Discoverers Web: The coast of Africa

The coast of Africa

In the history of exploration, 1414 is often taken as an important breaking point, the start of the 'Age of Discovery'. In that year, the Portuguese attacked the Moroccan city of Ceuta. One of the Portuguese was Henry (known as 'Henry the Navigator'), the third son of king John I. He noticed that there was an extensive and profitable trade between the Moroccan cities and gold countries to the south. He also wanted to fight the Muslims even harder. To get a share of the trade with West Africa, and to find possible allies in the fight against the Muslims in Morocco, he decided to start an enterprise to explore the coast of Morocco and get a foothold in the area.

His plans to explore the coast of Africa at first were voided by the fear of his captains. They feared that beyond one headland on the Moroccan coast, Cape Bojador, the sea would be extremely shallow, the land barren, and the streams such that returning would be impossible. By 1433, Henry's captains had discovered the Azoreans, colonized Madeira and put a claim on the Canaries, but they still had not passed Cape Bojador. In that year, one of his captains, Gil Eannes, came back from another fruitless attempt to pass the cape. Henry grew angry, and told Eannes to sail out again, and not return without having succeeded. And this time it worked - Eannes passed Cape Bojador, and the mental barrier had finally been taken.

After Eannes's voyage, the Portuguese travelled bit by bit further south: Eannes and Baldaya went beyond Cape Bojador in 1435, Baldaya reached Rio de Oro in 1436, Tristão Cape Blanco in 1441, Dinis Diaz Cape Verde in 1445. At the same time, trade with West Africa started - the main product being slaves. The Venetian Alvise da Cadamosto, who was allowed to take part in this trade, gave a description of West Africa in this period. In 1460, Henry died, his captains having reached Sierra Leone. Between 1469 and 1474, all trade with Africa was given as a monopoly to Fernao Gomes, who in exchange had to discover 600 km of coastline a year. During his time, the African coast was explored to just south of the equator.

After the contract with Gomes ended, voyages of discovery became the responsibility of the crown again, and in 1482, Diogo Cão was sent out. He discovered the Congo River, and reached Cape Santa Maria. On a second voyage in 1485, he got even further south, to present-day Namibia. In 1487, Bartolomeu Diaz was sent out for a further voyage along the African coast. He got in a storm, and when it ended steered east again, but did not find the coast. He had sailed around the Cape of Good Hope without seeing it. He explored the south coast upto Algoa Bay, and on the way back discovered the Cape of Good Hope. Around the same time, P&etilde;ro de Covilhão visited the east coast, and in 1497, Vasco da Gama used the route that had been found to sail to India. Those voyages are described in 'The first voyages to India' (to be written).

Related Subjects

More detailed information:

Other websites:

Lionel Casson: Setting the stage for Columbus (ancient and Portuguese voyages to Western Africa)
The Order of Christ: Discoveries After Prince Henry
University of Calgary Applied History Group: The European Voyages of Exploration: Africa
University of Calgary Applied History Group: The sea route to India and Vasco da Gama
John Ekwall: Discovery history of St. Helena

What came before:

The Medieval period

What followed:

Columbus (to be written)
The first voyages to the east (to be written)
Sahara and Niger (to be written)


João Afonso de Aveiro (Portugal, dates unknown): 1486: First European to visit the kingdom of Benin (in Nigeria).
Alfonso Gonçalves Baldaya (Portugal): 1435: With Eannes follows the African west coast to 320 km south of Cape Bojador; 1436: Reaches Cape Blanco; Henry the Navigator
Jean de Béthencourt (France, 1360?-1422): 1402-1406: Conquers and colonizes the Canaries.; Jean Braunstein: Jean de Béthencourt, un Normand à la conquête des Canaries (in French)
Alvise da Cadamosto (Venice, 1432-1488): 1455-1456: In Portuguese service, travels along the African coast south to the Gambia to trade.; 1460: Travels again to the Gambia to trade, and explores a few smaller rivers further south. While travelling to the Gambia is swept into open sea, and might have discovered the Cape Verdian Islands.; Cadamosto did not make any important discoveries, except perhaps the Cape Verdian Islands, but is known because he wrote an account of his travels, which is the main source about the Portuguese trade in West Africa in the mid-fifteenth century.
Diogo Cão (also known as Diego Cam, Portugal, 1450-?): 1482-3: Follows the African west coast south until Cape St.Mary, Angola. Makes contact with the Bakongo kingdom on the Congo.; 1485-6: Makes a second voyage to southwest Africa. Sails up the Congo, and reaches Cape Cross, Namibia. It is not known whether or not he returned from this voyage.
Bartolomeu Dias (also known as Bartholomew Diaz, Portugal, 1450?-1500): 1487-8: Follows the African coast southward, missing the Cape of Good Hope in a storm and reaching the south coast at Mossel Bay. Follows the coast further east until the mouth of the Great Fish River, and discovers the Cape of Good Hope on the return voyage.; 1497: Establishes a trading post in Elmina (Ghana).; 1500: Accompanies Cabral on his voyage to India, but is lost with his complete ship in a storm near the Cape of Good Hope.; Catholic Encyclopedia: Bartolomeu Dias; Publius Historicus: Bartolomeu Dias (in French)
Dinis Dias (Portugal, dates unknown): 1445: Discovers Cape Verde, the westernmost point of Africa.
Gil Eannes (Portugal, dates unknown): 1433: Tries to sail south along the westafrican coast, but stops short of Cape Bojador.; 1434: In a second attempt manages to round Cape Bojador, thus finally really starting off Henry the Navigator's southward expansion.; 1435: With Baldaya sails 320 km south of Cape Bojador and finds evidence of human inhabitation.
Fernando Póo (Portugal, dates unknown): ca. 1473: Reaches the Gulf of Biafra and discovers the island that is now known as Fernando Póo.
Fernão Gomes (Portugal): 1469-74: Receives the monopoly on trade with most of Africa in exchange for exploring an amount of coastline each year. During this period, the African coast from Sierra Leone to just across the equator is discovered.
Antão Gonçalves (Portugal, dates unknown): 1441: Travels to Rio de Oro and brings the first cargo of African slaves to Portugal.; 1443, 1445, 1447: Makes three more voyages to Rio de Oro.
Lopo Gonçalves (Portugal, dates unknown): 1474: Follows the African eastern coast southward, passing the equator.
Henry the Navigator (Portugal, 1394-1460): Prince of Portugal, establishes a navigational academy in Sagres, and from 1426 onwards sends out ship south along the African coast.
Pedro de Sintra (Portugal, dates unknown): 1460: Travels southward on the African west coast to Guinea.; 1461-2: Travels even further south, reaching Sierra Leone.
Nuno Tristão (Portugal, dates unknown): 1441: Reaches Cape Blanco.; 1443: Reached the island of Arguim.; 1445: Sails yet further south, and reaches the end of the desert coast.; 1446: Killed in a slave hunt south of Cape Verde.