Pedro Álvares Cabral

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Pedro Álvares Cabral
Cabral's tomb in Santarém

Pedro Álvares Cabral or Pedralvarez de Gouvêa (* 1467/ 1468 or 1469 probably in Belmonte , Portugal , † before November 3, 1520 probably in Santarém , Portugal) was a Portuguese navigator . He is considered the official discoverer of Brazil . Originally he was supposed to set up the spice trade in Calicut on the Malarbar coast in India .

Life

There is little reliable information about Pedro Álvares Cabral. For example, 1467/1468 or 1470 are given for his year of birth and 1520 for his year of death.

Origin and education

Cabral came from an old Portuguese noble family. He was the third son of Fernão Cabral, governor of the Beira and Belmonte fortress , and Isabel Gouvea. Pedro Álvares Cabral was married to Isabel de Castro, daughter of the respected and wealthy Fernão de Noronha , who came from the high nobility, and niece of Afonso de Albuquerque . The two had six children.

In 1478 the twelve-year-old came to the court of King Dom Afonso V , where he initially received a solid education. There is no record of Cabral's previous nautical knowledge.

Commander of the second expedition to India

Replica of the Anunciação in Campinas , State of São Paulo , Brazil

After Vasco da Gama had discovered the sea route to Asia in 1498, King Dom Manuel I appointed Cabral to command the second royal Portuguese Indian fleet . He was traveling on a diplomatic mission. Cabral was supposed to win peace and friendship for the Portuguese crown and set up a trade route for spices from Calicut ( Kozhikode on the Malabar coast). On his trip to India in April 1500 he came across Brazil , which he took possession of in the name of the Portuguese King Manuel I. In May they continued to India , where they arrived in September of the same year. Despite initial difficulties, he managed to establish the spice trade with India.

Retirement

In 1502, Cabral refused another command for a trip to India because he would have had to share it with another commander. Then he retired to his property near Santarém . He died here in 1519 or 1520, but certainly before November 3, 1520. His final resting place is in a simple grave in the Graça Church directly on Largo Pedro Álvares Cabral ("Cabral Square") in Santarém .

A number of monuments were erected in his honor, including a memorial in Lisbon .

The second expedition to India

Discovery of Brazil

After a route to India had already been discovered, a trade route for spices was to be built in an expedition approved by the King of Portugal. For this he hired Cabral. The departure of Cabral was the occasion for celebrations in which both the king and the people took part. One day later, on March 9, 1500, under Cabral's command, a total of 13 ships with 1500 men (other sources assume 1200) set sail from the Tejo estuary in Lisbon . For the first time, caravels, so-called "caravela redonda", were used, the weight of which exceeded that of the ships previously used. Presumably some were armed with weapons.

Among the captains of the well-equipped expedition were famous sailors such as Bartolomeu Diaz , his brother Diogo Dias , Pero Escolar, João de Sá and Nicolao Coelho , who had already taken part in the first Portuguese voyage to India under Vasco da Gama , and Pêro Vaz de Caminha who worked as a scribe during the expedition. On March 23, the fleet lost a ship in the waters around the Cape Verde Islands for unknown reasons. Despite the search, the ship remained lost.

Contemporary representation of the fleet of the 2nd expedition to India (Cabral, 1500)

In order to take advantage of the trade winds and avoid the adverse currents and wind conditions on the West African coast, Cabral had the ships swing in a wide arc to the west near the Cape Verde Islands . The equatorial current of the Atlantic drove his fleet to the coast of what was until then only a sighted country that would later be called Brazil . When they discovered floating seaweed in the sea almost a month later, on April 21, they believed it was the first sign of approaching land. Just one day later, their suspicions turned out to be true, because on the evening of April 22nd they saw a large mountain, low mountain ranges and flat land - Brazil. Cabral landed north of today's city of Porto Seguro in the state of Bahia and named it Ilha da Vera Cruz ("Island of the True Cross"), because the Portuguese initially suspected an island. They later called it Terra da Santa Cruz ("Land of the Holy Cross").

Part of the letter from Pêro Vaz de Caminha

But it was not until the morning of the following day that Nicolau Coelho was launched in a boat on Cabral's orders in order to gain more detailed information about what had been discovered. After this approached the coast, the first inhabitants appeared. In a letter to King Dom Manuel, Pêro Vaz de Caminha described the country's inhabitants as follows:

“[…] Dark-skinned people stood [on the coast], all naked with nothing to cover their shame. They carried bows and arrows. Everyone hurried straight to the launch and Nicolau Coelho motioned for them to lay down the bows and they put them down. "

After gifts were exchanged, Nicolau Coelho returned to the boat. The positive encounter caused Cabral to go ashore with the team the next day. It was possible for Pêro Vaz de Caminha to make more precise observations about the inhabitants of the foreign country, which he recorded in his letter to the king. The crew spent the following days exploring the country and replenishing supplies.

On Sunday, April 26th after Easter, Cabral ordered a Holy Mass. For this he had an altar built on the coast. In the end, not only did Cabral's crew attend the service, but also some residents of Brazil. In the meantime, Cabral had a wooden cross made, which was erected on Friday May 1st as a sign of the occupation of Portugal. Another mass was held in the following days.

To what extent the country had gold or silver, metals or iron, Pêro Vaz de Caminha could not determine. In his letter, however, he emphasized the diversity of nature and the abundance of water in the country.

On May 2, 1500, Cabral sent the smallest ship in the fleet, a supply ship under the command of Gaspar de Lemos , back to Lisbon with a letter from the chronicler Pêro Vaz de Caminha . It was supposed to convey the news of the discovery of Brazil and its occupation to the king. Parrots, amulets and other barter goods were also brought to Portugal on the ship. However, in order to find out more about the discovered country, Cabral decided to leave two exiles on the spot, who should get to know the language, the people and the country for possible further exploratory trips. That same day, Cabral and the rest of his fleet set off for Calicut .

This interpretation of a chance find is a common opinion among historians. But there are also researchers who are of the opinion that Pedro Álvares Cabral consciously took the course to Brazil on behalf of the king, since the Portuguese had known the existence of land in this sea area through Duarte Pacheco Pereira since the end of 1498 . This view cannot be completely dismissed, since the Spanish also claimed the discovery of Brazil in January 1500 by Vicente Yáñez Pinzón .

Even more daring interpreters assume that the Portuguese knew of the existence of at least parts of the Brazilian coast even before the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494), but did not make them public and did not want to send further expeditions there, as they primarily wanted the treasures the Spice Islands in the east.

Departure to India

Cabral himself continued his journey east to India with eleven ships. On May 29, 1500, in heavy storms south of the Cape of Good Hope, he lost four ships and their crews, including the first conqueror of the Cape, Bartolomeu Diaz. Only six sailors reached the port of Sofala in present-day Mozambique on July 16 , as Diogo Dias was also separated from the fleet in the storms off the Cape of Good Hope. However, he managed to bring his ship back to Portugal.

On the continuation of the journey along the East African coast, the Portuguese brought up an Arab sailor. On board was an uncle of the ruler of the Arab Empire of Melinde . Its good treatment contributed to the friendly reception of the expedition in Melinde. So Cabral also managed to take two Arab pilots on board for the way to Calicut .

Stay in India and return to Portugal

On September 13, 1500 the fleet landed in Calicut. But the mood was not favorable for the Portuguese. Already with the arrival of Vasco da Gama in India in 1498 , the Arab traders understood that their monopoly in India trade with Europe was in danger. So it was not surprising that they tried by all means to turn the ruler of Calicut against the Portuguese.

Cabral had 3 goals that had to be met. 1) Establish friendly relationships, 2) Do business, 3) Introduce the Christian faith. Before negotiations could start, hostages had to be exchanged for those entering the country. After 2-3 days he sent the hostages onto the boat. They then came to the Samurin of Calicut, where he was given a letter from Dom Manuel I in Arabic.

Relationships went well at first. The gifts he received were appropriate and the samurin allowed him to set up a trading post. The loading of the ships with spices could now begin. But the Portuguese wanted to have priority over the Meccan competition and when an Arab ship loaded with pepper wanted to leave the port, it was captured by the Portuguese. As a result, the Portuguese trading post was stormed by Muslims, 50 Portuguese died, including the royal chroniclers of the expedition, Pêro Vaz de Caminha, and Aires Correia. Cabral then set fire to 9 or 10 Arab ships lying in the harbor and had the crew jump over the blades, killing 500-600 men. The next day he had the city bombarded with artillery and then he sailed to Cochin south of Calicut, whose Raja , a declared opponent of Calicut, took him more kindly. In both cities, Cabral set up factories for trade between Portugal and India in accordance with his royal mandate. On January 16, 1501, Cabral returned to Europe with a rich load of spices and other Indian goods. On June 23, 1501 (other chroniclers call July 31, 1501) he reached Lisbon with only four ships.

Red: Cabral's route via Brazil to India. Blue: way back.

Contemporary reports

The report of the shipwright Pêro Vaz de Caminha from May 1, 1500, in which he reports on the discovery of Brazil, has been preserved in the autograph. A detailed report on Cabral's trip to India appeared in 1507 in the Italian-language anthology Paesi novamente retrovati (“Recently Rediscovered Countries”) published by Fracanzano da Montalboddo in Vicenza, a copy of the report can also be found in the so-called Trevisan Manuscript . The anthology also contains a letter from Giovanni Matteo Cretico, the secretary of the Venetian ambassador to Spain, dated June 27, 1501, in which he briefly reports on the journey; a copy of this letter is also contained in the diaries ( Diarii ) of Girolamo Priuli.

Individual evidence

  1. See Greenlee, William Brooks (ed.): The Voyage of Pedro Álvares Cabral to Brazil and India, from Contemporary Documents and Narratives . New Delhi 1995, ISBN 81-206-1040-7 , pp. xl .
  2. Fernand Salentiny: The Spice Route . Cologne 1991, p. 118 .
  3. a b See Guedes (2003), pp. 84 f., 175.
  4. a b See Newitt, Malyn: A history of Portuguese overseas expansion. 1400-1668 . London 2005, ISBN 0-415-23979-6 , pp. 61 .
  5. Cf. Mathew, KM: The Arabian Sea and the Political Expansion of the Portuguese . In: Kurup, K. (Ed.): India's Naval Traditions. The Role of Kunhali Marakkars . New Delhi 1997, ISBN 81-7211-083-9 , pp. 26th ff .
  6. See Scherping, Jan (Ed.): The great National Geographic Lexicon. The 100 most important explorers . Hamburg 2003, ISBN 3-934385-98-2 , p. 59-61 .
  7. Cf. Pögl, Johannes (ed.): The rich freight of Pedro Álvares Cabral. His Indian journey and the discovery of Brazil 1500-1501 . Vienna 1986, ISBN 3-522-61190-X , p. 7 .
  8. See Greenlee, William Brooks (ed.): The Voyage of Pedro Álvares Cabral to Brazil and India, from Contemporary Documents and Narratives . New Delhi 1995, ISBN 81-206-1040-7 , pp. xli .
  9. See Diffie, Bailey W. and Winius, George D .: Foundations of the Portuguese Empire. 1415-1580 . In: Europe and the World in the Age of Expansion . 4th edition. tape 1 . Minneapolis 1985, ISBN 0-8166-0850-4 , pp. 187 .
  10. See Guedes (2003), pp. 175-178.
  11. See Diffie, Bailey W. and Winius, George D .: Foundations of the Portuguese Empire. 1415-1580 . In: Europe and the World in the Age of Expansion . 4th edition. tape 1 . Minneapolis 1985, ISBN 0-8166-0850-4 , pp. 189 .
  12. See Smith, Anthony: Explorers of the Amazon . New York 1990, ISBN 0-670-81310-9 , pp. 9 .
  13. Pögl, Johannes (ed.): The rich freight of Pedro Álvares Cabral. His Indian journey and the discovery of Brazil 1500-1501 . Vienna 1986, ISBN 3-522-61190-X , p. 7 .
  14. Cf. MacClymont, James Roxburgh: Pedruluarez Cabral (Pedro Alluarez de Gouvea); his progenitors, his life and his voyage to America and India . London 1914, p. 15 .
  15. Cf. Wallisch, Robert (ed.): The writing about the discovery of Brazil (1500). The letter from Pêro Vaz de Caminha to King Manuel of Portugal . Frankfurt am Main 2000, ISBN 3-925203-82-6 , p. 12 .
  16. See Greenlee, William Brooks (ed.): The Voyage of Pedro Álvares Cabral to Brazil and India, from Contemporary Documents and Narratives . New Delhi 1995, ISBN 81-206-1040-7 , pp. 19 .
  17. See Prutsch, Ursula / Rodrigues-Moura: Brazil. A cultural story . Bonn 2014, p. 12 ff .
  18. a b cf. Pögl, Johannes (ed.): The discovery of Brazil. On the Atlantic voyage to India to the Terra da Vera Cruz . Wiesbaden 2012, ISBN 978-3-86539-839-0 , pp. 62 ff .
  19. Cf. Bitterli, Urs: Reisen insland. Brazil in reporting from the 16th to the 19th century . In: Presidential Department of the City of Zurich (Ed.): Brazil. Discovery and Self-Discovery . Zurich 1992, p. 24 .
  20. ^ Wallisch, Robert (ed.): Writing about the discovery of Brazil (1500). The letter from Pêro Vaz de Caminha to King Manuel of Portugal . Frankfurt am Main 2000, ISBN 3-925203-82-6 , p. 21 .
  21. Pögl, Johannes (ed.): The rich freight of Pedro Álvares Cabral. His Indian journey and the discovery of Brazil 1500-1501 . Vienna 1986, ISBN 3-522-61190-X , p. 64 ff .
  22. Cf. Wallisch, Robert (ed.): The writing about the discovery of Brazil (1500). The letter from Pêro Vaz de Caminha to King Manuel of Portugal . Frankfurt am Main 2000, ISBN 3-925203-82-6 , p. 29 ff .
  23. Cf. Pögl, Johannes (Ed.): The discovery of Brazil. On the Atlantic voyage to India to the Terra da Vera Cruz . Wiesbaden 2012, ISBN 978-3-86539-839-0 , pp. 94 .
  24. Cf. Wallisch, Robert (ed.): The writing about the discovery of Brazil (1500). The letter from Pêro Vaz de Caminha to King Manuel of Portugal . Frankfurt am Main 2000, ISBN 3-925203-82-6 , p. 31 f .
  25. ^ Da Silva Rego, A .: Portuguese Colonization in the Sixteenth Century: A Study of The Royal Ordinances (Regimentos) . Johannesburg 1965, p. 33 .
  26. See Smith, Anthony: Explorers of the Amazon . New York 1900, ISBN 0-670-81310-9 , pp. 11 .
  27. Pögl, Johannes (ed.): The rich freight of Pedro Álvares Cabral. His Indian journey and the discovery of Brazil 1500-1501 . Vienna 1986, p. 35 ff. and p. 86 ff .
  28. See Greenlee, William Brooks (ed.): The Voyage of Pedro Álvares Cabral to Brazil and India, from Contemporary Documents and Narratives . New Delhi 1995, ISBN 81-206-1040-7 , pp. 47 .
  29. ^ William Brooks Greenlee: The Voyage of Pedro Alvares Cabral to Brazil and India . 1937, p. 187-191 .
  30. ^ William Brooks Greenlee: The Voyage of Pedro Alvares Cabral to Brazil and India . London 1937, p. 53-95 .
  31. Wolfgang Reinhard: The submission of the world . Munich 2018, p. 118 .
  32. Wolfgang Reinhard: The submission of the world . Munich 2018, p. 118 .
  33. See Ankenbauer (2010), p. 121.
  34. See Ankenbauer (2010), pp. 91–94.
  35. See Ankenbauer (2010), p. 110 ff.

literature

  • Bitterli, Urs: Travel inland. Brazil in reporting from the 16th to the 19th century. In: Presidential Department of the City of Zurich (Ed.): Brazil. Discovery and Self-Discovery. Zurich 1992.
  • Da Silva Rego, A .: Portuguese Colonization in the Sixteenth Century: A Study of The Royal Ordinances (Regimentos). Johannesburg 1965.
  • Diffie, Bailey W. / Winius, George D .: Foundations of the Portuguese Empire. 1415-1580 (Europe and the World in the Age of Expansion 1), Minneapolis 41985, ISBN 0-8166-0850-4 .
  • Greenlee, William Brooks (Ed.): The Voyage of Pedro Álvares Cabral to Brazil and India, from Contemporary Documents and Narratives. New Delhi 1995, ISBN 81-206-1040-7 .
  • MacClymont, James Roxburgh: Pedruluarez Cabral (Pedro Alluarez de Gouvea); his progenitors, his life and his voyage to America and India. London 1914.
  • KM Mathew: The Arabian Sea and the Political Expansion of the Portuguese. In: K. Kurup (Ed.): India's Naval Traditions. The Role of Kunhali Marakkars. New Delhi 1997, ISBN 81-7211-083-9 .
  • Max Justo Guedes (ed.): A viagem de Pedro Álvares Cabral eo descobrimento do Brasil 1500–1501. Acad. de Marinha, Lisboa 2003, ISBN 972-781-070-5 .
  • Newitt, Malyn: A history of Portuguese overseas expansion. 1400-1668. London 2005, ISBN 0-415-23979-6 .
  • Norbert Ankenbauer: "that i wanted to experience meer newer dyng". The language of the new in the “Paesi novamente retrovati” (Vicenza, 1507) and in its German translation (Nuremberg, 1508). Frank & Timme, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-86596-310-9 .
  • Norbert Ankenbauer (Ed.): Paesi novamente retrovati - Newe unbekanthe landed. A digital edition of early discovery reports (= Editiones Electronicae Guelferbytanae , Volume 10). Herzog August Bibliothek, Wolfenbüttel 2012 ( online ).
  • Pögl, Johannes (ed.): The discovery of Brazil. On the Atlantic voyage to India to the Terra da Vera Cruz. Wiesbaden 2012, ISBN 978-3-86539-839-0 .
  • Pögl, Johannes (ed.): The rich cargo of Pedro Álvares Cabral. His journey to India and the discovery of Brazil 1500–1501. Vienna 1986, ISBN 3-522-61190-X .
  • Prutsch, Ursula, Rodrigues-Moura: Brazil. A cultural story. Bonn 2014, ISBN 978-3-8389-0460-3 .
  • Johannes Pögl (Ed.): The rich cargo of Pedro Álvares Cabral. Thienemann, Stuttgart 1986, ISBN 3-522-61190-X .
  • Robert Wallisch (Ed.): Writing about the discovery of Brazil. The letter from Pêro Vaz de Caminha to King Manuel of Portugal. TFM, Frankfurt am Main 2001, ISBN 3-925203-82-6 .
  • Scherping, Jan (Ed.): The great National Geographic Lexicon. The 100 most important explorers. Hamburg 2003, ISBN 3-934385-98-2 .
  • Smith, Anthony: Explorers of the Amazon. New York 1990, ISBN 0-670-81310-9 .

Web links

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