Wednesday, January 20, 2010

#14- Pedro Alvarez Cabral


14 Pedro Cabral

Pedro Alvarez Cabral (1467-1520) was a Portugese explorer during the reign of King John II. King John appointed Cabral to sail arround the Cape of Good Hope and go to the Indies. With 13 ships, Cabral left Lisbon in 1500, with many men including Bartholemeu Dias, the explorer who had found the Cape of Good Hope. After sailing through the Cape Verdes Islands, Cabral found Brazil. Because Cabral thought that South America was an island, he named the land Vera Cruz (The True Cross). The brazilwood that Cabral found in Brazil contained a red dye. Cabral's men named the dye Terra de Brasil, from which the name Brazil came from. From South America, Cabral went towards the Cape of Good Hope. On May 24, 1500, a storm broke out at the cape, sinking the ship of Bartholemeu Dias. In September, Cabral arrived in Calcut, and Cabral brought many spices back from India. Cabral earns greatness for finding and naming Brazil, as well as going straight from South America to India.

Information From...
www.elizabethan-era.org.uk