Bartolomeu Dias de Novais
By Deniz G
Bartolomeu Dias's Voyage to the Cape Of Good Hope
Bartolomeu Dias is most known for his expedition to the Cape Of Good Hope. King John II ordered Dias to sail around Africa and reach India. His crew was going towards Asia when a storm hit the ship. The ship was blown off course and when the storm had cleared Dias and his crew realized they had reached the tip of Africa. They named the tip The Cape of Good Hope.
Bartolomeu Dias’s life before and after the voyage
Bartolomeu Dias’s life before the voyage to the Cape of Good Hope is mostly unknown. He was born in 1450. He was a superintendent at the royal warehouses before he was an explorer. Dias was about 30 years old when he set sail for the Cape of Good Hope. After that he led other expeditions to Asia but none of them were successful. He died on a trip to Brazil on May 29th, 1500 because of a storm.
Dias's ambitions and what he got from the Cape of Good Hope
Bartolomeu Dias had reasons he wanted to go on the voyage that was supposed to lead to Asia. He wanted to be rich and for Portugal to be rich by all the high demand trade going on in Asia. He also wanted the glory of finding a new rout to Asia. Finally, he wanted to spread his religion, Christianity, around Asia. But instead when he reached the Cape of Good Hope he took part in slave trade and enslaved many Africans. He Also impacted Vasco Da Gama, another famous Portuguese explorer who found a trade route to Asia by using Bartolomeu Dias’s rout.