Covilhã - Land of Discoverers

ABOUT Despite being inland and without a port, the city of Covilhã was the birthplace of important men who became famous for discovering new worlds in the 16th century.

Prince Henry the Navigator - Lord of Covilhã, received the title from his father, King Dom João I, after his conquest of Ceuta in 1415, which marked the beginning of the era of the Portuguese Discoveries. It was followed by Madeira (1419-1420), the military expeditions to the Canary Islands (1424) and the rediscovery of the Azores (1427). Under the Prince's command, Gil Eanes rounded Cape Bojador in 1434 and reached the Rio de Ouro (river of gold) in 1436. In 1440 he was appointed governor of the frontier distrct of Beira, which included the whole of the Serra da Estrela region. In 1460, the year of his death, Portuguese mariners reached the Cape Verde Islands and Sierra Leone, on the coast of Africa.

Pedro Álvares Cabral - the Discoverer of Brazil, was born in the nearby town of Belmonte, 20 kilometres away, but his family's estates extended to Covilhã. In 1500 he led the fleet of 13 ships on what was intended to be the second voyage to India, but instead reached the coast of Bahia in Brazil.

Pêro da Covilhã - Born in Covilhã. Following King Dom João II's orders, he was the first major explorer of the coasts of Arabia, India and East Africa. His information was extremely useful for Vasco da Gama's discovery of the sea route to India.

Afonso de Paiva - Born in Covilhã, he went on voyages with Pêro da Covilhã, most notably exploring the coast of Africa and searching for Prester John.

Master Joseph Vizinho - Dom João II's cosmographer and physician, born into Covilhã's Jewish community. Mentioned by Christopher Columbus, his knowledge of astronomical navigation was crucial in introducing latitude to navigational charts. This discovery contributed to Portugal's leading position in naval navigation.

Rui Faleiro - Cosmographer, born in Covilhã in the late 15th century, he was a key member of Ferdinand Magellan's (Fernão de Magalhães) voyage round the world. His greatest discovery was the measurement of longtitude, which enabled mariners to find their position at sea.

Francisco Faleiro - brother of Rui, also a cosmographer. In 1535 he produced the "Treatise on the World and on the Art of Navigating", one of the earliest works about the study of the phenomena of the earth's magnetism.

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