Map Of Bartolomeu Dias Route

Bartolomeu Dias Rounds the Greatcoat of Good Hope

On October x, 1487, after Alonso Sánchez returned from his shipwreck and Christopher Columbus left Portugal, Rex João Two appointed the experienced navigator Bartolomeu Dias to go on the search for a route under Africa to the Indies. At the least, King João hoped Dias would find the bay that cut into Africa and open up a new road to the Kingdom of Prester John.

The Lodge of Christ sent iv Christianized Negroes with Dias – four women and 2 men – to aide him equally he traveled through Africa. The missionaries dressed in fine, brightly colored vestments [wearable] to requite them "a annotation of authorisation and wealth." Instructed on how to serve every bit interpreters and preachers of the Christian faith, the missionaries were to stay in Africa every bit ambassadors of Portugal and ask Prester John to send four ambassadors to Portugal in return.

Bartolomeu Dias left in August with iii caravels and one supply ship [a carrack]. Dias commanded the São Cristóvão [ironically, Saint Christopher]. A Prince João [the record does not specify which prince of that name he was] allowable the São Pantaleão, named after the Greek King Pantaleon (r. 190-180 BCE), who was the first governor of India during ancient times. Dias' brother Diogo Dias [some accounts telephone call him Pêro] commanded the supply transport. Pêro de Alenquer and João de SãoTiago, who had sailed with Diogo Cão, were likewise office of the squad.

The trek sailed directly to the "State of Santa Barbara," the last point reached by Diogo Cão, where, Cão'south crew had reported, there was an first-class anchorage [somewhere above today's Walvis Bay]. They anchored in that location December iv. Dias restocked with woods and water, and then parked his supply ship in a cove he thought was safe. He left Diogo and a pocket-sized crew to guard the transport. On December 26, the caravels reached the "Gulf of St. Stephen," which was either today's Luderitz Bay, where fragments of the pillar Diaz planted were supposedly still in testify in 1969, or Elizabeth Bay in today's Namibia.

From there Dias sailed south by "barren and inhabitable lands." The weather condition grew colder. The winds lashing his ships from the southeast became then fierce, Dias had to stay in today's Alexander Bay for vii days.

The Portuguese then traveled s for thirteen days. The weather remained miserably cold, and the winds prevented them from staying as well close to the coast. They did not know that they were passing, portside, the cape that Dias would later proper noun the Cape of Skillful Hope. To their surprise, the temperature turned moderate as warm winds drifted toward them from the Indian Ocean. Dias turned his fleet e, expecting to hit the coast. When in that location was no land, he turned northward. He finally sighted land again at today's Mossel Bay on Feb 3, 1488.

The ships dropped anchor beneath some cliffs, on height of which "wooly-headed" men herded grazing cattle. Bartolomeu Dias named the place Bahia dos Vaqueiros [Bay of the Cattle, or Bay of Cowheads]. The missionaries tried to brand friends with the herders only were greeted with a barrage of stones.

Dias named the creek there Angra da Roca [Roca Creek] Supplies were running low and in that location was no sign of advanced civilization anywhere. There were no Indian castles, no Chinese market places, non fifty-fifty other merchant ships from whom they could beg.

The crew were tired and frightened to exist so far away from home. Their foul-smelling ships profoundly needed a wash down. They demanded that Dias turn for Portugal. The helm took a vote. When the majority of officers insisted, Dias drafted a document and made them sign it and then that he would not be responsible for the decision.

Earlier turning for home, Dias wanted to survey Algoa Bay. He erected a pillar at the farthest eastern bespeak that he reached on May 16, 1488. He named it St. Brennon [St. Brandon] after the legendary wandering bishop. Today the cape is called Cape Aguhlas. It is ninety-one miles southeast of the Cape of Practiced Hope and the more true dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. One account states that the party reached a river Dias named Rio practice Infante [River of the Prince] after João Infante [Prince João], the airplane pilot of the São Pantaleão. That would be today's Groot-Vis River [Neat Fish River]. One of Dias' pillars was establish 30 miles west of that river in 1938.

Favorable winds helped the fleet head due west. This fourth dimension they sailed closer to land and came across the cape and beautiful bay Diaz named Cabo da Boa Esperança [Cape of Practiced Promise]. Evidently he first named information technology Cabo das Tormentas [Cape of Storms]. On the style upwards the coast, Dias returned to Walvis Bay to call up his supply ship, but to observe information technology ransacked. All the men except his brother and a few crew members had been slaughtered. 1 of the survivors was then weak he dropped dead from a heart attack when he saw his rescuers sail over the horizon.(1)

Bartolomeu Dias exchanged his fouled caravel for the larger carrack supply send and sailed for dwelling house with the remaining 2 caravels. They stopped at St. Jorge daMina to collect a cargo of slaves and some gold grit. The profits for transporting the cargo would help pay for their expedition. The iii ships "crossed the bar of the Tagus River at Lisbon" and anchored triumphantly off the beach at Rostello(2). Within days, Dias presented his charts and transport logs to King João Ii.

Graphologists take proven that some of the notes written in the margins of Christopher Columbus' copy of The Travels of Marco Polo were in Bartolomé Columbus' handwriting. One of those notes stated that he, Bartolomé, was there when "in the year [14]88, in the month of December arrived in Lisbon, Bartholomew Diaz, Captain of 3 caravels that the Most Serene Male monarch of Portugal [João Two ] had sent to try out the country in Guinea."

From that scribbled note, we learn that Bartolomé Columbus was attending courtroom the solar day Diaz arrived. Bartolomé was a witness to the moment when Dias trumped any hopes that Bartolomé and Christopher might change Male monarch João's mind about sailing due west.

Christopher Columbus' copy of Marco Polo'southward Travels with his notes in the margins. Held in the Colón Museum in Seville, Spain.(three)

Notes

This same story about retrieving a supply ship has been attributed to Vasco da Gama's voyage.
"The bar" referred to the sandbars guarding the archway to the river. I have been unable to locate Rostello beach.
Christopher Columbus' copy of The Travels of Marco Polo with Columbus' notes in the margins. Held in the Colón Museum in Seville, Spain. {{PD-sometime}} Public Domain. Via Wikimedia. Epitome source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/
ColombusNotesToMarcoPolo.jpg

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