Bartolomeu Dias was a 15th century Portuguese explorer born to a noble family. In 1487, he led the first European voyage to round the Cape of Good Hope and open the sea route from Europe to Asia. This proved Africa could be sailed around to reach India and Asia. In 1500, Dias died in a storm while accompanying another expedition near the Cape of Good Hope, the same area he had previously discovered and navigated.
2. Questions
1. When was Bartolomeu Dias born?
2. Where was Bartolomeu Dias born?
3. Family background of Bartolomeu Dias?
4. Was Bartolomeu Dias educated?
5. What was Bartolomeu Dias famous for?
6. What important deeds did Bartolomeu Dias do?
7. How did Bartolomeu Dias contribute to our society?
8. When did Bartolomeu Dias die?
3. • The birth date of Bartolomeu Dias is uncertain, records shows that it was
between 1450 and 1457.
• Bartolomeu Dias was born in Portugal.
• He came from a noble Portuguese family. His father attended the Portuguese
court. He came from a family of seamen and explorers including Joao Dias and
Diniz Dias.
• Bartolomeu Dias was well educated, he was taught several languages, physics,
geometry, mathematics and astronomy.
4. • He was the first European to lead a 1487 voyage around the Cape of
Good Hope of the Southern most tip of South Africa.
• Up until now, many explorers from Portugal had traveled by ship to the
western coasts of Africa. But no one had ever found the Southern tip of
this large continent. At this time, no one knew how far South it extended.
• In 1488 Dias and his men arrived at the southern tip of Africa, which
was later named The Cape of Good Hope. Dias' bravery helped prove
that it was possible to reach Asia by sailing around the tip of Africa.
• Bartolomeu Dias died in 1500 in a violent storm in the Cape of Good
Hope.
6. Bartolomeu Dias was a member of the royal Portuguese court and
held the title of Sailing Master of the Portuguese man-of-war Sao
Cristovao. In 1481 Bartolomeu Dias joined Diogo d'Azambuja to
explore the Gold Coast of Africa. On 10 October 1486 King John II of
Portugal appointed Bartlomeu Dias as the leader of an expedition to
sail around the southern most tip of Africa and make contact with a
Christian ruler in the Indies called Prester John.
In August 1487 Bartolomeu Dias embarked from the river Tagus below
Lisbon on his voyage of exploration around Africa to the Indies with two
armed caravels and one supply ship.
7. The voyage of exploration lasted sixteen months and the expedition route
travelled as follows:
• Sao Jorge de Mina, the Portuguese fortress on the Gold Coast to take on
extra provisions.
• Sailed passed the coast of Angola.
• December 1487 they reached Walvis Bay (Golfo da Conceicao).
• Sailed into Elizabeth Bay (Golfo de Santo Estevao).
• On January 1488 they sailed through a storm around the Cape of Good
Hope which Dias called the Cape of Storms (Cabo Tormentaso).
• Sailed north to Mossel Bay (Bahia dos Vaquerios) where they landed on
the 3rd of February 1488.
• Landed at Algoa Bay (Bahia da Roca).
• On 12 March 1488 west of Bushman's River mouth, they dropped anchor at
a headland called False Islet, now known as Kwaaihoek, and decided to
embark on their journey home.
8. It was the great navigator, Bartolomeu Dias,
that during ten years studied and discovered
the gigantic figure of 8, describing the water
current of north and south Atlantic
December 1488 Bartolomeu Dias returned to Lisban having opened up lucrative
trading routes from Europe to Asia and with invaluable information for future
Portuguese voyages of exploration. In 1497 Dias accompanied the expedition led
by Vasco da Gama to India. In 1500 Dias accompanied Pedro Alvares Cabral on
the voyage that resulted in the discovery of Brazil. This voyage mysteriously took a
course to the New World and Cabral discovered Brazil - the expedition then turned
back towards the south coast of Africa. On 24 May 1500 Bartolomeu Dias died in a
violent storm in the Cape of Good Hope.
Information gathered from website http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/bartholomeu-dias.htm
http://www.kidspast.com/world-history/0310-Bartholomeu-Dias.php
