Prince Henry the Navigator Establishes His Base at Sagres

1420

Prince Henry (Infante Dom Henrique), son of King Joao I, established his household and navigation enterprise at Sagres and Lagos in the early fifteenth century. From the Algarve's southwestern tip, he sponsored and directed the voyages of exploration that would transform Portugal into a global maritime power. Lagos served as the primary departure point for expeditions down the West African coast. Henry gathered cartographers, navigators, shipbuilders, and astronomers to advance the science of ocean navigation. The caravel, the nimble sailing vessel that made long-distance exploration practical, was developed and refined in Algarve shipyards. Henry's enterprise was driven by a combination of religious zeal, commercial ambition, and genuine scientific curiosity. By the time of his death in 1460, Portuguese mariners had explored the coast of Africa as far as Sierra Leone, discovered Madeira and the Azores, and established the trading networks that would expand dramatically in subsequent decades. The Algarve's role as the launching point for the Age of Discovery remains central to its historical identity.