Discovery and Early History of the Azores (Acores).
Philip Deitiker
Gonçalo Velho, (15th century) Portuguese explorer of the Atlantic,
possible discoverer of the Azores islands.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gon%E7alo_Velho"
Here is some of the process.
-------http://www.answers.com/topic/henry-the-navigator---------
"
Jehuda Cresques, a noted cartographer, was invited to come to Sagres
and compile geographic knowledge for Henry, a position he accepted.
The nearby port of Lagos provided a convenient harbor, and became a
centre for ship-building. The development of the caravel, a light and
maneuverable vessel that combined square-rigging with the lateen sail
of the Arabs, made the complicated return voyages, headed upwind,
possible. Without it, the Vivaldo brothers had sailed into oblivion.
The first fruit of this work was the rediscovery of the Madeira
Islands in 1420 by João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira, and
at Henry's instigation they were colonized by the Portuguese.
"
-------http://www.answers.com/topic/henry-the-navigator---------
---find out more about the madeira islands at:
http://www.answers.com/main/ntquery;jsessionid=3l1njbl2540mc?method=4
&dsid=2222&dekey=Madeira+Islands&gwp=8&curtab=2222_1&sbid=lc03b
-------http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehuda_Cresques-------
"
Jehuda Cresques (1350?-1427?), also known as Jafuda Cresques and
Jaume Riba, was a Catalan cartographer, and probably the man who
coordinated the discoveries of the Portuguese naval school at Sagres
in the early 15th century.
Son of another noted cartographer, Abraham Cresques, he was born in
Majorca in present-day Spain. Together he and his father were the
probable authors of the famous Catalan Atlas of 1375. Born to a
Jewish family, after the Aragonese persecutions of 1391 he converted
to Christianity, at which time he took the name Jaume Riba (Jacobus
Ribus, in Latin). As such, he would have been eligible to be the
Portuguese coordinator in the 1420s, and a Mestre Jacome de Malhorca
is recorded as holding that position. Most authorities accept that
the two were the same person.
"
--find material at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehuda_Cresques--
IOW, not a Templar or of a Templar family.
-------http://www.answers.com/topic/henry-the-navigator---------
"
In 1427, one of Henry's navigators discovered the Azores, possibly
Gonçalo Velho but this is not certain. They too were soon colonized,
in 1430. They encountered the Cape Verde islands in 1455.
Until Henry's coastal explorations, Cape Bojador was the most
southerly point known to Europeans on the unpromising desert coast of
Africa, although the Periplus of the Carthaginian Hanno the Navigator
described a journey further south about 2,000 years earlier. Gil
Eanes, the commander of one of Henry's expeditions, was the first
known European to pass the cape, in 1434.
"
--read more at http://www.answers.com/topic/henry-the-navigator-----
What we see here is a scientific strategy for expanding knowledge by
surveying with a new set of equipment, notable sailing ships that
can tack against a headwind. The history reveals a strategy of
expanding information and resulting territorial claims in expande
concentric circles from a home port, as oppossed to tracking
coastlines and gathering information.
The critical ingredient in this process is not Templar or knowledge
of lands, but a realization that islands are being explored in areas
where no-one thought to exist. Since some existed others might exist,
and gold or other valued resouces might exist. The cartographer is an
essential ingredient since the captain of the ship keeps a log, how
many days at nautical speed traveled to a given search area,
direction traveled in that search area. And finally reporting back,
ussually, no discovery, to home port. The next process is to expand
the search area and begin a new. Henry the Navigator had more than
one captain at work in this systematic study of the atlantic.
This strategy is similar to the strategy used by the polynesians
therefore is not without precedance only that polynesians did not
have literal cartographers.
The Azores were mentioned in the Italian map of 1351.
About his association with the Knights of Christ, Portugueses
'Round Table'
---------- http://www.nndb.com/people/995/000094713/-------------
"
When Ceuta, the "African Gibraltar", was taken, in 1413, Prince Henry
performed the most distinguished service of any Portuguese leader,
and received knighthood; he was now created Duke of Viseu and lord of
Covilham,
"
------------http://www.nndb.com/people/995/000094713/-------------
So his ability to discover lost lands preceded his association with
the quasi-Templar portuguese knights.
------------http://www.nndb.com/people/995/000094713/-------------
"
Disregarding the traditions which assign 1412 or even 1410 as the
commencement of these explorations, it appears that in 1415, the year
of Ceuta, the prince sent out one John de Trasto on a voyage which
brought the Portuguese to Grand Canary Island.
"
------------http://www.nndb.com/people/995/000094713/-------------
------------http://www.nndb.com/people/995/000094713/-------------
"
in 1418 Henry's captain, João Gonçalvez Zarco rediscovered Porto
Santo, and in 1420 Madeira, the chief members of an island group
which had originally been discovered (probably by Genoese pioneers)
before 1351 or perhaps even before 1339, but had rather faded from
Christian knowledge since.
"
------------http://www.nndb.com/people/995/000094713/-------------
To learn about João Gonçalvez Zarco and Madiera.
-------http://home.online.no/~nancys/portugal/madeira/history/
To learn about the Madiera and Genovesean Sailers
http://college.hmco.com/history/west/mosaic/chapter9/source262.html
------------http://www.nndb.com/people/995/000094713/-------------
"
In 1427, again, with the cooperation of his father King João, he
seems to have sent out the royal pilot Diogo de Sevill, followed in
1431 by Gonçalo Velho Cabral, to explore the Azores, first mentioned
and depicted in a Spanish treatise of 1345 (the Conosçimiento de
todos los Reynos) and in an Italian map of 1351 (the Laurentian
Portolano [
http://www.henry-davis.com/MAPS/LMwebpages/233.html
,
http://www.bml.firenze.sbn.it/collections.htm
], also the first cartographical work to give us the Madeiras with
modern names), but probably almost unvisited from that time to the
advent of Sevill.
" [Note I did not see a clear depiction of Azores on this map and
niether is it discussed in the Monograph, nor could I find mention of
the Azores in the CdtlR, but I will leave both of these to the
historians]
------------http://www.nndb.com/people/995/000094713/-------------
Although this is not archaeology it is interesting history
Big issue, what did the putative knights templar do with HtN sending
out capitans in many directions systematically searching for new
lands based on the expertise of a coverted Jewish cartographer.
Second question. Given that these captains rediscovered or
discovered 4 new islands, some of them out of the realm of 'Norse'
travels, and only putative links with Genovesian sailors 70 years
previous, none with appreciable links to the 'knights of christ' or
'knights templar'.
More Questions, you say. Did Zarcos discovery of Madiera have more
to do with luck or knowledge of Madiera. Answer is luck.
Genovese and Basque show some genetic relationship that is
separable from the rest of europe. At the time the Basque were well
known for there seamanship as well as Genovesean sailors. Since
portugal borders on Basque and other indigeonous iberian peoples
north of portugal isn't if more likely the HtN got cues from the
associations of Basque and Genovese than from the Norse/Templar
escapees from north america? And isn't is also true that the fast
lanes of atlantic travel are in the north, so that once on travels
north toward the mid north atlantic one can cover more ground east to
west and have a shorter return trip west to east versus trying to
travel the doldrums and tack backwards against the gulf stream.
Latitude lines are closer together and the NA coast line travels
northeastward north to south.
The conclusion that could be drawn is that new technologies allowed
sailors to risk a North westward passage in the mid 15th century to
reach the 'grand banks' something the basque might already have been
doing, or at least, approaching. The Portuguese used their
technological prowess, cartographical skills, and information from
nearby groups, such as iberian, basque, majorcan [mallorcan], and
genovean sailors to systematically justify exploration and explore
the north atlantic.
A Portuguese 'Knight of Christ' is an appointment by the crown, just
as the early lodges were lead by the king or his appointment in
scotland. The templar were a self-joined organization of Knights.
Poor soldiers of Jesus Christ by their first name. While it may be
romantic to think of a Knight as a noble ajoiner to a cause, by the
portuguese meaning it means one had obtained great favor from the
king. IOW by the time of Henry the Navigator, and because of what
happened to with Philip the Fair and to Jaques de Molay, in essence
the free forming knighthood was summarily abolished in europe.
Eric Stevens
<Donev...@worlnet.att.net> wrote:
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acores#History
>
>Gonçalo Velho, (15th century) Portuguese explorer of the Atlantic,
>possible discoverer of the Azores islands.
>
>Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gon%E7alo_Velho"
>
>Here is some of the process.
>
>-------http://www.answers.com/topic/henry-the-navigator---------
>"
>Jehuda Cresques, a noted cartographer, was invited to come to Sagres
>and compile geographic knowledge for Henry, a position he accepted.
>The nearby port of Lagos provided a convenient harbor, and became a
>centre for ship-building. The development of the caravel, a light and
>maneuverable vessel that combined square-rigging with the lateen sail
>of the Arabs, made the complicated return voyages, headed upwind,
>possible. Without it, the Vivaldo brothers had sailed into oblivion.
Balderdash. These people don't know what they are talking about.
http://www.vendeeglobe.org/fr/meteo/3576.html shows the circulating
wind pattern associated with the Azores high. This is a standard
fixture for much of the year and it is likely that sailors as far back
as the Phoenecians knew how to make use of it. Possibly even further
back if you study the sailing directions from Ogygia given in Homer.
In any case, the main sail on a caravel was square and it's upwind
performance was not improved by the use of a lateen sail on the
mizzen. While the lateen sail did make the caravel more easily
controllable when sailing across the wind - on a broad reach - as
Columbus found out with the Nina, it could be positively dangerous
when running down wind in big seas.
>
--- snip ----
>
>What we see here is a scientific strategy for expanding knowledge by
>surveying with a new set of equipment, notable sailing ships that
>can tack against a headwind.
Except that for practical purposes they couldn't.
>The history reveals a strategy of
>expanding information and resulting territorial claims in expande
>concentric circles from a home port, as oppossed to tracking
>coastlines and gathering information.
It also has a number of deliberate voyages into the wide blue yonder
in search of something which was rumoured to exist.
> The critical ingredient in this process is not Templar or knowledge
>of lands, but a realization that islands are being explored in areas
>where no-one thought to exist.
The problem with this argument is that it is not correct. There was by
then a long tradition of possibly lands to the west and it does not
matter whether they were real or mythical. People thought they existed
and went in search of them.
--- snip ---
> Second question. Given that these captains rediscovered or
>discovered 4 new islands, some of them out of the realm of 'Norse'
>travels, and only putative links with Genovesian sailors 70 years
>previous, none with appreciable links to the 'knights of christ' or
>'knights templar'.
> More Questions, you say. Did Zarcos discovery of Madiera have more
>to do with luck or knowledge of Madiera. Answer is luck.
> Genovese and Basque show some genetic relationship that is
>separable from the rest of europe. At the time the Basque were well
>known for there seamanship as well as Genovesean sailors. Since
>portugal borders on Basque and other indigeonous iberian peoples
>north of portugal isn't if more likely the HtN got cues from the
>associations of Basque and Genovese than from the Norse/Templar
>escapees from north america? And isn't is also true that the fast
>lanes of atlantic travel are in the north ...
Only when travelling to the east. For westward travel one heads
further south and aims for Cuba.
> ... so that once on travels
>north toward the mid north atlantic one can cover more ground east to
>west and have a shorter return trip west to east versus trying to
>travel the doldrums and tack backwards against the gulf stream.
>Latitude lines are closer together and the NA coast line travels
>northeastward north to south.
> The conclusion that could be drawn is that new technologies allowed
>sailors to risk a North westward passage in the mid 15th century to
>reach the 'grand banks' something the basque might already have been
>doing, or at least, approaching. The Portuguese used their
>technological prowess, cartographical skills, and information from
>nearby groups, such as iberian, basque, majorcan [mallorcan], and
>genovean sailors to systematically justify exploration and explore
>the north atlantic.
>
>
> A Portuguese 'Knight of Christ' is an appointment by the crown, just
>as the early lodges were lead by the king or his appointment in
>scotland. The templar were a self-joined organization of Knights.
>Poor soldiers of Jesus Christ by their first name. While it may be
>romantic to think of a Knight as a noble ajoiner to a cause, by the
>portuguese meaning it means one had obtained great favor from the
>king. IOW by the time of Henry the Navigator, and because of what
>happened to with Philip the Fair and to Jaques de Molay, in essence
>the free forming knighthood was summarily abolished in europe.
But not quite so summarily in Portugal.
Eric Stevens
Philip Deitiker
news:JdFve.361432$cg1.1...@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net:
I added the map to the map links site, separately and also
the documentation to the controversy section of the files,
for future use.
Next topic? Beardmore, NewPort anyone.
Eric Stevens
I can only hope you display more knowledge of the next subjects than
you have of the present.
Eric Stevens