Diogo Cão

Diogo Cão

Late 15th Century

The Motivation For the Exploration Of The Coastline Of Africa:

The fall of Byzantine Constantinople to the Turks in 1453 along with the expulsion of the Moslems from the Iberian Peninsular in 1492 had raised religious tensions in the Mediterranean and Middle East to an unprecedented level. The caravans traveling along the western sections of the silk, spice and incense routes of were often subjected to punitive levies from the Moslem overlords, and rebel bandits would plunder and murder at will. The high risks being encountered in delivering the goods to the European market place forced prices to levels that were considered exorbitant and unaffordable. Many of the merchant states of the Mediterranean were facing economic crisis.

 

The Quest for an Alternative Route to the East:

For centuries the Europeans had listened to the stories about brave seafarers of ancient times having sailed south along the coastline of Africa and rounding the most southern tip of the continent. It was generally agreed that this could be the alternative trade route to the riches of the East, but how to get there, and in what type of ship, and how to return safely all presented problems that stretched the limits of imaginations and science of the day.

 

Henry The Navigator:

One bold innovator was Prince Henry (1394-1460) the third son of King John 1 (1357- 1433) of Portugal. Henry was fascinated with the challenge of sea travel. He made his residence at Sagres near Cape Saint Vincent, and there he built an observatory and established Europe's first school for navigators.

 

The Caravel, A Revolution In Ship Design:

Prince Henry also helped to develop a new class of ship that became know as the caravel (Portuguese - Caravel,  from the Greek - Karabos,  or Arabic - Qarib). They were small vessels in relationship to the lumbering galleys that had plied the Mediterranean over 2 millenia. Approximately 16m in length and having two or three short masts that carried lateen sails. They looked more like an Arab Dhow than a product of Western Europe, but the craft were seaworthy and were capable of sailing close to the wind. It was in these fast, robust little ships that the Portuguese began to explore the West Coast of Africa, and by 1446 they had reached as far South as the Gambia River. 

 

The Padroes (Stone Crosses):

The discoveries being made along the West-African coast were the most impressive of the times and Pope Sixtus V proclaimed Prince Henry's nephew King John II (1455-1495) as being the "Lord of all of the African Possessions". The king ordered that (Padroes) commemorative pillars of limestone depicting the coat of arms of Portugal and surmounted with a Cross to be carved. These were to be erected at prominent places to serve as landmarks and also to proclaim sovereignty for Christianity and Portugal. The Padroes were about 3,5m in height and weighed 360kg

Fall of Constantinople

Painted in Paris 1499

Henry The Navigator

With Alfonso V

Mid 15th Century

Lateen rig Caravel

Portuguese Flag

Mid15th Century

Replica Padrao

at Cape Cross

 

The First Voyage of Diogo Cao: 

Diogo Cao was the first of the Portuguese explorer navigators to set sail with such Padroes on his voyages. The first he erected in 1482 at the mouth of the mighty Congo River at a place he named 'Ponte do Padrao' . He continued down the coastline and placed a second Padrao at Cabo do Lobo (Cape Santa Maria) which lays about 180km South of Lobito on the Angolan coast. Having achieved this he returned to Lisbon with a report of his findings where, on 8 April 1484 King John II knighted Diogo Cao and awarded him an annuity. His heraldry sign appropriately depicts the sea and padroes.

 

Portuguese Erecting

Padrao at Cape Cross

Coat of Arms of Diogo Cao

Section of Cantino Map

In 1485 Diogo Cao again captained a second expedition along the west coast of Africa. The mission was two-fold. Find the trade route to the East,  and the Church's added request to find the land of the fabled Prester John. In January 1486 Diogo Cao erected a third Padrao at Cape Negro on the Angolan coast. The explorers then pushed further South and soon encountered the forbidding and often mist shrouded Namibian desert coastline. They eventually laid anchor in a bay where thousand of seals had made their settlement. The tired and hungry mariners would have caught some provisions, and it was here that Diogo Cao decided to erect his last Padrao on a rocky outcrop that he named Cabo da Padrao and declared this sparse and empty land for Christ and Portugal. It bore the inscription, "in the year 6685 of the creation of the Earth and 1485 after the birth of Christ the most excellent and most serene King Dom Jao II of Portugal ordered this land to be discovered and his Padrao to be placed by Diogo Cao, gentleman (or knight) of his house."

Early charts beginning with the Germanus map of 1489 and Cantino map of 1502 do show the place as being named Cabo da Padrao, but exactly when and by whom Cape Cross was named is unknown. By the early nineteenth century several European maps had the area marked as being Cape Cross. Cabo da Padrao is marked about halfway on the map section to the left.

Acknowledgements and further reading:  H1, H2, H12, H15, H16, P1

  Cape Cross Tour Pages      ► 1 Cape Cross    ► 3 Diogo Cao at Cape Cross     ► Henties Bay

 

The Cape Cross Site is Managed by the Namibia Ministry of Environment and Tourism. Permits to visit the Cape Cross site are available at the office on-site. Opening hours are: 10h00 to 17h00

Local Area Attractions

► 1 Cape Cross    ► 3 Diogo Cao at Cape Cross     ► Henties Bay

Did You Know ?

• Prince Henry The Navigator was a deeply religious man and was the Governor of the religious 'Order of Christ'. He took a vow of celibacy, never married and often wore a horsehair shirt beneath his top clothing.

• Following the death of Prince Henry, King Alfonso V awarded The Order a 5% levy on all merchandise brought in from the new African lands discovered.

• Map of Namibia   For detailed digitally produced road and town directional maps of Namibia

• Namibia-Tour-Guide   A site designed specifically, to help you plan your tour of Namibia

• Namibia-Accommodation-Guide The complete list as registered with the Namibia Tourism Board

• Namibia-Hunting-Safaris All you need to know, plus the complete list of licensed, registered Professional Hunters

• Air-Namibia-Timetable User friendly timetable of all Air Namibia flights.

• South-African-Airways-Timetable  User friendly timetable of all SAA flights.

• Car Rental

Diogo Cao

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