Henry the Navigator, whose full name was Infante Dom Henrique, was a Portuguese prince born on 04 March 1394. He was an important figure in the Age of Discovery, a period during the 15th and 16th centuries when European powers explored and navigated new routes to Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
Henry was the third son of King John I of Portugal, and he played a crucial role in promoting and financing maritime exploration. Although he himself did not embark on many voyages, he founded a school of navigation in Sagres, Portugal, where cartographers, navigators, and explorers gathered to share knowledge and develop new techniques.
Under Henry's patronage, Portuguese explorers began to sail south along the African coast, seeking new trade routes. This initiative laid the groundwork for later explorations, including Vasco da Gama's successful voyage to India in 1498.
Henry the Navigator is remembered as a key figure in the Age of Discovery, contributing to Portugal's maritime expansion and the establishment of trade routes that connected Europe to other parts of the world.
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