Bartolomeu Dias

Bartolomeu Dias, also known as Bartolomeu Diaz, was a Portuguese navigator and explorer who lived in the 15th and 16th centuries. He is credited with being the first European to sail around the western tip of Africa, known as the Cape of Good Hope, in 1488.

Dias's Mission

In 1486, he was chartered by King João II of Portugal (sometimes referred to as King John II or King Juan II) to search for the lands of Prester John, a legendary African King who was also a Christian priest. This was both a spiritual and a political mission, as at the time, the Muslims dominated trade with Asia. In 1488, Dias was swept off course by a storm, landing at what is now Mosell Bay in South Africa. During the return voyage, he discovered the Cape of Good Hope, which he named Cabo Tormentoso (Cape of Storms) in honor of the experience he and his crew had during the voyage. He never did find the African Christians he had been searching for, but the sea route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean and Asia he explored was critical to increasing European trade with the East.

Final Voyages

In 1497, Dias accompanied Vasco da Gama as far as Cape Verde, and in 1500 he sailed with Pedro Alvares Cabral on the expedition that would eventually discover Brazil. Dias did not reach Brazil, however, dying at sea on May 29, 1500.

Fast Facts

1. AKA: Bartolomeu Diaz
2. Birth name: Bartolomeu Dias de Novais
3. Born: 1450 (approximately)
4. Main area explored: Cape of Good Hope
5. Died: May 29, 1500

Bartolomeu Dias Epitaph:

a poem by Fernando Pessoa

• Here lies, in the small extreme beach,
• The Captain of the End. Having ceased the Astonishment,
• The sea remains the same: should no one fear it now!
• Atlas, shows the world high on his shoulder.

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