy and tactics, diplomatic art, state management and all kinds of ancient and modern knowledge since he was a child. Not only that, he also read widely and learned a lot. Prince Henry yearns for a life of adventure and fighting. He is also a devout Christian. He thinks it is a Christian's duty to explore unknown areas and bring Christianity to the area. He has never been married, his personality is rigorous and firm, and his life is simple.

In 1415, Henry led an army to raid Ceuta. In just one day, Ceuta was captured, while Portugal only lost eight people. Later generations regarded it as the beginning of European outward expansion. A year later, because he led reinforcements to Ceuta, Henry learned from the prisoners of war and the merchant population that there was a way to lead to a "green country." So there was a bold and courageous idea. Later, Henry painstakingly studied and sent an expedition to find new islands. Madeira Islands and Azores Islands were discovered one after another. In 1433, if King Ao I died, Henry's eldest brother succeeded him. At this time, Henry focused on exploring south along the African coast. In 1438, Alfonso V succeeded to the throne, and Henry obtained the monopoly right of navigation and trade south of Cape Bohal, and was exempted from all taxes on this income. In 1448, Prince Henry sent someone to set up a permanent fortress in Altun Island. With the continuous expansion of African trade, the island became an important center for providing gold. Prince Henry died of illness in 146, marking the end of a great era of Portuguese maritime exploration. He combined exploration with colonization, and exploration became a profitable career. In a word, Prince Henry of Portugal pushed Portugal out of Europe.

He is called a "sailor", admired and praised by later generations, but actually he doesn't often go out to sea. He is a noble prince, but he is far away from the luxurious and comfortable court, giving up his marriage and family life and studying and exploring alone. He's Don? Alfonso? Enrique, that is, Prince Henry, so what did Prince Henry find? After arriving in Ceuta with the fleet, Prince Henry assiduously studied a large number of historical documents and accumulated a lot of valuable navigation materials. He can be sure that there are still many unknown continents on the earth waiting for people to discover. A grand idea took shape in his mind. He is convinced that a brand-new era is about to begin in Portuguese history.

After returning to China, Prince Henry devoted himself to navigation. He settled in the desolate Sagres, where he founded a navigation school and an observatory. He recruited more famous cosmologists and mathematicians to study a lot of information. After several years of research, training and preparation, in 1418, Prince Henry sent a fleet and found Santos Island in the Madeira Islands on his first voyage. Madeira Island was discovered the following year. Later, its fleet successively discovered the islands of Azores. At the same time, from the 193s, the inspired Prince Henry began to challenge the limits of human navigation at that time. He carefully selected a group of super explorers and brave sailors. Following his careful planning and deployment, they discovered Guinea, Senegal, cap vert and Sierra Leone. Prince Henry has repeatedly stated that it is necessary to get along well with the aborigines found on the land, and strongly advocate peaceful colonization and safeguard the achievements of geographical discoveries. However, after that, driven by interests, the Portuguese royal family will find that it has evolved into cruel colonial rule and oppression. In ocean navigation, Prince Henry's pre-research results are the solid foundation for ocean navigation and geographical discovery.