Age of Discovery and Henry the Navigator

History & Heritage

The Algarve played a pivotal role in one of the most consequential periods in world history: the Age of Discovery. It was from the windswept promontory of Sagres and the port of Lagos that Portugal launched the maritime expeditions that would eventually connect Europe with Africa, Asia and the Americas. At the centre of this enterprise stood Prince Henry, known to history as Henry the Navigator.

Henry (1394-1460) was the third surviving son of King Joao I and Philippa of Lancaster. After the Portuguese conquest of Ceuta in 1415, the prince turned his attention southward, driven by a combination of religious zeal, commercial ambition and geographical curiosity. He established himself in the Algarve, where he assembled a court of navigators, cartographers, astronomers and shipbuilders.

The traditional account places Henry's base at Sagres, where he is said to have founded a school of navigation. While modern historians have questioned some elements of this narrative, there is no doubt that Henry's patronage of maritime exploration was centred on the Algarve. The fortress at Sagres contains a mysterious large compass rose engraved in the ground, its purpose still debated.

Lagos was the operational port for Henry's expeditions. It was from Lagos harbour that the caravels departed on their voyages down the West African coast. Under Henry's sponsorship, Portuguese navigators passed Cape Bojador in 1434, a psychological as well as geographical barrier, and went on to reach Sierra Leone before Henry's death in 1460.

The caravel, the vessel that made these voyages possible, was developed in the Algarve. This light, manoeuvrable ship with its lateen sails could sail closer to the wind than any previous European vessel, enabling navigators to explore coastlines and return against prevailing winds.

Lagos preserves several monuments to this era. The Mercado de Escravos (Slave Market), now a museum, marks the site where the first enslaved Africans were sold in Europe in 1444, a grim reminder of the human cost of the Age of Discovery.

The wealth generated by trade with Africa, Asia and Brazil funded the construction of churches, convents and mansions across the region. The Manueline architectural style combined Gothic structure with maritime decorative motifs: ropes, anchors, coral, sea shells and tropical plants. Examples can be seen in the parish church of Monchique and the Misericordia church in Silves.

Cabo de Sao Vicente, the promontory that marks mainland Europe's southwesternmost point, was the last land seen by navigators departing for the unknown. Its lighthouse, standing on 75-metre cliffs, remains one of the most powerful symbols of Portugal's maritime heritage.