Prince henry the navigator family history

Although Henry the Navigator's name suggests that he was a great navigator, he was not. He acquired his name by beginning a school of navigation, funding many explorations along the coast of Africa, and funding the building of a lighter, faster ship called a caravel that would allow explorers to go farther into the Atlantic than before.

Under his guidance, the Portuguese systematically began exploring and colonizing the islands off the coast of Africa.

Early Life

Henry was the son of John I of Portugal.

His mother was Philippa of Lancaster, who was the sister of King Henry IV of England. John I was from the House of Aviz, which was the first family outside of the Afonstine Dynasty to rule Portugal since its founding by King Afonso I in 1139 A.D.

When Henry was 21, he and his father and brothers captured the Moorish port of Ceuta in Morocco.

Cueta had been a haven for the Barbary Pirates, who harassed the citizens of Portugal by cap