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.

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.

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.

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.

• 1450: Born sometime around this year, presumably in Portugal

• 1481: Joins Diogo d'Azambuja to explore the Gold Coast of Africa

• 1487: Begins his voyage of exploration around Africa

• 1488: Sails around the Cape of Good Hope

• 1488: Returns to Lisbon

• 1497: Accompanies Vasco da Gama on his expedition to India

• 1500: Accompanies Pedro Álvares Cabral on the voyage to discover Brazil

• 1500: Dies at sea, before reaching Brazil, on May 29, 1500

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