Publication Date
2009
Categories
Related entries
In the fifteenth century, Lagos was a village with a harbour, in the coast of the Algarve, which became deeply connected to Prince Dom Henrique's discoveries, due to its fine sea harbour, located in one of the tips of a wide bay.
It was precisely there that, in 1415, the powerful fleet put together by Dom João I to attack Ceuta gathered. Lagos had good conditions for navigating which were not disregarded by the members of the squadron. Dom Henrique became more aware of its importance since he became the governor of Ceuta, a post which meant managing, from the kingdom, the logistical support to the African city.
It was from this village that Gil Eanes' boat, which first crossed the cape Bojador, left and it was to it that it returned, thus unleashing the Discoveries. Lagos was the starting point for the naval operations of the men who belonged to the House of Dom Henrique. According to the chronicler Zurara the first big slave sale done in Lagos took place in August 1444, in the presence of Prince Henrique. Documents show that several important people from the village actively participated in the exploration journeys to the African coast, either under Dom Henrique command, or on their own initiative.
From the sixteenth century on, a myth was developed around the idea that Sagres was the place where Dom Henrique lived for quite a long time, which led people to create the expression "escola de Sagres" [school of Sagres]. However, documents show that the area around Cape St Vincent and Sagres was a deserted place, where nothing was built until 1443, when the Crown handed these lands to Prince Dom Henrique and he started building his village. The first support centre for the Discoveries was therefore, beyond any doubt, the village of Lagos, probably with the help of the university of Lisbon which was then ruled by Prince Dom Henrique. The first school of navigators experienced in the exploration of the unknown was thus created in Lagos. It was also in this harbour that the caravel, the new ship, fitter for the Discoveries, first appeared.
In 1453, Dom Afonso V donated Lagos to Dom Henrique for life. Dom Henrique died on 13 September, in his village, in what nowadays is called the village of Sagres, and his body was transferred to Lagos and was buried in one of his churches, from which his mortal remains were then taken to his tomb in the Monastery of Batalha. Lagos was the seat of the trading station of Arguin until 1463, when it was moved to Lisbon. After Dom Henrique's death, Dom Afonso V took direct control of the exploration of the western coast of Africa and its trade. The transfer of the trading station which controlled the trade with Guinea was the last act in the process of putting the Discoveries under the control of the central power. From then on, Lagos played a minor role in the Portuguese Expansion.
Translated by: Dominique Faria
It was precisely there that, in 1415, the powerful fleet put together by Dom João I to attack Ceuta gathered. Lagos had good conditions for navigating which were not disregarded by the members of the squadron. Dom Henrique became more aware of its importance since he became the governor of Ceuta, a post which meant managing, from the kingdom, the logistical support to the African city.
It was from this village that Gil Eanes' boat, which first crossed the cape Bojador, left and it was to it that it returned, thus unleashing the Discoveries. Lagos was the starting point for the naval operations of the men who belonged to the House of Dom Henrique. According to the chronicler Zurara the first big slave sale done in Lagos took place in August 1444, in the presence of Prince Henrique. Documents show that several important people from the village actively participated in the exploration journeys to the African coast, either under Dom Henrique command, or on their own initiative.
From the sixteenth century on, a myth was developed around the idea that Sagres was the place where Dom Henrique lived for quite a long time, which led people to create the ex
In 1453, Dom Afonso V donated Lagos to Dom Henrique for life. Dom Henrique died on 13 September, in his village, in what nowadays is called the village of Sagres, and his body was transferred to Lagos and was buried in one of his churches, from which his mortal remains were then taken to his tomb in the Monastery of Batalha. Lagos was the seat of the trading station of Arguin until 1463, when it was moved to Lisbon. After Dom Henrique's death, Dom Afonso V took direct control of the exploration of the western coast of Africa and its trade. The transfer of the trading station which controlled the trade with Guinea was the last act in the process of putting the Discoveries under the control of the central power. From then on, Lagos played a minor role in the Portuguese Expansion.
Translated by: Dominique Faria