Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ing a model of a caravel and a map, followed by kneeling kings and soldiers who Christi-
anized foreign lands with the sword. Behind Henry (on the west side, away from bridge),
find the men who financed the voyages (King Manuel I, holding an armillary sphere, his
personal symbol), those who glorified it in poems and paintings (like Luís de Camões,
holding a poem), and, at the very end, the only woman, Philippa of Lancaster, Henry's
British mother.
Caravels
These easily maneuverable trading ships were fast, small (80 feet), and light (100
tons), with few guns and three triangular-shaped sails (called lateen-rigged sails) that
could pivot quickly to catch the wind. They were ideal for sailing along coastlines.
Many oceangoing caravels were also rigged with a square foresail to make them more
stable. (This photo shows the model held by Prince Henry on Belém's Monument to
the Discoveries.) Columbus'
Niña
and
Pinta
were re-rigged caravels.
