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2009
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On April 22, 1500, while sailing to India with the intent of establishing a commercial connection with the Malabar Coast, the fleet commanded by Pedro Álvares Cabral sighted land in the South Atlantic. The landing that followed in what would initially be named Terra de Vera Cruz, marked the moment of official discovery of what nowadays is known as Brazil.
This discovery ocurred within the context of the highly successful European overseas expansion. In the two decades that preceded it, Portuguese ships had explored the entire West African Coast, navigating beyond the Cape of Good Hope and, finally, in 1498, Vasco da Gama had commanded the first fleet to reach the Indian Subcontinent. In turn, Christopher Columbus, at the service of the Spanish monarchy, while attempting to reach the Far East by sailing west, had reached the New World in 1492.
Thus was inaugurated a key period in the incorporation of the globe, a venture carried out by the Iberian navigators, in which the Treaty of Tordesillas was prominent. This treaty, which divided the newly-discovered territories outside Europe between the Iberian Crowns, was a fundamental step towards Portuguese dominion of Brazil. In fact, it was Dom João II´s intransigence in demanding that the Tordesillas meridian fall 370 rather than 100 leagues past the Cape Verdean archipelago, as proposed by the Catholic Kings, that allowed the Brazilian litoral to remain in the Portuguese hemisphere. Nominally connected with guaranteeing the return of the Portuguese fleets from the Cape of Good Hope, which would require performing the volta pelo largo [turn on the open sea], this situation demonstrates that the Portuguese monarchy´s level of understanding of the winds and currents of the South Atlantic was profound for that era. When linked with the 370 league requirement, this knowledge, acquired via exploratory voyages, raises the idea that the Portuguese Crown already suspected the existence of lands yet to be discovered in the South Atlantic.
The events of the years separating the signing of the Treaty of Tordesillas from Pedro Álvares Cabral´s voyage accentuate the question of whether or not there existed previous knowledge of these lands. During this time the, possibility that a voyage of exploration that in December 1498, would likely have reached the northern coast of what currently is Brazil becomes prominent. The news of this voyage is recorded in a rather ambiguous passage of Esmeraldo de situ Orbis, written by its eventual commander, Duarte Pacheco Pereira. The author would have led a voyage to the South Atlantic per order of Dom Manuel I, during which a sizeable land mass would have been sighted, possibly Brazil, indicating a first finding dated two years prior to Cabral´s expedition.
Navigators at the service of the Castillian Monarchy may also have explored parts of Northern Brazil before Pedro Álvares Cabral´s arrival. In 1498, during his third trip, Christopher Columbus explored Trinidad Island and the Venezuelan coast. The voyages of Alonso de Ojeda in 1499 as well as of Vicente Yãnes Pinzón and Diego de Leppe, who in the first months of 1500 would have visited the northeastern region of Brazil and the mouth of the Amazon River were also recorded. What is certain is that in spite of the probability that both Duarte Pacheco and the Castilian expeditions reached Brazil first, Pedro Álvares Cabral´s voyage was the one that marked the actual incorporation of the region in the coeval geopolitical universe.
The assembling of Pedro Álvares Cabral´s fleet began shortly after Vasco da Gama´s return, and its objective was to secure Portuguese interests in India, which had just been reached. A total of thirteen ships were assembled, nine of which were carracks, while three were caravels; a smaller vessel for provisions was also part of the fleet. Setting sail on March 9, 1500, this fleet represented the largest naval force to depart the Tagus.
During the following months, the fleet followed its course without major incidents, except for the disappearance on March 23rd of the carrack commanded by Vasco de Ataíde. Despite this loss, the fleet proceeded with its trip, temporarily traveling on a southwest curve to avoid the equatorial doldrums, a strategy suggested by Vasco da Gama´s trip.
On April 21st, evidence of the existence of land nearby was found in the ocean, which led to a decision to alter the course towards the west; a decision that resulted in the sighting of a strip of land the following day. On it a peak rose which they named Monte Pascoal [Easter Mountain]. The fleet anchored a few leagues from the coast and, the following day, the inhabitants of this new land were seen for the first time. A skiff commanded by Nicolau Coelho was sent to meet them. Thus, friendly relations with the natives were established, as the Portuguese contacted Amerindians for the first time. The region was inhabited by the Tupiniquin tribe, which belonged to a broad linguistic group, the Tupi-Guarani, with whom the first commercial exchanges occurred.
Seeking to explore the recently discovered coast, the fleet headed North, and eventually anchored in a propitious harbor, currently known as Baía Cabrália, where on April 26th, for the first time, mass was celebrated on Brazilian soil. In the days that followed, the Council of Captains was assembled, deciding to send the smaller, supply ship back to the Kingdom, under the command of Gaspar de Lemos, with news of their discovery. A great wooden cross was raised to be seen from the ocean, before the fleet left the Brazilian coast on May 2nd, continuing on its trip to India.
The Portuguese Crown was informed of the discovery through Gaspar de Lemos; nevertheless, the news were only divulged at the time of the return of the first ships of Pedro Álvares Cabral´s fleet, mid-year 1501. Doubts remained, however, about the nature of the newly found land - if it were island or continent and what its size was - which were settled via the voyages of exploration undertaken in the years that followed. The first of these, which was commanded by Gonçalo Coelho, departed in May 1501.
The reasons that led to the discovery of Brazil by Pedro Álvares Cabral´s fleet, have been the subject of historiographical debate for decades. Two main arguments emerged from this debate, asserting either the causality or the intentionality of the discovery.
The proponents of the first theory assert that the discovery resulted from an unplanned deviation West while maneuvering around the doldrums, which was possibly caused by the winds and currents or, eventually, a storm. They refer as well to the absence of documentation that can justify the intentionality of the discovery.
Those who deffend the intentionality theory allege that, given the lack of documentation about a storm and, in light of the geographical position of the sighting of Monte Pascoal, the discovery would have resulted from a purposeful change in the route to be followed. However, they disagree as to whether this deviation would have occurred via the Admiral´s initiative or if he would have been under secret orders from Dom Manuel I to carry out an official discovery of lands that had already been sighted, while acting as if the discovery was fortuitous. This position is supported by the silencing of the news of the discovery for nearly a year, the time that elapsed between the arrival of Gaspar de Lemos´ ship in Lisbon and the divulging of the discovery, after the return of the India Fleet.
Regardless of its intentionality or causality, the discovery in 1500 of what initially was designated Terra de Vera Cruz or Terra de Santa Cruz, was a key landmark in the Portuguese discoveries. If, on the one hand, it implied the possession by Portugal of a geostrategic base of support to navigation in the South Atlantic, it equally represented the incorporation of a new space within the framework of Portuguese overseas expansion. Through the centuries, this space would acquire central significance in the unfolding of Portugal´s historical transformation. It was also this trip that set the course that would result in the existence nowadays of a Republica Federal do Brasil, whose official language is Portuguese, and which is the largest and most populous country of South America.
The discovery of Brazil was described in three main sources. The most famous of these is the letter by the clerk of Pedro Álvares Cabral´s fleet, Pêro Vaz de Caminha, to King Dom Manuel. To this document are added another letter to Dom Manuel, which was authored by a university graduate and surgeon, Master João Farás, as well as the account commonly known as Relação do Piloto Anónimo.
Bibliography:
COSTA, João Paulo Oliveira e, "A armada de Pedro Álvares Cabral. Significados e protagonistas" in Descobridores do Brasil - Exploradores do Atlântico e Construtores da Índia, João Paulo Oliveira e Costa (coord.), Lisboa, SHIP, 2000, pp. 11-70. COUTO, Jorge, A Construção do Brasil, Lisboa, Edições Cosmos, 1997. GUEDES, Max Justo, Descobrimento do Brasil, Lisboa, C.N.C.D.P., 1998. Oceanos, nº 39, C.N.C.D.P, 1999.
Translated by: Maria João Pimentel
This discovery ocurred within the context of the highly successful European overseas expansion. In the two decades that preceded it, Portuguese ships had explored the entire West African Coast, navigating beyond the Cape of Good Hope and, finally, in 1498, Vasco da Gama had commanded the first fleet to reach the Indian Subcontinent. In turn, Christopher Columbus, at the service of the Spanish monarchy, while attempting to reach the Far East by sailing west, had reached the New World in 1492.
Thus was inaugurated a key period in the incorporation of the globe, a venture carried out by the Iberian navigators, in which the Treaty of Tordesillas was prominent. This treaty, which divided the newly-discovered territories outside Europe between the Iberian Crowns, was a fundamental step towards Portuguese dominion of Brazil. In fact, it was Dom João II´s intransigence in demanding that the Tordesillas meridian fall 370 rather than 100 leagues past the Cape Verdean archipelago, as proposed by the Catholic Kings, that allowed the Brazilian litoral to remain in the Portuguese hemisphere. Nominally connected with guaranteeing the return of the Portuguese fleets from the Cape of Good Hope, which would require performing the volta pelo largo [turn on the open sea], this situation demonstrates that the Portuguese monarchy´s level of understanding of the winds and currents of the South Atlantic was profound for that era. When linked with the 370 league requirement, this knowledge, acquired via exploratory voyages, raises the idea that the Portuguese Crown already suspected the existence of lands yet to be discovered in the South Atlantic.
The events of the years separating the signing of the Treaty of Tordesillas from Pedro Álvares Cabral´s voyage accentuate the question of whether or not there existed previous knowledge of these lands. During this time the, possibility that a voyage of exploration that in December 1498, would likely have reached the northern coast of what currently is Brazil becomes prominent. The news of this voyage is recorded in a rather ambiguous passage of Esmeraldo de situ Orbis, written by its eventual commander, Duarte Pacheco Pereira. The author would have led a voyage to the South Atlantic per order of Dom Manuel I, during which a sizeable land mass would have been sighted, possibly Brazil, indicating a first finding dated two years prior to Cabral´s expedition.
Navigators at the service of the Castillian Monarchy may also have explored parts of Northern Brazil before Pedro Álvares Cabral´s arrival. In 1498, during his third trip, Christopher Columbus explored Trinidad Island and the Venezuelan coast. The voyages of Alonso de Ojeda in 1499 as well as of Vicente Yãnes Pinzón and Diego de Leppe, who in the first months of 1500 would have visited the northeastern region of Brazil and the mouth of the Amazon River were also recorded. What is certain is that in spite of the probability that both Duarte Pacheco and the Castilian expeditions reached Brazil first, Pedro Álvares Cabral´s voyage was the one that marked the actual incorporation of the region in the coeval geopolitical universe.
The assembling of Pedro Álvares Cabral´s fleet began shortly after Vasco da Gama´s return, and its objective was to secure Portuguese interests in India, which had just been reached. A total of thirteen ships were assembled, nine of which were carracks, while three were caravels; a smaller vessel for provisions was also part of the fleet. Setting sail on March 9, 1500, this fleet represented the largest naval force to depart the Tagus.
During the following months, the fleet followed its course without major incidents, except for the disappearance on March 23rd of the carrack commanded by Vasco de Ataíde. Despite this loss, the fleet proceeded with its trip, temporarily traveling on a southwest curve to avoid the equatorial doldrums, a strategy suggested by Vasco da Gama´s trip.
On April 21st, evidence of the existence of land nearby was found in the ocean, which led to a decision to alter the course towards the west; a decision that resulted in the sighting of a strip of land the following day. On it a peak rose which they named Monte Pascoal [Easter Mountain]. The fleet anchored a few leagues from the coast and, the following day, the inhabitants of this new land were seen for the first time. A skiff commanded by Nicolau Coelho was sent to meet them. Thus, friendly relations with the natives were established, as the Portuguese contacted Amerindians for the first time. The region was inhabited by the Tupiniquin tribe, which belonged to a broad linguistic group, the Tupi-Guarani, with whom the first commercial exchanges occurred.
Seeking to explore the recently discovered coast, the fleet headed North, and eventually anchored in a propitious harbor, currently known as Baía Cabrália, where on April 26th, for the first time, mass was celebrated on Brazilian soil. In the days that followed, the Council of Captains was assembled, deciding to send the smaller, supply ship back to the Kingdom, under the command of Gaspar de Lemos, with news of their discovery. A great wooden cross was raised to be seen from the ocean, before the fleet left the Brazilian coast on May 2nd, continuing on its trip to India.
The Portuguese Crown was informed of the discovery through Gaspar de Lemos; nevertheless, the news were only divulged at the time of the return of the first ships of Pedro Álvares Cabral´s fleet, mid-year 1501. Doubts remained, however, about the nature of the newly found land - if it were island or continent and what its size was - which were settled via the voyages of exploration undertaken in the years that followed. The first of these, which was commanded by Gonçalo Coelho, departed in May 1501.
The reasons that led to the discovery of Brazil by Pedro Álvares Cabral´s fleet, have been the subject of historiographical debate for decades. Two main arguments emerged from this debate, asserting either the causality or the intentionality of the discovery.
The proponents of the first theory assert that the discovery resulted from an unplanned deviation West while maneuvering around the doldrums, which was possibly caused by the winds and currents or, eventually, a storm. They refer as well to the absence of documentation that can justify the intentionality of the discovery.
Those who deffend the intentionality theory allege that, given the lack of documentation about a storm and, in light of the geographical position of the sighting of Monte Pascoal, the discovery would have resulted from a purposeful change in the route to be followed. However, they disagree as to whether this deviation would have occurred via the Admiral´s initiative or if he would have been under secret orders from Dom Manuel I to carry out an official discovery of lands that had already been sighted, while acting as if the discovery was fortuitous. This position is supported by the silencing of the news of the discovery for nearly a year, the time that elapsed between the arrival of Gaspar de Lemos´ ship in Lisbon and the divulging of the discovery, after the return of the India Fleet.
Regardless of its intentionality or causality, the discovery in 1500 of what initially was designated Terra de Vera Cruz or Terra de Santa Cruz, was a key landmark in the Portuguese discoveries. If, on the one hand, it implied the possession by Portugal of a geostrategic base of support to navigation in the South Atlantic, it equally represented the incorporation of a new space within the framework of Portuguese overseas expansion. Through the centuries, this space would acquire central significance in the unfolding of Portugal´s historical transformation. It was also this trip that set the course that would result in the existence nowadays of a Republica Federal do Brasil, whose official language is Portuguese, and which is the largest and most populous country of South America.
The discovery of Brazil was described in three main sources. The most famous of these is the letter by the clerk of Pedro Álvares Cabral´s fleet, Pêro Vaz de Caminha, to King Dom Manuel. To this document are added another letter to Dom Manuel, which was authored by a university graduate and surgeon, Master João Farás, as well as the account commonly known as Relação do Piloto Anónimo.
Bibliography:
COSTA, João Paulo Oliveira e, "A armada de Pedro Álvares Cabral. Significados e protagonistas" in Descobridores do Brasil - Exploradores do Atlântico e Construtores da Índia, João Paulo Oliveira e Costa (coord.), Lisboa, SHIP, 2000, pp. 11-70. COUTO, Jorge, A Construção do Brasil, Lisboa, Edições Cosmos, 1997. GUEDES, Max Justo, Descobrimento do Brasil, Lisboa, C.N.C.D.P., 1998. Oceanos, nº 39, C.N.C.D.P, 1999.
Translated by: Maria João Pimentel