Antão Gonçalves was a 15th-century

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

explorer Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...

who was the first

European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...

to capture Africans in the Rio do Ouro region.

Biography

In 1441, Gonçalves was sent by

Henry the Navigator ''Dom'' Henrique of Portugal, Duke of Viseu (4 March 1394 – 13 November 1460), better known as Prince Henry the Navigator ( pt, Infante Dom Henrique, o Navegador), was a central figure in the early days of the Portuguese Empire and in the 15t ...

to explore the

West African West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Ma ...

coast in an expedition under the command of

Nuno Tristão Nuno Tristão was a 15th-century Portuguese explorer and slave trader, active in the early 1440s, traditionally thought to be the first European to reach the region of Guinea (legendarily, as far as Guinea-Bissau, but more recent historians belie ...

. As Gonçalves was considerably younger than Tristão, his duty was less exploration than it was

hunting Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

the Mediterranean monk seals that inhabit West Africa. After he had filled his small vessel with seal skins, Gonçalves, on his own initiative, decided to capture some Africans to return to Portugal. With nine of his crewmen, Gonçalves captured a tribesmen and a black women who was working as a servant for the group. By this time, Tristão had arrived at the same place, and the two crews joined together for another capturing trip, on which they captured 10 tribesmen, one of them a nobleman named Adahu. According to the Chronicle of Zurara, these people spoke "Sahara Azenegue". An Arab which had come with Tristão expedition was sent inland to tell the local populations about ransom negotiations for the captives, as well eventual business they would like to do. About 150 men on foot, as well as 35 in horses and camels went to the coast to meet the expedition. All but three went on hide, attempting to ambush the Portuguese. The trick was perceived, and the expedition quickly went back to the ships. The native people then showed up in the beach, displaying the Arab which had come with the Portuguese, now enslaved by them.Crónica dos Feitos da Guiné, Gomes Eanes de Zurara, 1841, cap. XIII After this, Tristão continued exploration southwards while Gonçalves returned to Portugal. He embarked on another expedition in 1442, taking the nobleman he had captured the year before. Gonçalves hoped to barter the chief for a number of black slaves. He received 10 slaves, some

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

dust and, curiously, a large number of ostrich eggs. However, this expedition contributed nothing to the cause of exploration; Gonçalves had not even sailed past the Rio do Ouro. He was granted a new

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

for his name. Not to be mistaken with another

Antão Gonçalves Antão Gonçalves was a 15th-century Portuguese explorer who was the first European to capture Africans in the Rio do Ouro region. Biography In 1441, Gonçalves was sent by Henry the Navigator to explore the West African coast in an expedition ...

, who coasted the Island of

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

at the beginnings of the 16th century.

References

* Castlereagh, Duncan. ''Encyclopedia of Discovery and Exploration - The Great Age of Exploration''. Aldus Books London, 1971. *

Afonso Eduardo Martins Zúquete Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsula. ...

''Armorial Lusitano'', Enciclopédia, 3rd Edition, Lisbon, 1987, p. 256. *

Manuel Abranches de Soveral Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name) * Manuel (Fawlty Towers), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Charlie Manuel, manager of the Philadelphia Phillies * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * Manu ...

''Ascendências Visienses. Ensaio genealógico sobre a nobreza de Viseu. Séculos XIV a XVII'' , Author's edition, 1st Edition, Porto, 2004, Vol. II., p. 42-3. Year of birth missing Year of death missing Portuguese explorers 15th-century explorers of Africa 15th-century Portuguese people {{portugal-explorer-stub

Biography

See also

References