Henry the Navigator took the lead role in encouraging Portuguese maritime exploration, until his death in 1460. He invested in sponsoring voyages down the coast of Mauritania, gathering a group of merchants, shipowners, stakeholders, and participants interested in the sea lanes. Young Prince Henry the Navigator was there and became aware of profit possibilities in the Saharan trade routes. In 1415, the city of Ceuta (north coast of Africa) was occupied by the Portuguese aiming to control navigation of the African coast. In 1341, the Canary Islands, already known to Genoese, were officially explored under the patronage of the Portuguese king, but in 1344, Castile disputed them, further propelling the Portuguese navy efforts. Between 1325-1357, Afonso IV of Portugal granted public funding to raise a proper commercial fleet, and ordered the first maritime explorations, with the help of Genoese, under command of admiral Pessanha. Only the sea offered alternatives, with most people settling in fishing and trading in coastal areas. In the second half of the 14th century, outbreaks of bubonic plague led to severe depopulation the economy was extremely localized in a few towns, unemployment rose, and migration led to agricultural land abandonment. This created the basis for the Portuguese Navy and the establishment of a Genoese merchant community in Portugal.
As early as 1317, King Denis made an agreement with Genoese merchant sailor Manuel Pessanha (Pesagno), appointing him first Admiral with trade privileges with his homeland, in return for twenty war ships and crews, with the goal of defending the country against Muslim pirate raids. Portuguese sailors were at the vanguard of European overseas exploration, discovering and mapping the coasts of Africa, Asia, and Brazil. Vasco da Gama A Portuguese explorer and one of the most famous and celebrated explorers from the Age of Discovery the first European to reach India by sea. Key Terms Cape of Good Hope A rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa, named because of the great optimism engendered by the opening of a sea route to India and the East. Guarding its trade from both European and Asian competitors, it dominated not only the trade between Asia and Europe, but also much of the trade between different regions of Asia, such as India, Indonesia, China, and Japan.
Portuguese sailors were at the vanguard of European overseas exploration, discovering and mapping the coasts of Africa, Asia, and Brazil.