Bartolomeu Dias

c. 1450-1500

Portuguese Mariner and Navigator

Bartolomeu Dias was the first mariner to round Africa's Cape of Good Hope, opening up a coveted sea route to the West Indies for Portugal. In the latter part of his life, he took part in the Portuguese discovery of Brazil.

Little is known about Dias's early life. Although his surname was a common one, historians believe that Dias came from a long line of navigators that may have included Dinis Dias, who rounded the Cape Verde in 1455, and Joao Dias, who rounded Cape Bojador in 1437. In 1486, on the appointment of King John II, Dias was instructed to find "Polly Prism Promontorium," the southernmost extremity of Africa, and hopefully discover the coveted sea route to India. Finding this route was important to Portugal because unrest in the Mongol Empire had closed the overland trade routes to the Far East. Commanding a fleet of three ships, Dias left Lisbon in 1487 after 10 months of preparation. Using a new strategy, one of the three ships was designated as a supply vessel, allowing the expedition to stay at sea longer. Dias's brother, Pedro, captained the supply ship. Dias also took with him several African interpreters who had lived in Europe and would assist in establishing trade with the native Africans.

The expedition sailed south for four months, stopping along the way to trade. The explorers passed the stone pillar left by Diogo Cão (1450-1486) near present-day Namibia to mark the southernmost point the Portuguese had reached thus far. By the end of December Dias's ships passed the Orange River, just to the north of present-day South Africa. Shortly after passing Cape Volts, named for its strong winds, the ships encountered a massive storm that blew them on a southerly course for nearly 13 days. When the wind died down, Dias sailed east, expecting to encounter the west coast of Africa. When no land appeared, he turned north, reaching Bahia de Vaquieros, roughly 200 miles (322 km) east of the Cape of Good Hope, not realizing at this point that they had rounded the cape.

Dias was convinced by his crew to turn back to Portugal. It was on the return journey that Dias spotted the much-looked-for cape as he sailed west. Although some controversy surrounds who named the Cape of Good Hope, historians generally credit it to Dias rather than King John II, who may have named it Cape Tormentoso, in recognition of the storms encountered there.

Maps drawn by the Greek cartographer Ptolemy had shown the Indian Ocean as a great landlocked sea, and land from the east reaching around and touching Africa's west coast. Dias's expedition proved this incorrect, but it was nearly 10 years before Portugal was able to take advantage of this important geographic discovery. Within Portugal, Dias was not granted the credit due as the person responsible for locating and mapping the Cape of Good Hope. Nevertheless, in 1494 he was appointed to oversee the construction and outfitting of a fleet of ships for an expedition to reach India by way of the Cape of Good Hope. Vasco da Gama (c. 1460-1524) was to lead the expedition with Dias accompanying the voyage as far as the Cape Verde Islands. After reaching the Cape Verde Islands, the new Portuguese King Manuel sent Dias to establish trading posts in present-day Mozambique.

In March 1500 Dias embarked on his final voyage of discovery. One of 13 ships under the command of Pedro Álvares Cabral (c. 1467-c. 1520), the expedition was to duplicate da Gama's voyage. The expedition embarked south from the Cape Verde Islands and crossed the equator. When the fleet encountered the trade winds they were blown off course and as a result made the first recorded European landing on the coast of Brazil. After leaving Brazil, the fleet encountered a fierce storm and four ships were lost in the vicinity of the Cape of Good Hope, including that of Dias.

LESLIE HUTCHINSON