Alvaro Fernandez and Diogo Afonso

[Anatol]

ALVARO FERNANDEZ (Navigator) 1445,1446(Cape of Masts, Cape Roxo):
Álvaro Fernandes(on stamp to the right), was a 15th-century Portuguese slave -trader and explorer from Madeira , in the service of Henry the Navigator . He captained two important expeditions (in 1445 and 1446), which expanded the limit of the Portuguese discovery of the West African coast, probably as far as the northern borderlands of modern Guinea-Bissau . Álvaro Fernandes's farthest point (approximately Cape Roxo ) would not be surpassed for ten years, until the voyage of Alvise Cadamosto in 1456. Alvaro Fernandez, one of the leading Portuguese explorers of the earlier 15th century, the age of Henry the Navigator. He was brought up (as a page or esquire) in the household of Prince Henry, and while still "young and audacious" took an important part in the discovery of "Guinea." He was a nephew of Joao Goncalvez Zarco, who had rediscovered the Madeira group in Henry's service (1418-1420), and had become part-governor of Madeira and commander of Funchal; when the great expedition of 1445 sailed for West Africa he was entrusted by his uncle with a specially fine caravel, under particular injunctions to devote himself to discovery, the most cherished object of his princely master, so constantly thwarted.. Fernandez,as a pioneer, outstripped all other servants of the prince at this time. After visiting the mouth of the Senegal, rounding Cape Verde, and landing in Goree (?), he pushed on to the "Cape of Masts" (Cabo dos Matos, or Mastos, so called from its tall spindle-palms), probably between Cape Verde and the Gambia, the most southerly point till then attained. Next year (1446) he returned, and coasted on much farther, to a bay one hundred and ten leagues "south" (ie SSE) of Cape Verde, perhaps in the neighbourhood of Konakry and the Los Islands, and but little short of Sierra Leone.This record was not broken till 1461, when Sierra Leone was sighted and named. A wound, received from a poisoned arrow in an encounter with natives, now compelled Fernandez to return to Portugal, where he was received with distinguished honour and reward by Prince Henry and the regent of the kingdom, Henry's brother Pedro.
DIOGO AFONSO1461-62(Islands of the Cape Green):
Diogo Afonso(on stamp to the left)was navigator of Prinz. About him very little information. In 1444, according to historian Azurara, Henry the Navigator sent Antao Gonçalves Gomes Pires and Diogo Afonso discover new lands and start trade relations with the tribes of Western Afriki.Diogo commanded by caravel an expedition to the Gold River. In 1445 expedition of Antão Gonçalves returned, accompanied by the caravels of Diogo Afonso and Garcia Mendes and to pick up overland explorer João Fernandes . They make a raiding stop at Arguin island, taking some 25 captives, destroying the main Berber village on Arguin island in the process.Soon they returned in Lisbon, where soldеd captives , and Prince Henry received his fifth. In 1461 Diogo Afonso discovered the western islands of the Cabo Verde group. In 1462g Antonio da Noli announce about the discovery of the Islands of the Cape Green.Spain’s chronicler Alfonso de Palenque through 20 years doubted in this.So as 1462 28 Oktober and 19 September of the same year were published 2 maps with 7 Western Cape Verde,discovered by Diogo Afonso. The charter of D. Afonso V, dated September 29, 1462g says that King makes a donation to the Children D. Fernando, his brother, the island "loesnoroeste of the Canary Islands and Madeira, and the other seven islands of Cape Verde" found squire Diego Affomsso. Islands assigned to the Prince Fernando brother the king of Portugal, Afonso.
Cabo Verde 1952;30,0c;SG348.
http://www.theodora.com/encyclopedia/f/ ... andez.html. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Álvaro_Fernandes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diogo_Afonso. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Walrasiad/Chronology