 |
| The "real" Henry the Navigator |
(*) honorific prefix used in Portugal during the time of the Monarchy, equivalent of the english "Sir"
March 4, 1394 - Porto, Portugal - Infante D. Henrique (Prince Henry) of Portugal is born
March 2, 1408 - Évora, Portugal - John I settles in Évora for the Courts of Évora
April 7, 1408 - Évora - The court obtains a series of revenues to allow the 3 eldest children to set up their own Houses, with autonomy and each one having an individualized body of servants.
April 17, 1411 - Viseu, Portugal - Moves to live with the Court in Viseu
October 31, 1411 - While in Viseu - In Ayllon, representatives of Portugal and Castile sign a peace agreement between the two countries
August(?) 1(?), 1414 - Torres Vedras, Portugal - Council with Nun'Álvares Pereira, former Constable of Portugal during the wars of 1383-1385 =(START)
July 18, 1415 - Odivelas, Portugal - His mother, Philippa of Lancaster, receives communion and later at night has a vision "of our Lady to give her strength to accomplish the journey". She gives the last blessing to the infants, names them knights of Christ and offers them the swords with which they should fight on the journey to Ceuta
July 19, 1415 - Odivelas - Philippa of Lancaster dies, aged 55
 |
| Prince Henry in armour with his trademark beard and Arms of Duke of Viseu (Jerónimos Monastery) |
July 25, 1415 - Lisbon, Portugal - An army of 19,000 to 20,000 knights and soldiers (including english, galician and biscay) sail to Ceuta
July 28, 1415 - Lagos, Portugal - Stopover at Lagos, south coast of Portugal. The Prince and the men are informed that the objective of the expedition is the conquest of Ceuta
August 2, 1415 - Faro, Portugal - After setting sail from Lagos, the fleet is hit by a violent storm and is forced to anchor at Faro for 7 days
August 13, 1415 - Off Ceuta | Algeciras - The fleet appears for the first time off Ceuta, but incomplete, as a storm dispersed part of its units. Armada regroups in Algeciras
August 19, 1415 - Algeciras, Spain - The surprise effect was lost and Ceuta had received considerable reinforcements, however John I could not return to the kingdom in such an inglorious way because that would bring him discredit throughout Christendom. Assembling the Council, the King announces that they would return to Ceuta
August 21, 1415 - Ceuta - The portuguese armada arrives at Ceuta and the army lands
August 22, 1415 - Ceuta - Ceuta falls in portuguese hands - The three princes of the "Illustrious generation" - Duarte, Henry and Peter, are armed as knights
September 1(?), 1415 - Tavira, Portugal - King John lands at Tavira. He names Prince Peter as Duke of Coimbra and Prince Henry as Duke of Viseu
September 5(?), 1415 - Lisbon - King John I and the Princes return to Lisbon
October 23, 1415 - Lisbon - Letter to the Duke of Bourbon politely refusing the invitation for the princes and 16 other knights to participate in a tournament with him, because it was hoped to launch a new offensive in North Africa against the Moors of Fez soon
February 16, 1416 - Lisbon(?) - The King grants him the mayorship of Viseu. The documents of that day already refer to him as "Duke of Viseu and Lord of Covilhã"
February 18, 1416 - Lisbon(?) - He is charged of the government of Ceuta. It was up to him to organize, in the kingdom, the maintenance of that stronghold in Morocco
October 24, 1416 - Batalha - Transfer of the body of Philippa of Lancaster from Odivelas to the Batalha Monastery
January(?) 1(?), 1418 - Ceuta - Returns to Ceuta
January(?) 1(?), 1419 - While in Ceuta(?) - Prince Henry is appointed governor of the Southern Province of Algarve
May 25, 1420 - Tomar, Portugal - A representative of John I presents in Florence the application for the attribution of the Government of the Order of Christ to Prince Henry. He gains appointment as the Grand Master of the Military Order of Christ, the Portuguese successor to the Knights Templar, which had its headquarters at Tomar, in central Portugal. Prince Henry held this position for the remainder of his life, and the Order was an important source of funds for his ambitious plans, especially his persistent attempts to conquer the Canary Islands, which the Portuguese had claimed to have discovered before the year 1346
October 20, 1420 - Tomar - Obtains from the crown an authorization to hold a free fair in Tomar
November 24, 1420 - While in Tomar - Pope Martin V issues a Bull giving perpetual character to the appointment
January 18, 1424 - While in Tomar - The King gives him the Lordship of Alcáçovas
January 21, 1424 - While in Tomar - The King donates houses and land in Ribeira de Santarém, where the Duke of Viseu would install a soap-works
April 15, 1426 - Tomar - Letter to the judges and good men of Tomar on the norms to be observed in the collection of firstfruits and tithes
May 19, 1426 - Tomar - Gathers the General Chapter of the Military Order of Christ in Tomar
June 9, 1426 - Tomar - Letter to Pope Martin V
January(?) 1(?), 1427 - While in Tomar - Diogo de Silves discovers Santa Maria Island, Azores Archipelago
April 22, 1427 - While in Tomar - Prince Peter visits the English Court
April 18, 1428 - Lisbon - Buys houses in Lisbon, in the Parish of São Nicolau
September 22, 1428 - Coimbra - Attends the marriage of his older brother (and future King) Duarte
December 15, 1428 - Estremoz (near the castilian border) - Reception for the bride of the heir to the Portuguese Crown
January 12, 1429 - Avis - John I receives envoys from Philip, Duke of Burgundy to ask for Princess Isabel's hand in marriage. The famous painter Van Eyck paints the King and the Princess
June 4, 1429 - Sintra - The envoy of the Duke of Burgundy arrives with authorization for the marriage
July 25, 1429 - Palace of Alcáçova, Lisbon - Celebration of the marriage of Princess Isabel and the Duke of Burgundy by proxy in the Palace of Alcáçova (inside St.Jorge castle)
September 26, 1429 - Lisbon - Farewell parties (until the 28th)
September 30, 1429 - Lisbon - Accompanies Princess Isabel to the ship that would take her to Flanders
January(?) 1(?), 1431 - Lisbon(?) - He donates houses for the "General Study" to reunite all the sciences—grammar, logic, rhetoric, arithmetic, music, and astronomy—into what would later become the University of Lisbon. For other subjects like medicine or philosophy, he ordered that each room should be decorated according to each subject that was being taught
April 1, 1431 - Carmo Convent, Lisbon - King John I (and Prince Henry) visits his old comrade-in-arms Nun'Álvares Pereira, former Constable of Portugal, at his deathbead
October 12, 1431 - Lisbon - Buys houses in Lisbon and donates them to the University of Lisbon
October 30, 1431 - While in Lisbon(?) - The Peace Treaty of Medina del Campo is signed between Portugal and Castile
January 27, 1432 - Almeirim - Ratification of the Peace Treaty between Portugal and Castile
August 1(?), 1433 - Alcochete - The King (with Prince Henry) departs for Alcochete on advice of the doctors and princes, seeking to get better
August 11, 1433 - Lisbon - Feeling downcast, the king asks to be taken to Lisbon to die in his best home. He does charities at the Cathedral and asks to be shaved so he doesn't die ugly and misshapen
August 14, 1433 - Lisbon - King John I dies, aged 76
September 26, 1433 - Lisbon - Letter of Donatory Captaincies (Inauguration of the system)
October 25, 1433 - Lisbon - King John's body is taken from the Cathedral of Lisbon to the Monastery of Batalha
November 6, 1433 - Lisbon(?) - Appointed Curator of the Prince
November 17, 1433 - Sintra - Swearing-in ceremony for 20-months-old Afonso V
November 25(?), 1433 - Santarém - Courts of Santarém (until the end of the year)
January 20, 1434 - Pombal - Participates in a "composition" made in Pombal, at his inn, where he intervenes in disputes between his subjects
August 18, 1434 - Batalha - The remains of King John and Philippa of Lancaster are enclosed in the mausoleum that the king had built, a conjugal tomb
March 7, 1436 - Estremoz - Signs his will, taking his nephew Ferdinand as "Son and heir"
March 22, 1436 - Évora - Courts of Évora (until March 30th)
July 3, 1437 - Lisbon - Prince Henry takes command of the Armada prepared for the conquest of Tangier. The nobility do not join the expedition en masse as in 1415
July 12, 1437 - Lisbon - Processions and visit of the royal family to the tomb of Constable Nuno Álvares Pereira. Prince Henry takes the Constable's banner with him
August 17, 1437 - Lisbon - Solemn ceremony at the Lisbon Cathedral - Prince Henry receives the Royal standard from the King
August 22, 1437 - Belém, Lisbon - The portuguese fleet departs Tagus River for Tangier, with Henry the Navigator and Prince D.Fernando aboard
August 27, 1437 - Ceuta - The fleet arrives in Ceuta. Prince Henry decides to continue rather than wait for the troops left behind due to lack of transport. Initially, an expedition of 14,000 men was expected, but only 43% of that landed, about 6,000
September 9, 1437 - Ceuta - Prince Henry's overland column leaves Ceuta
September 13, 1437 - Tangier, Morocco - The army reaches Tangier
September 20, 1437 - Tangier - The first assault to Tangier fails when the portuguese have to withraw with too few (and short) scaling ladders
September 30, 1437 - Tangier - The King of Fez arrives with a relief army
October 3, 1437 - Tangier - While the Portuguese are concentrated to face the army of the King of Fez, the Tangier garrison leaves in a sortie against the siege camp but are defeated by a Portuguese reserve force
October 5, 1437 - Tangier - A second assault to Tangier also fails, even with improved scaling ladders, a new siege tower and two large ordenance cannons shipped in from Ceuta
October 9, 1437 - Tangier - A second and huge Moroccan relief army arrives, made up of "many kings" (Fez, Marrakech, Sijilmassa, Velez, etc.). They soon charge violently against the Portuguese, relieving the pressure on Tangier and encircle them in their camp, effectively cutting them off from their ships. Prince Henry's horse is killed under him and the prince is rescued by a small group of guards when he is already in the midst of the Moroccan cavalry.
October 10, 1437 - Tangier - The moroccans launch another attack on the siege camp but are repelled. The situation for the portuguese becomes critical, with food and water running out and the army reduced to half
October 12, 1437 - Tangier - A truce is called and negotiations are opened
October 17, 1437 - Tangier - A treaty is signed by Prince Henry and Salah ibn Salah, emir of Tangier. The portuguese are allowed to return to their ships unmolested, but had to leave all their equipment behind, from horses and artillery to personal weapons. Also, Prince Henry promises to deliver Ceuta to the moroccans and commits Portugal to 100 years of Peace with the North African muslim States. As part of the agreement, both parts swap hostages. Salah ibn Salah hands over his son to the portuguese and in return, the portuguese leave four nobles with the moroccans. As a guarantee of fulfillment of the treaty terms, Prince Ferdinand remains as a hostage of Salah ibn Salah until Ceuta is returned
October 19, 1437 - Tangier - The fleet sets sail to Portugal, via Ceuta. Order of the Garter knight Álvaro Vaz de Almada and marshal Vasco Fernandes Coutinho are the last men to leave the beach. When the embarcation is complete, Prince Henry decides not to release Salah ibn Salah's son. In response, Salah ibn Salah dispatches the four portuguese nobles as prisoners to Asilah.
October 21(?), 1437 - Ceuta - Prince Henry lands in Ceuta and plunges into depression
January 25, 1438 - While in Ceuta - King Duarte summons the Courts of Leiria
February 25, 1438 - Beja, Portugal - Prince Henry meets King Duarte in Beja, then returns to Algarve
April 21, 1438 - Faro, Algarve - Letter from Faro, Algarve
May 25, 1438 - While in Faro - Prince Ferdinand is transfered from Asilah to Fez
June 1(?), 1438 - Portel, Algarve - King Duarte, his older brother, dies in Tomar, aged 47. Henry's nephew and sucessor to the throne, Afonso V, was only 6-years-old, so the Queen consort of Portugal, Eleanor of Aragon, is appointed Regent of Portugal
September 30(?), 1438 - Tomar - Arrives in Tomar
 |
| The traditional Prince Henry in "Chronicles of Guinea" (1455) is actually King Duarte in courtly clothes |
May 8, 1440 - Lisbon(?) - The Prince signs the Captaincy letter granted to Tristão Vaz Teixeira for the Captaincy of Machico, Madeira
February 12, 1441 - Lamego - The troops of the Duke of Coimbra (Prince Peter) join those of the Duke of Viseu (Prince Henry)
May 1(?), 1441 - Torres Vedras - Courts of Torres Vedras
February 10, 1442 - Letter to the Pope
May 25, 1442 - Óbidos - Formal commitment ceremony of the marriage of Afonso V and Lady Isabel, daughter of the Duke of Coimbra (both minors)
October 18, 1442 - His younger brother, Prince John, Constable of Portugal, dies at Alcácer do Sal, aged 42
April(?) 1(?), 1443 - Lagos - Returns to Lagos in the Spring
June 5, 1443 - While in Lagos - Prince Ferdinand dies in captivity in Fez at age 40, henceforth known as the "Holy Prince"
 |
| The only painting of Prince Henry made during his lifetime, as Master of the Order of Christ, on the panels of São Vicente (1450s). Without his trademark beard but with the white hair he's had since his 20s, an Order of Christ necklace and an Order of Garter belt |
October 22, 1443 - Letter from the King granting him the exclusive navigation south of Cape Bojador (Western Sahara)
October 27, 1443 - The Crown grants him, for life, the area of Cape St.Vincent and the surrounding area within a radius of one league
September 1(?), 1444 - Lagos - In Lagos until the end of the year
April 17, 1445 - Tentúgal - Prince Henry arrives early at Tentúgal for a Council meeting
April 25, 1445 - Tentúgal - Council meeting to decide on sending a host to Castile to help Castilian Constable D. Álvaro de Luna. Confers the honor of Constable to Prince Peter in Coimbra
August 28, 1445 - Receives a donation from the Woad dyeing (Isatis tinctoria) monopoly, an industry that he himself had introduced in the Kingdom
September 28, 1445 - Coimbra - Attends the marriage of the daughters of Prince John
February 3, 1446 - Obtains from the Crown the exclusivity of navigation to the Canary Islands
June 23, 1446 - Raposeira, Algarve - At Raposeira, Algarve
August 8, 1446 - Lagos, Portugal - Arrival of the first 235 slaves in Portugal
November 1, 1446 - Sagres - The Prince signs the Captaincy letter granted to Bartolomeu Perestrelo for the Captaincy of Porto Santo, Madeira Archipelago
March 1(?), 1447 - Évora - Courts of Évora
April 1(?) 1447 - Lisbon - Resides in Lisbon until June
May 6, 1447 - Santarém - Attends the marriage of King Afonso V and Isabel of Coimbra (both 15 years old)
June 1(?), 1447 - Lisbon - Leaves Lisbon
March 9, 1448 - Completes the purchase of the Island of Lanzarote (Canary Islands) from Maciot de Bethencourt
March 25, 1448 - The Duke grants 10 silver marks a year to the University of Lisbon "forever", paid by him and his heirs
July 11, 1448 - While in Algarve - King Afonso V assumes the government of the Kingdom
August 1(?), 1448 - Lisbon - Travels from Algarve to Lisbon
October 1(?), 1448 - Coimbra - Conference with Prince Peter
February 1(?), 1449 - Santarém - King Afonso V and Prince Henry set out to Santarém
 |
| The traditional Prince Henry in the "panels of St.Vincent" (1450s) is again King Duarte in courtly clothes |
April 27, 1449 - Coimbra - Afonso V tries to attack Coimbra but Prince Peter leaves the city on May 5
May 16, 1449 - Alcoentre - Skirmishes between forces of King Afonso V and Prince Peter
May 20, 1449 - Vialonga, Alverca, near Lisbon - Battle of Alfarrobeira - Prince Peter is killed along with the Count of Avranches, Álvaro Vasques de Almada, knight of the Order of Garter
May 24, 1449 - Lisbon - After spending three days on the battlefield, Prince Henry returns to Lisbon with the King
May 27, 1449 - Lisbon - Afonso V appoints Prince Henry Governor of the Military Order of
Avis
Avis
November 4, 1449 - Lisbon(?) - Receives the donation of Baleal and the Berlengas Islands
January 15, 1450 - The Crown grants him the exclusive rights of coral fishing in the seas of the Kingdom for 5 years and its sale
February 3, 1450 - The Prince signs the Captaincy letter granted to Jacob van Brugge (Jácome de Bruges) for the Captaincy of Terceira Island, Azores Archipelago
November 1, 1450 - The Prince signs the Captaincy letter granted to João Gonçalves Zarco for the Captaincy of Funchal, Madeira
May 18, 1451 - Lisbon(?) - Authorized to build windmills in the Tagus River Valley
 |
| The incredible similarity between he painting of the São Vicente Panels and the effigy on his tomb. |
August 9, 1451 - Lisbon - Arrives in Lisbon with the ambassadors
December 8, 1452 - Letter to João Gonçalves Zarco, in Madeira
April 1(?), 1454 - Afonso V donates the Coast of Guinea to Prince Henry
May 1(?), 1455 - Sagres - Spends the month of May in Sagres
December 2, 1455 - Évora - The young Queen Isabel dies at the age of 23, with suspicion of poisoning
January 2, 1456 - Batalha - Deposit of the bones of Queen Leonor next to King Duarte in Batalha Monastery
January 1, 1457 - Obtains the mayorship of Silves, in Algarve
December 26, 1457 - Sagres - Donation of 5% of the profits from the Guinean business to the Order of Christ
September 30, 1458 - Lisbon - King Afonso V (and Prince Henry) sail for Morocco with an embarked army of 25,000 men
October 3, 1458 - Sagres - The fleet anchors at Sagres
October 17, 1458 - Lagos - The fleet sails from Lagos
 |
| Prince Henry's effigy (note the arms of Duke of Viseu) |
November 16, 1458 - Ceuta - Prince Henry and the King sail for Algarve
January 1(?), 1459 - Évora - Travels to Évora to stay with the Court
July 2, 1460 - While in Sagres - Afonso V deliberates that the town of Lagos would not be given to anyone else after the death of Prince Henry and that it would revert to the Crown
September 1(?), 1460 - Sagres - Testamentary letters
October 28, 1460 - Sagres - Last Will and Testament
November 13, 1460 - Sagres - Prince Henry the Navigator dies, aged 66 =(END)
A very thorough and very rigorous study that incorporates the most recent interpretations of the life of Henry the Navigator.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the quality and accuracy of this text.
ARC
Gosto. Parabéns pela biografia duma das personalidades que mais contribuiu para a globalização da língua portuguesa.
ReplyDelete