Fernão Mendes Pinto (; 1509 – 8 July 1583) was a
Portuguese explorer and writer. His voyages are recorded in ''Pilgrimage'' (), his autobiographical memoir, which was published posthumously in 1614. The historical accuracy of the work is debatable due to the many events that seem far-fetched or at least exaggerated, earning him the nickname (wordplay with the Portuguese verb , 'to lie', meaning "Fernão, are you lying? I am lying."). Still, many aspects of the work can be verified, particularly through records of Pinto's service to the Portuguese crown and by his association with Jesuit missionaries.
Early life
Pinto was born in about 1509, in
Montemor-o-Velho
Montemor-o-Velho (), officially the Town of Montemor-o-Velho (), is a town and municipality of the Coimbra District, in Portugal. The population of the municipality in 2011 was 26,171, in an area of 228.96 km².
History
In 711, the Arab oc ...
,
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
, to a poor rural family or perhaps to a family of minor nobility who had fallen on hard times. Pinto had two brothers and two sisters (and possibly other siblings). In 1551, a brother, Álvaro, was recorded in
Portuguese Malacca
Portuguese control of Malaccaa city on the Malay Peninsulaspanned a 130 year period from 1511 to 1641 as a possession of the Portuguese East Indies. It was captured from the Malacca Sultanate as part of Portuguese attempts to gain control of ...
. Letters also record that a brother died a martyr in Malacca. In 1557,
Francisco Garcia de Vargas, Pinto's wealthy cousin, is recorded at
Cochin
Kochi ( , ), formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of Kerala. The city is also commonly referred to as Ernaku ...
.
He was related to the wealthy Mendes family, who were descendants of
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
Marranos
''Marranos'' is a term for Spanish and Portuguese Jews, as well as Navarrese jews, who converted to Christianity, either voluntarily or by Spanish or Portuguese royal coercion, during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, but who continued t ...
who lived in Portugal (which makes him a relative of the Jewish philanthropist
Gracia Mendes Nasi). They had a monopoly on
black pepper
Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit (the peppercorn), which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in diameter ...
commerce in Portugal and some of them later moved to
Antwerp
Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...
in
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
.
Pinto described his childhood as spartan. In 1521, hoping to improve the boy's prospects, an uncle took him to
Lisbon
Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
. There, Pinto was employed in the household service of a noblewoman. After eighteen months or so, Pinto fled. At the docks, he was hired as a
ship's boy on a cargo vessel bound for
Setúbal
Setúbal ( , , ; ), officially the City of Setúbal (), is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population of the entire municipality in 2014 was 118,166, occupying an area of . The city itself had 89,303 inhabitants in 2001. It lies withi ...
. On the way, French pirates captured the ship and the passengers were set upon the shore at
Alentejo
Alentejo ( , , ) is a geographical, historical, and cultural region of south–central and southern Portugal. In Portuguese, its name means "beyond the Tagus" ().
Alentejo includes the regions of Alto Alentejo Province, Alto Alentejo and Bai ...
.
Pinto eventually made his way to Setúbal, where he entered the service of
Francisco de Faria, a knight of Santiago. He remained there for four years and then joined the service of
Jorge de Lencastre, a master of the
Order of Santiago
The Order of Santiago (; ) is a religious and military order founded in the 12th century. It owes its name to the patron saint of Spain, ''Santiago'' ( St. James the Greater). Its initial objective was to protect the pilgrims on the Way of S ...
and an illegitimate son of
King
King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
John II of Portugal
John II (; ; 3 May 1455 – 25 October 1495), called the Perfect Prince (), was King of Portugal from 1481 until his death in 1495, and also for a brief time in 1477. He is known for reestablishing the power of the Portuguese monarchy, reinvigo ...
. Pinto held that position for a number of years. Although comfortable, it held no promise of advancement. Therefore, at twenty-eight, Pinto left to join the
Portuguese India Armadas
The Portuguese Indian Armadas (; meaning "Armadas of India") were the fleets of ships funded by the Crown of Portugal, and dispatched on an annual basis from Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal to Portuguese India, India. The principal destination w ...
.
Voyages
Pinto's travels can be divided into three phases: firstly, from Portugal to India; secondly, through the region of the
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a sea inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. To its north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and th ...
, from the coast of Africa to the
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...
; and thirdly, from east India to
Sumatra
Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...
,
Siam
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
, China, and Japan. Finally, Pinto returned to Europe.
First voyage to India
On 11 March 1537, Pinto left Lisbon for India via
Portuguese Mozambique
Portuguese Mozambique () or Portuguese East Africa () were the common terms by which Mozambique was designated during the period in which it was a Portuguese Empire, Portuguese overseas province. Portuguese Mozambique originally constituted a str ...
. On 5 September that year, he arrived in
Diu, a fortified island and town northwest of
Bombay
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...
(Portuguese since 1535 but under siege by
Suleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman I (; , ; 6 November 14946 September 1566), commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent in the Western world and as Suleiman the Lawgiver () in his own realm, was the List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman sultan between 1520 a ...
).
Pinto then joined a Portuguese reconnaissance mission to the Red Sea via Ethiopia. The mission was to deliver a message to Portuguese soldiers guarding the mother of "
Prester John
Prester John () was a mythical Christian patriarch, presbyter, and king. Stories popular in Europe in the 12th to the 17th centuries told of a Church of the East, Nestorian patriarch and king who was said to rule over a Christian state, Christian ...
" (Emperor
Dawit II of Ethiopia) in a mountain fortress. After leaving
Massawa
Massawa or Mitsiwa ( ) is a port city in the Northern Red Sea Region, Northern Red Sea region of Eritrea, located on the Red Sea at the northern end of the Gulf of Zula beside the Dahlak Archipelago. It has been a historically important port for ...
, the mission engaged three
Turkish galleys in battle. The Portuguese ships were defeated and their crews taken to
Mocha to be sold as slaves.
Pinto was sold to a
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
Muslim who was a cruel master. Pinto threatened suicide and was sold to a
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
merchant for about thirty
ducat
The ducat ( ) coin was used as a trade coin in Europe from the later Middle Ages to the 19th century. Its most familiar version, the gold ducat or sequin containing around of 98.6% fine gold, originated in Venice in 1284 and gained wide inter ...
s' worth of
dates. With the Jewish merchant, Pinto travelled the
caravan
Caravan or caravans may refer to:
Transport and travel
*Campervan, a type of vehicle also known as a motor caravan
*Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together
**Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop
*Caravan (trail ...
route to
Hormuz, a leading market town in the
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...
. There, Pinto was freed by way of payment of three hundred ducats from the Portuguese crown. He was made captain of the
Fortress of Hormuz and the Portuguese king's special magistrate for Indian affairs.
Second voyage to India
Soon after being freed, Pinto sailed on a Portuguese cargo ship to
Goa
Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...
. Against his will, Pinto was transferred en route to a naval fleet bound for the
Mughal port city of
Debal
Debal (also called Daybul, Daibul or Dēwal) was a commercial town and an ancient port in Sindh, now a province of Pakistan.
The exact location of the town has been difficult to determine. The proposed identifications with Karachi, Thatta, and ...
(modern
Karachi
Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...
) near
Thatta. After enduring battles with
Ottoman ships, Pinto reached Goa.
Malacca and the Far East
From 1539, Pinto remained in
Malacca
Malacca (), officially the Historic State of Malacca (), is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state in Malaysia located in the Peninsular Malaysia#Other features, southern region of the Malay Peninsula, facing the Strait of Malacca ...
under
Pedro de Faria, the newly appointed captain of Malacca. Pinto was sent to establish diplomatic contacts, particularly with small kingdoms allied with the Portuguese against the Muslims of northern Sumatra. In 1569, he discovered an Ottoman fleet led by
Kurtoğlu Hızır Reis in
Aceh
Aceh ( , ; , Jawi script, Jawoë: ; Van Ophuijsen Spelling System, Old Spelling: ''Atjeh'') is the westernmost Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is located on the northern end of Sumatra island, with Banda Aceh being its capit ...
.
Patani
Following Pinto's mission to Sumatra, he was sent to
Patani
Pattani (or Patani in Malay spelling) may refer to:
Places Continental Asia
* Patani (historical region), a historical region in the Malay peninsula, in Thailand and Malaysia.
* Pattani Province, modern province in southern Thailand
** Pattani, ...
, on the eastern shore of the
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula is located in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area contains Peninsular Malaysia, Southern Tha ...
. From there, Pinto made an unsuccessful delivery of merchandise to
Siam
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
. The goods were stolen by pirates who were then chased by Pinto and
António de Faria. Pinto continued trading operations in the
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan island, Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luz ...
, especially in the
Gulf of Tonkin
The Gulf of Tonkin is a gulf at the northwestern portion of the South China Sea, located off the coasts of Tonkin ( northern Vietnam) and South China. It has a total surface area of . It is defined in the west and northwest by the northern co ...
.
China
Pinto entered China from the
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea, also known as the North Sea, is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula, and can be considered the northwestern part of the East China Sea.
Names
It is one of four ...
and raided a tomb of the
Emperor of China
Throughout Chinese history, "Emperor" () was the superlative title held by the monarchs of imperial China's various dynasties. In traditional Chinese political theory, the emperor was the " Son of Heaven", an autocrat with the divine mandat ...
. Pinto was shipwrecked, apprehended by the Chinese and sentenced to one year hard labour on the
Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China (, literally "ten thousand ''li'' long wall") is a series of fortifications in China. They were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial China as protection against vario ...
. Before completing his sentence, Pinto was taken prisoner by invading
Tatars. He became an agent of the Tartars and travelled with them to
Cochinchina
Cochinchina or Cochin-China (, ; ; ; ; ) is a historical exonym and endonym, exonym for part of Vietnam, depending on the contexts, usually for Southern Vietnam. Sometimes it referred to the whole of Vietnam, but it was commonly used to refer t ...
, the southernmost part of modern-day
Cambodia
Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...
and
Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
. Pinto describes his encounter with a "pope-like" man, possibly the
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama (, ; ) is the head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The term is part of the full title "Holiness Knowing Everything Vajradhara Dalai Lama" (圣 识一切 瓦齐尔达喇 达赖 喇嘛) given by Altan Khan, the first Shu ...
, who had never heard of Europe. Pinto and two companions jumped ship to a Chinese pirate
junk and were shipwrecked onto the Japanese island of
Tanegashima
is one of the Ōsumi Islands belonging to Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The island, in area, is the second largest of the Ōsumi Islands, and has a population of 33,000 people. Access to the island is by ferry, or by air to New Tanegashima Airp ...
, south of
Kyūshū
is the third-largest island of Japan's four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa and the other Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Islands). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regio ...
.
Japan
Pinto claimed that his 1543 landing made him the first European to set foot in Japan. He also claimed to have introduced the
arquebus
An arquebus ( ) is a form of long gun that appeared in Europe and the Ottoman Empire during the 15th century. An infantryman armed with an arquebus is called an arquebusier.
The term ''arquebus'' was applied to many different forms of firearms ...
to Japan. It is widely accepted now, however, that several Portuguese traders, including
António Mota and
Francisco Zeimoto, visited Japan a year earlier. The firearm was reproduced and used in the
Japanese civil wars. It was known as the
tanegashima
is one of the Ōsumi Islands belonging to Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The island, in area, is the second largest of the Ōsumi Islands, and has a population of 33,000 people. Access to the island is by ferry, or by air to New Tanegashima Airp ...
.
Pinto facilitated trade between the Portuguese and Japan. At one point, he was shipwrecked on the
Ryukyu Islands
The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Geography of Taiwan, Taiwan: the Ryukyu Islands are divided into the Satsunan Islands (Ōsumi Islands, Ōsumi, Tokara Islands, Tokara and A ...
. In 1549, Pinto left
Kagoshima
, is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 583,966 in 285,992 households, and a population density of 1100 persons per km2. The total area of the city is .
Etymology
While the ...
accompanied by a Japanese fugitive,
Anjirō
or , baptismal name, baptized as Paulo de Santa Fé, was the first recorded Japanese Christian, who lived in the 16th century. After committing a murder in his home domain of Satsuma Domain, Satsuma in southern Kyushu, he fled to Portuguese Mala ...
. He returned to Japan with Saint
Francis Xavier
Francis Xavier, Jesuits, SJ (born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta; ; ; ; ; ; 7 April 15063 December 1552), venerated as Saint Francis Xavier, was a Kingdom of Navarre, Navarrese cleric and missionary. He co-founded the Society of Jesus ...
, a Catholic missionary. In 1554, Pinto joined the
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...
and donated a large sum of his trading wealth to the mission. In a letter,
Ōtomo Yoshishige, ''
daimyō
were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and no ...
'' of Bungo, offered his conversion and requested Pinto return to Japan. The letter arrived at the same time that Xavier's body was being displayed in Goa. Ōtomo did not convert at that time due to internal difficulties but did so later at the time Pinto was completing his autobiography. Between 1554 and 1556, Pinto returned to Japan with Xavier's successor. He became the Viceroy of Portuguese India's ambassador to the daimyo of
Bungo on the island of Kyūshū. Despite Pinto's support of the Church in Japan, he left the Jesuits in 1557.
Martaban
Pinto returned to Malacca and was sent to
Mottama
Mottama (, ; Muttama , ; formerly Martaban) is a town in the Thaton District of Mon State, Myanmar. Located on the west bank of the Thanlwin river (Salween), on the opposite side of Mawlamyaing, Mottama was the capital of the Martaban Kingdo ...
in
Toungoo Burma. He arrived during a siege and took refuge in a Portuguese camp of mercenaries who had betrayed the Viceroy. Pinto was betrayed by a mercenary, captured by Burmese forces, and placed under the charge of the king's treasurer, who took him to the kingdom of
Calaminham. Pinto fled to
Goa
Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...
.
Java
On Pinto's return to Goa, Faria sent him to
Bantam, Java, to buy
pepper for sale to China. Once again, Pinto was shipwrecked. He may have resorted to
cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is also well document ...
before submitting to slavery in order to secure passage out of the swampy Java shore. Pinto was bought by a
Celebes merchant and resold to the King of
Kalapa who returned him to
Sunda.
Siam
Using borrowed money, Pinto bought passage to
Siam
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
where he encountered the
King of Siam
The monarchy of Thailand is the constitutional monarchy, constitutional form of government of Thailand (formerly ''Siam''). The king of Thailand (, historically, ''king of Siam''; ) is the head of state and head of the ruling Chakri dynasty.
...
at
war
War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...
. Pinto's writings contribute to the historical record of the war.
Return to Portugal
On 22 September 1558, Pinto returned to Portugal. Fame preceded him in Western Europe due to one of his letters being published by the
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...
in 1555. Pinto spent the years 1562–1566 in court looking for reward or compensation for his years of service to the Crown. He married Maria Correia Barreto with whom he had at least two daughters. In 1562, he purchased a farm in
Pragal. Pinto died on 8 July 1583 at his farm.
Memoir ''Peregrinação''
Pinto began his memoirs in 1569. The book was published posthumously by friar
Belchior Faria in 1614. Although Pinto did not have the education of contemporary authors and did not reveal a knowledge of either
classical culture nor aesthetics of the
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
, his experiential knowledge and intelligence enabled him to create a meaningful work. Pinto was critical of Portuguese
colonialism
Colonialism is the control of another territory, natural resources and people by a foreign group. Colonizers control the political and tribal power of the colonised territory. While frequently an Imperialism, imperialist project, colonialism c ...
in the Far East.
The vivid tales of his wanderings were so incredible and far-fetched as to not be believed. They gave rise to the saying "Fernão, Mentes? Minto!", a Portuguese
pun
A pun, also known as a paronomasia in the context of linguistics, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from t ...
on his name meaning "Fernão, do you lie? I do!"
The publication may vary from Pinto's manuscript (some sentences are erased and others are edited). The disappearance of references to the Society of Jesus, one of the most active
religious order
A religious order is a subgroup within a larger confessional community with a distinctive high-religiosity lifestyle and clear membership. Religious orders often trace their lineage from revered teachers, venerate their Organizational founder, ...
s in the Orient, is notable, as there are clear indications of Pinto's relationship with the society. Pinto's memoirs are just that, his memories of events, giving rise to doubts regarding historical accuracy. However, it documents the impact of the Asian
civilization
A civilization (also spelled civilisation in British English) is any complex society characterized by the development of state (polity), the state, social stratification, urban area, urbanization, and symbolic systems of communication beyon ...
s on the Europeans and is a reasonable analysis of Portuguese action in the Orient (in comparison to
Luís de Camões
Luís Vaz de Camões (; or 1525 – 10 June 1580), sometimes rendered in English as Camoens or Camoëns ( ), is considered Portugal's and the Portuguese language's greatest poet. His mastery of verse has been compared to that of William Shakes ...
' ''
Os Lusíadas
''Os Lusíadas'' (), usually translated as ''The Lusiads'', is a Portuguese epic poem written by Luís Vaz de Camões ( – 1580) and first published in 1572. It is widely regarded as the most important work of Portuguese-language literature ...
).''
The most controversial of Pinto's claims is his being the first European to visit Japan and his introduction of the arquebus to Japan. Another controversial claim, that he fought in Java against the Muslims, has been analyzed by historians. The Dutch historian,
P. A. Tiele, who wrote in 1880, did not believe Pinto was present during the campaign, but rather that he wrote his information from secondhand sources. Even so, Tiele admits Pinto's account cannot be disregarded because of the lack of alternative information about Javanese history during the time.
Maurice Collis
Maurice Stewart Collis (10 January 1889 – 12 January 1973) was an administrator in Burma (Myanmar) when it was part of the British Empire, and afterwards a writer on Southeast Asia, China and other historical subjects.
Life
He was born in Du ...
holds the opinion that Pinto's accounts, while not entirely true, remain compatible with historical events. Collis considers Pinto's work the most complete European account of 16th century Asian history.
Legacy
In 1978, a crater on
Mercury was named
''Mendes Pinto'' after Pinto.
"Craters: Mendes Pinto on Mercury"
Planetary Names: Crater
A high school in Almada, Portugal, built in 1965, was named in his honour and in 2011, a 2 euro coin
The 2 euro coin (€2) is the highest-value euro coins, euro coin and has been used since the introduction of the euro (in its cash form) in 2002. The coin is made of two alloys: the inner part of nickel brass, the outer part of copper-nickel. A ...
was issued to mark the 500th anniversary of Pinto's birthday.
See also
* Exploration of Asia
References
Sources
* ''Breve História da Literatura Portuguesa'', Texto Editora, Lisboa, 1999
* A. J. Barreiros, ''História da Literatura Portuguesa'', Editora Pax, eleventh edition.
* A. J. Saraiva, O. Lopes, ''História da Literatura Portuguesa'', Porto Editora, twelfth edition.
* ''Enciclopédia Luso-Brasileira de Cultura'', Editorial Verbo, Lisboa, Fifteenth edition.
* ''Lexicoteca – Moderna Enciclopédia Universal'' volume 15 Círculo de Leitores, 1987
* ''The Travels of Mendes Pinto'', Edited and translated by Rebecca D. Catz, The University of Chicago Press,
* Collis, M. ''The Grand Peregrination'' Faber and Faber 1949
* ''Fernão Mendes Pinto and the Peregrinação'' – studies, restored Portuguese text, notes and indexes, directed by Jorge Santos Alves, Fundação Oriente, Lisbon, 2010,
Online
External links
*
*
* Catz R
"Hispania"
Virtual Cervantes website. Accessed 30 August 2005.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110721072004/http://shinku.nichibun.ac.jp/kichosho/main_control.php?FN=pinto&N=Pinto,Fernao%20Mendes.&T=The%20voyages%20and%20adventures%20of%20Ferdinand%20Mendez%20Pinto.1692.&L=e&SH=metadata "The voyages and adventures of Ferdinand Mendez Pinto.1692."] English Translation by Henry Cogan, o
Nichibunken database
Boris Filatov's Private Collection of Netsuke
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pinto, Fernao Mendes
1500s births
1583 deaths
People from Montemor-o-Velho
Portuguese Renaissance writers
Portuguese travel writers
Portuguese expatriates in Japan
Former Jesuits
Roman Catholic writers
16th-century Portuguese explorers
16th-century Portuguese writers
Explorers of Asia
Portuguese explorers of the Pacific
16th-century Portuguese Jesuits
Maritime history of Portugal
Shipwreck survivors
Explorers of South Asia