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The Main Voyages of the Discoveries
Portugal's voyages of discovery stand at the very beginning of the world’s first global culture.
Years: 1415 — 1580
The explorers of the 15th and early 16th centuries did not set out to launch a revolution in knowledge, but that is what they achieved – that and much more. The Portuguese not only ended the isolation of Europe; they also unwillingly set it on the path of worldwide expansion. Their voyages of discovery stand at the very beginning of the world’s first global culture.
Winius, George D., “The Ocean Adventures” in “Voyages of Discovery”, Time-Life History of the World, 1989
No other people in history embarked on such extensive geographical explorations as the Portuguese. During the 15th century, they were the first to reveal to Europe the unknown coast of West Africa, reaching and rounding the Cape of Good Hope. They made the first all-water voyage from the West to the East between 1497-1499, for the first time circumnavigating the land barrier that long separated the East from the West.
Cabral touched on Brazil en route to India in 1500. Afonso de Albuquerque established the Portuguese as far east as Malacca in 1511. Many of the islands of the East Indies had been visited by Portuguese ships before Magellan (Magalhães), a Portuguese sailing in the service of Spain, began the first voyage around the world in 1519. Christopher Columbus, who discovered America in 1492, was an Italian who largely learned his trade as navigator in Portugal. By the end of the 16th century, the Portuguese banner was flying around the world.
Diffie, Bailey W. and Winius, George D., “Foundations of the Portuguese Empire, 1415-1580”, Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press, 1977
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