Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ferred unsullied Portuguese candidate João, son (albeit illegitimate) of Fernando's father.
João assassinated Leonor's lover, Leonor fled to Castile and the Castilians duly invaded.
The showdown came in 1385 when João faced a mighty force of Castilians at Aljubar-
rota. Even with Nuno Álvares Pereira (the Holy Constable) as his military right-hand man
and English archers at the ready, the odds were stacked against him. João vowed to build a
monastery if he won - and he did. Nuno Álvares, the brilliant commander-in-chief of the
Portuguese troops, deserves much of the credit for the victory. He lured the Spanish cav-
alry into a trap and, with an uphill advantage, his troops decimated the invaders. Within a
few hours the Spanish were retreating in disarray and the battle was won.
INDIA AHOY!
Fed up with the Venetian monopoly on overland trade with Asia, Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama set sail
from Lisbon in 1497 for distant shores, with a motley crew aboard his handsome caravel. He skirted the coast of
Mozambique and Mombasa before finally washing up on the shore of Calicut, India, in May 1498. The be-
draggled crew received a frosty welcome from the Zamorin (Hindu ruler) and when tensions flared, they returned
from whence they came. The voyage was hardly plain sailing - monsoon tides were fraught with danger, scurvy
was rife and more than half of Vasco da Gama's party perished. For his pains and success at discovering a sea
route to India, Manuel I made him a lord when he returned in 1499 and he was hailed 'Admiral of the Indian
Ocean'.
But in 1502, mounting hostilities (with Muslim merchants who considered da Gama a rival) meant the Por-
tuguese sea captain was forced to return to establish control. No more mister nice guy, he seized an Arab ship and
set it alight with hundreds of merchants onboard, then banished Muslims from the port. He returned to Europe
with coffers full of silk and spices. Luís Vaz de Camões recounts the fascinating adventures of Portugal's
facundo
Capitão
(eloquent captain) in the epic poem
The Lusiads
.
The victory clinched independence and João made good his vow by commissioning
Batalha's stunning Mosteiro de Santa Maria da Vitória (aka the Mosteiro da Batalha or
Battle Abbey). It also sealed Portugal's alliance with England, and João wed John of
Gaunt's daughter. Peace was finally concluded in 1411.
The Portuguese were the first Westerners to reach Japan in 1543. They founded Nagasaki, introduced the
mosquito net and brought new words to the Japanese language, including
pan
(bread) and, possibly,
arrigato
(thank you).
