Beginnings
Not much is known about Bartolomeu Dias' early life. However we do know that Bartolomeu was born in Portugal around 1450. He was a member of the court of King João (John) II of Portugal. In 1481, Dias and explorer Diogo d'Azambuja explored the Gold Coast of Africa. In 1486 , King John II appointed Dias the head of an expedition in search for a sea route to India as well as the lands ruled by Prester John, a fabled Christian priest and ruler of a lost Christian nation.
The ExpeditionIn August 1487, Dias aboard his caravel, São Cristóvão (Saint Christopher); another caravel, the São Pantaleão; and a supply ship with his brother, Pêro Dias, its captain left the port of Lisbon, Portugal. They followed the path Dias took the first time he sailed the Golden Coast. Along the way they stopped near modern day Angola, where they left the supply ship under the guard of nine men. In January 1488, storms blew Dias' other two ships away from the coast. However they found land again on February 3rd. They were about 300 mi. east of the Cape of Good Hope. Dias and his men continued along the coast, however many men were becoming nervous about dwindling food supplies. To prevent mutiny, Dias appointed a council to decide whether to turn back or to keep going. The council voted to let him sail for another three days and then turn back. On March 12, 1488, they planted a padrão, limestone markers used to stake Portuguese claims on the continent, in present-day Eastern Cape province and turned back toward Portugal.
|
Journey Back
On the way back to Portugal Bartolomeu Dias observed the southernmost tip of Africa: Cabo das Agulhas or Cape of Needles. Bartolomeu named that rocky cape Cabo das Tormentas (Cape of Storms) for the storms and strong current that made sea travel dangerous. When they arrived back at present-day Angola, Dias and his men found that only three of the nine men left to guard the supply ship had survived attacks by the locals. Another died on the journey back to Portugal. Despite his tremendous achievements, Dias' expedition was considered a failure, and Dias was never again put in a position of authority. Nevertheless, King John II ordered that all maps show Cabo das Tormentas with a new name--Cabo da Boa Esparança or Cape of Good Hope. This new name represented the chance for the trade route to be completed.
Look below for a map of the Cape of Good Hope.
Look below for a map of the Cape of Good Hope.