António Fernandes (Navigator)

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António Fernandes (sometimes Álvaro Fernandes ) was a 15th century Portuguese navigator who made a name for himself exploring the west coast of Africa .

Fernandes, a nephew of João Gonçalves Zarco , who had rediscovered Madeira , came to the Portuguese court as a child and served Heinrich the Navigator as a page. At a very young age, he took part in his first expeditions to the west coast of Africa. So he did his part in discovering Guinea for Europe.

In 1445 his uncle Zarco entrusted him with a special caravel for exploring the west coast. Fernandes reached the mouth of Senegal , sailed around the Cape Verde Islands and finally landed on Gorée in what is now Senegal, which developed into a stronghold of the slave trade in the 18th century under mainly French colonial rule . At Cabo dos Mastros , a cape on the west coast of Africa between Cape Verde and the mouth of the Gambia , he reached the southernmost point of Africa, which the Portuguese had previously reached.

In 1446 Fernandes sailed again to the coast of West Africa and got even further south; he reached the area around Conakry and the Los Islands a little north of Sierra Leone (only in 1461 an even more southern point of Africa was reached). A wound from a poisoned arrow struck by Fernandes while fighting with locals forced him to return to Portugal.

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personal data
SURNAME Fernandes, António
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Fernandes, Álvaro
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Portuguese navigator
DATE OF BIRTH 15th century
DATE OF DEATH 15th century