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89-512: It is unclear when the first explorers discovered the island of São Jorge; as part of the politics of human occupation, the Azores were populated after 1430 (probably 1439) through the initiative of Prince Henry the Navigator . 23 April, known as the feast day of Saint George , has been cited by historians as the reason for the island's name, although this is likely conjecture. Genovese and Catalan maps of

178-462: A limited suffrage of male tax-paying property owners. Judicial power was exercised by the courts; executive power by the ministers of the government; and moderative power by the king, who held an absolute veto over all legislation. The traditionalist party of the landowners and the Church , however, were not satisfied with this compromise, and they continued to regard Miguel as the legitimate successor to

267-593: A dispute over royal succession. While Dom Pedro , the Emperor of Brazil , was the king's oldest son, his younger brother Miguel contended that Pedro had forfeited his claim to the throne by declaring Brazilian independence and by declaring war on the Kingdom of Portugal, therefore violating the succession rules mentioned in the Fundamental Laws of the Kingdom. Pedro briefly entitled himself King Pedro IV of Portugal. Neither

356-595: A dye. These exports were later superseded by grapes and wine after 1571 and endured for the next three centuries. It was first disseminated along the southern coast, owing to the fertile soils, and adapted well to many of the fajãs of Calheta (including Fajã dos Vimes, Fajã de São João, Fajã do Ouvidor, and Fajã Grande), as well as the areas between Ribeira do Almeirda and the parish of Queimadas (in Velas). These were generally considered lands that were not adequate for cereal cultivation, but where vineyards flourished. The majority of

445-452: A few chief exports: initially, lichen ( Roccella tinctoria ) and woad ( Isatis tinctoria ), later the introduction of wheat and corn crops. Woad was one of the most important exports from São Jorge and the Azores; it was initially introduced by Willem van der Hagen around 1490, and exported primarily to his countrymen in Flanders. Both woad and lichen were very popular in central Europe as

534-425: A meat-soup-like broth (whose methods of preparation and serving vary from community to community) and gathering of the local citizens for conversation and/or dancing. Velas' Semana Cultural (Culture Week) is also another festivity that mixes local traditions and cultural influences from abroad. During this week expositions and presentations of local Azorean culture are mixed with local concerts, bullfights, and finally

623-659: A military expedition there and then went to Terceira island in the Azores , which was in the hands of the Liberals, to set up a government in exile. The government of Miguel blockaded the island, but the blockading squadron was attacked by a French squadron during the run-up to the Battle of the Tagus , where several Miguelist ships were captured. (Half of the liberal army consisted of French, British, Spanish and Belgian soldiers). In July 1832, with

712-548: A misconception. He did employ some cartographers to chart the coast of Mauritania after the voyages he sent there, but there was no center of navigation science or observatory in the modern sense of the word, nor was there an organized navigational center. Referring to Sagres, sixteenth-century Portuguese mathematician and cosmographer Pedro Nunes remarked, "from it our sailors went out well taught and provided with instruments and rules which all map makers and navigators should know." The view that Henry's court rapidly grew into

801-571: A monopoly on tuna fishing in the Algarve . When Edward died eight years later, Henry supported his brother Peter, Duke of Coimbra for the regency during the minority of Edward's son Afonso V , and in return received a confirmation of this levy. Henry functioned as a primary organizer of the disastrous expedition to Tangier in 1437 against Çala Ben Çala, which ended in Henry's younger brother Ferdinand being given as hostage to guarantee Portuguese promises in

890-463: A part of the culture of the Azores is the yam. It is widely popular and cultivated in any plot of land, and was used as an important subsistence food during the island's formative years although never becoming a major export product. It was so important that it was included in the Coat-of-Arms of Calheta, since 1694. Long before whale-watching became important, whaling was an important industry between

979-664: A regata between Velas and Horta, Faial during the first week of July. Meanwhile, in the village of Calheta the Festival de Julho (the July Festival) highlights four days of festivities that brings together ethnic processions, musical comedies, theatrical presentations and local sports competitions. The Romarias (religious pilgrimages) are a tradition of the island's Catholic communities, and strongly linked to catastrophes associated with historical earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The Romaria de Nossa Senhora de Carmo, which occurs annually in

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1068-563: A role in the government. Unlike the Constitution of 1822, this new document established four branches of government. The Legislature was divided into two chambers. The upper chamber, the Chamber of Peers , was composed of life and hereditary peers and clergy appointed by the king. The lower chamber, the Chamber of Deputies , was composed of 111 deputies elected to four-year terms by the indirect vote of local assemblies, which in turn were elected by

1157-641: A storm while making the volta do mar westward swing to return to Portugal. They found shelter at an island they named Porto Santo . Henry directed that Porto Santo be colonized. The move to claim the Madeiran islands was probably a response to Castile 's efforts to claim the Canary Islands. In 1420, settlers then moved to the nearby island of Madeira . A chart drawn by the Catalan cartographer, Gabriel de Vallseca of Mallorca , has been interpreted to indicate that

1246-468: Is dedicated to the commercialization of the traditional São Jorge cheese, including new products classified under the DOP Denominação de Origem Protegida ( Denomination of Protected Origin ) status. The principal festivals popular on the island are not dissimilar to those celebrated on the islands of the archipelago. There are the festivals of Espírito Santo that concentrate on the many impérios around

1335-792: Is depicted in the Monument of the Discoveries located in Lisbon, featured in the front of the monument. In 1994, the Prince Henry Society in conjunction with the Portuguese government gifted Prince Henry the Navigator Park in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Liberal Wars Liberal victory Supported by: Supported by: The Liberal Wars ( Portuguese : Guerras Liberais ), also known as

1424-524: The Sargassum seaweed growing there ( sargaço / sargasso in Portuguese). In 1424 Cape Bojador was the most southerly point known to Europeans on the west coast of Africa. For centuries, superstitious seafarers held that beyond the cape lay sea monsters and the edge of the world. However, Prince Henry was determined to know the truth. He was persistent and sent 15 expeditions over a ten-year period to pass

1513-513: The Bay of Arguin in 1443 and built an important "forte-feitoria" (a fort protecting a trading post) on the island of Arguin around the year 1448. Dinis Dias soon came across the Senegal River and rounded the peninsula of Cap-Vert in 1444. By this stage the explorers had passed the southern boundary of the desert, and from then on Henry had one of his wishes fulfilled: the Portuguese had circumvented

1602-611: The House of Aviz . After procuring the new caravel ship, Henry was responsible for the early development of Portuguese exploration and maritime trade with other continents through the systematic exploration of Western Africa, the islands of the Atlantic Ocean , and the search for new routes. He encouraged his father to conquer Ceuta (1415), the Muslim port on the North African coast across

1691-685: The Straits of Gibraltar from the Iberian Peninsula . He learned of the opportunity offered by the Saharan trade routes that terminated there, and became fascinated with Africa in general; he was most intrigued by the Christian legend of Prester John and the expansion of Portuguese trade. He is regarded as the patron of Portuguese exploration . Henry was the third surviving son of King John I and his wife Philippa , sister of King Henry IV of England . He

1780-486: The University of Lisbon . For other subjects like medicine or philosophy, he ordered that each room should be decorated according to the subject taught. Henry also had other resources. When John I died in 1433, Henry's eldest brother Edward of Portugal became king. He granted Henry all profits from trading within the areas he discovered as well as the sole right to authorize expeditions beyond Cape Bojador . Henry also held

1869-805: The War of the Two Brothers ( Guerra dos Dois Irmãos ) and the Portuguese Civil War , was a war between liberal constitutionalists and conservative traditionalists in Portugal over royal succession that lasted from 1828 to 1834. Embroiled parties included the Kingdom of Portugal , Portuguese rebels, the United Kingdom , France , the Catholic Church , and Spain . The death of King John VI in 1826 created

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1958-415: The 14th century originally designated the long, slender island "São Jorge", a designation that was maintained by Infante D. Henrique when settlers from northern Europe began to colonize the island (around 1460, or twenty years after it was first sighted). Although unclear, Azorean chroniclers believe that settlement on the island concentrated around the two communities of Velas and Calheta, and developed into

2047-462: The 1580 eruption and eight in 1808. In 1850, the island's vineyards were devastated by the phylloxera plague , which had a terrible effect on the economy until the development of the orange industry (about 1860). The island's isolation ended after the completion of the ports of Velas and Calheta. The last terrestrial volcanic eruption on the island of São Jorge was the eruption of “Vulcão da Urzelina” in 1808. From March 2022, São Jorge Island had been

2136-557: The Age of Exploration. Clam dishes are fairly common in São Jorge, being the only location in the archipelago where clams are discovered (usually in the Fajã da Caldeira de Santo Cristo). Generally there is an abundance of locals’ sweets for tourists, including coscorões, roquilhas de aguardente, espécies, suspiros, olvidados, bolos de véspera, cavacos, queijadas de leite, and açucareura branca. In addition,

2225-544: The Azores around the 17th Century owing to the environmental conditions and the fertility of the lands. The export of oranges to the United Kingdom and North America was an important phase in the island's economy; about six shipments per port were annually exported, which included about 7 million (or about 994,000 kilograms) oranges. Orange orchards were located primarily in the communities of Santo Amaro, Urzelina, Ribeira Seca and in Fajã de São Joãos. Another crop to form

2314-553: The Azores were first discovered by Diogo de Silves in 1427. In 1431, Gonçalo Velho was dispatched with orders to determine the location of "islands" first identified by de Silves. Velho apparently got as far as the Formigas , in the eastern archipelago, before having to return to Sagres, probably due to bad weather. By this time the Portuguese navigators had also reached the Sargasso Sea (western North Atlantic region), naming it after

2403-620: The Chamber of Deputies and the Chamber of Peers and, in May, summoned the traditional Cortes of the three estates of the realm to proclaim his accession to absolute power. The Cortes of 1828 assented to Miguel's wish, proclaiming him king as Miguel I of Portugal and nullifying the Constitutional Charter. This alleged usurpation did not go unchallenged by the Liberals. On May 18, the garrison in Porto ,

2492-605: The Duke of Terceira's recent march from Faro to Lisbon, the south was still loyal to the Miguelites. In the southernmost region of Continental Portugal , the region of Algarve , a man known as Remexido , hidden in the mountainous terrain around São Marcos da Serra , became a legend as a guerrilla loyal to the legitimist, antiliberal Miguelites until well after the end of the Liberal Wars. The Battle of Asseiceira , fought on May 16, 1834,

2581-499: The Fajã dos Vimes (July 16), and the Romaria do Santo Cristo in the Fajã da Caldeira de Santo Cristo, are popular processions where many faithful walk between religious sanctuaries, praying and in contemplation, usually stopping for mass at local churches. The local gastronomy includes many Azorean basics, but includes local plates of fish and pork with an abundance of spices, typical of the communities visited by far eastern caravels during

2670-685: The Governor of the Military Order of Christ , the Portuguese successor to the Knights Templar , which had its headquarters at Tomar in central Portugal. Henry held this position for the remainder of his life, and the Order was an important source of funds for Henry's ambitious plans, especially his persistent attempts to conquer the Canary Islands , which the Portuguese had claimed to have discovered before

2759-565: The Moorish port of Ceuta in northern Morocco . Ceuta had long been a base for Barbary pirates who raided the Portuguese coast, depopulating villages by capturing their inhabitants to be sold in the African slave trade . Following this success, Henry began to explore the coast of Africa, most of which was unknown to Europeans. His objectives included finding the source of the West African gold trade and

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2848-523: The Muslim land-based trade routes across the western Sahara Desert , and slaves and gold began arriving in Portugal. This rerouting of trade devastated Algiers and Tunis, but made Portugal rich. By 1452, the influx of gold permitted the minting of Portugal's first gold cruzado coins. A cruzado was equal to 400 reis at the time. From 1444 to 1446, as many as forty vessels sailed from Lagos on Henry's behalf, and

2937-511: The Navigator ( Portuguese : Infante Dom Henrique, o Navegador ), was a central figure in the early days of the Portuguese Empire and in the 15th-century European maritime discoveries and maritime expansion. Through his administrative direction, he is regarded as the main initiator of what would be known as the Age of Discovery . Henry was the fourth child of King John I of Portugal , who founded

3026-526: The Navigator repopulated a village that he called Terçanabal (from terça nabal or tercena nabal ). This village was situated in a strategic position for his maritime enterprises and was later called Vila do Infante ("Estate or Town of the Prince"). It is traditionally suggested that Henry gathered at his villa on the Sagres peninsula a school of navigators and map-makers . However modern historians hold this to be

3115-587: The Oidium tukeri grape/vine disease reached the island in late 1854 and destroyed the prosperous industry. Various attempts were made to restart the wine industry, such as Francisco José de Bettencourt e Ávila, the Baron Ribeiro in the area of Urzelina, and later Miguel Teixeira Soares de Sousa and Marta Pereira da Silveira, who produced wine from the Izabela caste. Meanwhile, the phylloxera disease continued to destroy many of

3204-610: The Portuguese feudal aristocracy had been spared) and took heart at the recent restoration of the autocratic Ferdinand VII in Spain (1823) who was eradicating all the Napoleonic innovations. In February 1828, Miguel returned to Portugal, ostensibly to take the oath of allegiance to the Charter and assume the regency. He was immediately proclaimed king by his supporters, who pressed him to return to absolutism. A month after his return, Miguel dissolved

3293-608: The Portuguese nor the Brazilians wanted a unified monarchy; consequently, Pedro abdicated the Portuguese throne in favor of his daughter, Maria , a child of 7. In April 1826, to settle the succession dispute, Pedro revised the first constitution of Portugal granted in 1822 and left the throne to Maria, with his sister Isabel Maria as regent. In the Portuguese Constitutional Charter , Pedro attempted to reconcile traditionalists and liberals by allowing both factions

3382-518: The São Jorge Fault). Through successive fissural eruptions the island was built up: the only remnants of these forces are the line of volcanic cones that extend along the central ridge (approximately 700 metres in altitude). The island was built up from successive morphological structures of progressively younger materials, these include: The island is 55 km in length from the Ponta dos Rosais until

3471-468: The Topo Islet and a maximum width between Fajã das Pontas and Portinho da Calheta (approximately 7 km). The highest point is Pico da Esperança at 1,053 meters. The island has an area of 246 km, with an obvious difference in the relief between the western and eastern portions of the island: the western coast is ringed with cliffs, while the eastern coast is morphologically smoother. Similarly,

3560-412: The absolutists' fleet near Cape Saint Vincent ( Cabo São Vicente ) and decisively defeated it at the fourth Battle of Cape St. Vincent . The Liberals were able to occupy Lisbon, where Pedro moved from Porto and repulsed a Miguelite siege. A stalemate of nine months ensued. Following the death of Ferdinand VII Spain changed sides and started to support the liberals. Towards the end of 1833, Maria da Glória

3649-497: The area of Topo where he established and founded a local community, in 1480. After living there for several years he died and was buried in the chapel of the Casa dos Tiagos. Topo was eventually elevated to capital of the municipality by 1510, but lost this title to Calheta on June 3, 1534. During this period, the island was wild and many of the roads difficult or non-existent between the communities, resulting in isolated villages located along

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3738-518: The backing of Liberals in Spain and Britain, an expedition led by Pedro landed near Porto, in the Landing at Mindelo , which the Miguelites abandoned and where, after military activities including the Battle of Ponte Ferreira , Pedro and his associates were besieged by Miguelite forces for nearly a year. To protect British interests, a naval squadron under Commander William Nugent Glascock in HMS Orestes

3827-574: The capture of Ceuta in 1415. Henry was interested in locating the source of the caravans that brought gold to the city. During the reign of his father, John I, João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira were sent to explore along the African coast. Zarco, a knight in service to Prince Henry, had commanded the caravels guarding the coast of Algarve from the incursions of the Moors . He had also been at Ceuta. In 1418, Zarco and Teixeira were blown off-course by

3916-618: The center of Portuguese progressives, declared its loyalty to Pedro IV and his daughter Maria II, and the Constitutional Charter. The rebellion against the absolutists spread to other cities. Miguel suppressed these rebellions, and many thousands of Liberals were either arrested or fled to Spain and Britain. There followed five years of repression. Meanwhile, in Brazil, relations between Pedro and Brazil's agricultural magnates had become strained. In April 1831, Pedro abdicated in Brazil in favor of his son, Pedro II , and sailed for Britain . He organized

4005-468: The coast. Connections between these communities developed by sea, and the better provisioned ports were likely to develop economically. This was the case with Calheta, Urzelina and Velas; the sites, although farther from the Terceira (the towns are located on the opposite coast), were preferred way-points due to secure and sheltered ports, with good anchorage and providing many goods and services. The growth of

4094-507: The contrast between the northern and southern coasts are obvious; apart from several deltas (fajãs) on both coasts, the northern coast has sharp cliffs, while the southern coast is less inclined. The majority of the cliffs in the northeast are between 300 and 400 m with severe slopes (between 45° and 55°). In this area, many of the fajãs, some composed of lavas (Fajã do Ouvidor, Fajã das Pontas and Fajã da Ribeira da Areia) and others dendritic (Fajã de João Dias and Fajã da Penedia), are visible. In

4183-523: The creation of two processing plants in Calheta. Fishing continues to be an important part of the local economy, although whale-watching has turned into a part of local tourism. While cereals, vineyards and local vegetables are still grown sporadically around the island (much like the other islands of the Azores) the economy of São Jorge is currently dependent on the dairy industry. The local São Jorge cheese has been

4272-510: The credit. By 1462, the Portuguese had explored the coast of Africa as far as present-day Sierra Leone . Twenty-eight years later, Bartolomeu Dias proved that Africa could be circumnavigated when he reached the southern tip of the continent, now known as the Cape of Good Hope . In 1498, Vasco da Gama became the first European sailor to reach India by sea. No one used the nickname "Henry the Navigator" to refer to Prince Henry during his lifetime or in

4361-425: The dreaded Cape. Each returned unsuccessful. The captains gave various excuses for having failed. Finally, in 1434 Gil Eanes , the commander of one of Henry's expeditions, became the first known European to pass Cape Bojador since Hanno almost two millennium before. Using the new ship type, the expeditions then pushed onwards. Nuno Tristão and Antão Gonçalves reached Cape Blanco in 1441. The Portuguese sighted

4450-537: The early morning of May 1, 1808 ( Urzelina eruption ). Suffocating gases, as well as carboxylic acid, were emitted from a vent along the Manadas ridge and thick greenish vaporous clouds (of chloric and sulfuric acids) rapidly spread to the plants. Eight major tremors were recorded per hour that caused widespread panic. Many of the homes, buildings and cultivatable lands were destroyed. Between 1580 and 1907, at least six significant eruptions occurred; ten people were killed during

4539-409: The end of the 19th century and middle of the 20th century, where a majority of the inhabitants were tied exclusively to this economy. In strategic locations along the coast, small huts were built to watch-out for whales and give an alarm to the local hunters, who would sail out and harpoon the mammals. Later, when this hunt was prohibited, the islanders began to "hunt" Albacor and Bonito Tuna resulting in

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4628-429: The first private mercantile expeditions began. Alvise Cadamosto explored the Atlantic coast of Africa and discovered several islands of the Cape Verde archipelago between 1453 and 1456. In his first voyage, which started on 22 March 1455, he visited the Madeira Islands and the Canary Islands. On the second voyage, in 1456, Cadamosto became the first European to reach the Cape Verde Islands. António Noli later claimed

4717-417: The following three centuries. The term was coined by two nineteenth-century German historians: Heinrich Schaefer and Gustave de Veer. Later on it was made popular by two British authors who included it in the titles of their biographies of the prince: Henry Major in 1868 and Raymond Beazley in 1895. Contrary to his brothers, Prince Henry was not praised for his intellectual gifts by his contemporaries. It

4806-421: The garrisons in São Jorge only capitulated to the forces of Castillo after the fall of Terceira in 1583. Following 1583, the island experienced a period of relative isolation, partially due to the poor quality of its ports and its limited economic importance. After the Spanish occupation, it was largely abandoned and its inhabitants were left to survive a meager existence. The island did not escape Atlantic piracy:

4895-412: The interior. It was in 1460 that the construction of the first church dedicated to São Jorge occurred in the area of Velas, from the testaments of Infante D. Henrique. What is certain is that the island was populated by the time that João Vaz Corte Real, the Donatary-Captain of Angra do Heroísmo ( Terceira ) obtained the captaincy of the island, by contract on 4 May 1483. By 1500, the settlement of Velas

4984-665: The island (its high cliffs, rough central plateaus and scattered fajãs) resulted in the concentration of human settlements along the coast. Historically these communities were linked by coastal ports since the trails in the interior were barely transitable. Consequently, communities were isolated from one another necessitating local solutions to common problems and building local ties between families. Velas, Calheta and Topo developed partially due to well developed ports and local economies, in addition to administrative necessity and central positions. The settlements developed with immigration from Spain and Flanders, principally by settlers brought by

5073-410: The island after May 10, 1831. Generally, the island's residents have lived for many years in isolation, interrupted by rare visits from the authorities, commercial boats from the local islands, and the occasional nobleman who has come to contemplate the local scenery. With the inauguration of its ports, and the airport/aerodrome (April 23, 1982) commercial ventures have grown (especially the export of

5162-401: The island, and are an important manifestation of the religious character of the islands. These festivals occur every Sunday during the seven weeks after Easter, and culminate on the seventh Sunday, Pentecosts, although some traditions vary from place-to-place. Generally, there are processions to the church and masses associated with this festival, but also include alms for the poor, the serving of

5251-454: The island, since gentry supported (along with those on Terceira) the pretender to the throne, António, Prior of Crato . King António reigned on the continent for about twenty days, until he was defeated at the Battle of Alcântra , whereupon he moved his court to Terceira Island and governed in opposition until 1583. The Habsburg-supported King Phillip finally defeated his forces at sea at the Battle of Ponta Delgada between July 25–26, 1582, and

5340-411: The islanders were subject to attacks by English and French privateers in 1589 and 1590, raiders after 1590 (from the Barbary coast and lands occupied by the Turks ) and during the 17th and 18th centuries (mostly around Calheta). In 1625, the inhabitants of Fajã de São João were captured by pirates and likely sold into slavery. The tranquillity around the island was also broken on September 20, 1708, when

5429-461: The latter at the Prince's court "probably accounts for the legend of the School of Sagres, which is now discredited." Henry sponsored voyages, collecting a 20% tax ( o quinto ) on profits, the usual practice in the Iberian states at the time. The nearby port of Lagos provided a convenient home port for these expeditions. The voyages were made in very small ships, mostly the caravel , a light and maneuverable vessel equipped by lateen sails. Most of

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5518-436: The legendary Christian kingdom of Prester John , and stopping the pirate attacks on the Portuguese coast. At that time, the cargo ships of the Mediterranean were too slow and heavy to undertake such voyages. Under Henry's direction, a new and much lighter ship was developed, the caravel , which could sail farther and faster. Above all, it was highly maneuverable and could sail " into the wind ", making it largely independent of

5607-419: The local cheese), the expansion of animal husbandry, the fisheries and a small crafts industry. Unique among the islands of Azores, São Jorge is uncharacteristically long and slender and susceptible to ocean erosion. The island was built on fissural volcanism associated with the plate tectonics of the mid-Atlantic Ridge and a transform fault that extends from the Ridge to the island of São Miguel (referred to as

5696-399: The location of a serious seismovolcanic crisis. The Instituto de Investigação em Vulcanologia e Avaliação de Riscos is following the crisis with a special webpage called " Crise Sismovulcânica de São Jorge ". The alarm level on 26 March was 4, “this means that according to the alarm scale in force in the Azores archipelago we are in the pre-eruptive volcanic phase”. Owing to its position in

5785-493: The mid- North Atlantic Ocean , influenced by the Gulf Stream , São Jorge has a humid subtropical climate with very mild winters and warm summers, although, being a generally elevated island, temperatures tend to be cooler on the hilly center and warmer downslope of the many fajãs that characterize the island. Water temperatures vary between 16 and 24 °C (61 and 75 °F) while the average temperature varies between 14 and 22 °C (57 and 72 °F). The geomorphology of

5874-427: The most important part of the local economy, resulting in the establishment of an order, the Confraria do Queijo de São Jorge , to promote the consumption and sale of this popular cheese. In addition, Uniqueijo União de Cooperativeas Agrícolas de Lacticínios de São Jorge ( Cooperative Agricultural Union of São Jorge Dairy Producers ) is the principal dairy-producer on the island. A union of eight cooperatives, Uniqueijo

5963-478: The natural species of bush and trees. Over the centuries many barrels of wine were produced in this method, and about 10,000 barrels were regularly exported or consumed locally. São Jorge wines were so highly esteemed that the Count of Almada, then Captain General of the Azores, created the "São Jorge" brand in order to mitigate fraudulent sales. The wine was also appreciated during the World Exposition of 1867 (in Paris, France) where it rivaled Porto wine. Unfortunately,

6052-504: The peace agreement. The Portuguese Cortes refused to return Ceuta as ransom for Ferdinand, who remained in captivity until his death six years later. Prince Regent Peter supported Portuguese maritime expansion in the Atlantic Ocean and Africa, and Henry promoted the colonization of the Azores during Peter's regency (1439–1448). For most of the latter part of his life, Henry concentrated on his maritime activities and court politics. According to João de Barros , in Algarve , Prince Henry

6141-447: The population was rapid, and by the mid-17th century, São Jorge had approximately 3000 inhabitants and three towns: Velas, Topo and Calheta. The island demonstrated a strong economic vitality: in addition to wine, corn, and yam, it was also an important exporter of woad to Flanders and other countries in Europe. The dynastic crisis (1580) caused by the ascension of King Philip II of Spain (King Philip I of Portugal) had consequences on

6230-417: The prevailing winds. The caravel used the lateen sail , the prevailing rig in Christian Mediterranean navigation since late antiquity. With this ship, Portuguese mariners freely explored uncharted waters around the Atlantic, from rivers and shallow waters to transoceanic voyages. In 1419, Henry's father appointed him governor of the province of the Algarve . On May 25, 1420, Henry gained appointment as

6319-413: The returning westerlies in the mid-Atlantic. This was a major step in the history of navigation , when an understanding of oceanic wind patterns was crucial to Atlantic navigation, from Africa and the open ocean to Europe, and enabled the main route between the New World and Europe in the North Atlantic in future voyages of discovery. Although the lateen sail allowed sailing upwind to some extent, it

6408-499: The southwest the cliffs are approximately 100m in height and most settlements are located along the lava deltas, such as the Fajã das Velas, Fajã da Queimada, Fajã Grande and Fajã da Calheta. Periods of local prosperity or misery occurred in the following years; there were several bad growing seasons and natural catastrophes (such as the earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tornados in 1580, 1757, 1808 and 1899) that created famines and hardships. The most famous of these eruptions began in

6497-412: The technological base for exploration, with a naval arsenal and an observatory, etc., although repeated in popular culture, has never been established. Henry did possess geographical curiosity, and employed cartographers. Jehuda Cresques , a noted cartographer , has been said to have accepted an invitation to come to Portugal to make maps for the infante. Prestage makes the argument that the presence of

6586-455: The throne on the grounds that according to the Portuguese succession rules (approved by the Cortes after the 1640 Restoration ), Pedro had lost the right to the Portuguese crown, and therefore to choose a successor, when he took possession of a foreign crown ( Brazil ). They were alarmed by the liberal reforms that had been initiated in Spain by the detested Revolutionary French (reforms from which

6675-518: The town of Velas was attacked by French pirates under the command of René Duguay-Trouin . The population of the community resisted for twenty-four hours, but eventually the pirates made shore where they disembarked. The resistance, commanded by Sergeant-major Amaro Soares de Sousa, occurred around the village of Banquetas saving the other villages from occupation and pillaging. During the Portuguese Civil War , Liberalist forces were stationed on

6764-468: The traditional cornbread (made from white or yellow cornmeal) is still very popular, since wheat-based breads were generally for the privileged classes of the island. The Azorean yam was also an important base of the local diet, as well as an export product. Henry the Navigator Dom Henrique of Portugal, Duke of Viseu (4 March 1394 – 13 November 1460), better known as Prince Henry

6853-463: The vineyards in the municipality of Calheta during the second half of the 18th century, and throughout the island the disease would bring many producers to bankruptcy. The remnants of the viticulture of the island banded together around Casteletes, in Urzelina, which include João Inácio de Bettencourt Noronha, producing a new caste of wines around Urzelina and Fajã de São João. Orange cultivation spread in

6942-469: The voyages sent out by Henry consisted of one or two ships that navigated by following the coast, stopping at night to tie up along some shore. During Prince Henry's time and after, the Portuguese navigators discovered and perfected the North Atlantic volta do mar (the "turn of the sea" or "return from the sea"): the dependable pattern of trade winds blowing largely from the east near the equator and

7031-454: The wine production was located in the area between Queimada, Urzelina and Manadas, with grapes of the Verdelho and Terrantez castes, as well as some Bastardo, Moscatel and Alicante produced in an area that became lucrative and highly prized. Unlike the other islands, where grape vines grew on the rocky hedge-rows or around protective volcanic rocks, the grapes of São Jorge were grown between many of

7120-518: The year 1346. In 1425, his second brother the Infante Peter, Duke of Coimbra , made a diplomatic tour of Europe, with an additional charge from Henry to seek out geographic material. Peter returned with a current world map from Venice. In 1431, Henry donated houses for the Estudo Geral to teach all the sciences—grammar, logic, rhetoric, arithmetic, music, and astronomy—in what would later become

7209-423: The Ávilas and by Willem van de Hagen. Administratively, São Jorge is divided into two municipalities: Calheta in the east with five parishes and Velas in the west with six parishes. The rural population is basically aligned along the lines of communication divided by areas of unpopulated pastureland between localities. After a period of small subsistence agriculture , the local economy began to concentrate on

7298-527: Was baptized in Porto , and may have been born there, probably when the royal couple was living in the city's old mint , now called Casa do Infante (Prince's House), or in the region nearby. Another possibility is that he was born at the Monastery of Leça do Balio, in Leça da Palmeira , during the same period of the royal couple's residence in the city of Porto. Henry was 21 when he, his father and brothers captured

7387-457: Was elevated from villa to municipality (giving rise to the supposition that Velas was the first center on the island). By 1659, the parochial church had already undergone public restoration, that gave origin to the present church in that municipality. After an unsuccessful adventure to the island of Flores , the Flemish nobleman Willem van der Haegen (later known as Guilherme da Silveira) moved to

7476-531: Was galvanized by the Church. The Liberals occupied Portugal's major cities, Lisbon and Porto, where they commanded a sizable following among the middle classes. Operations against the Miguelites began again in earnest in early 1834, a year marked by the end of Spanish support which had changed sides to the liberals in 1833. Meanwhile, the Liberal army had suffered a sound defeat at Alcácer do Sal , which proved that, despite

7565-443: Was only later chroniclers such as João de Barros and Damião de Góis who attributed him a scholarly character and an interest for cosmography . The myth of the " Sagres school " allegedly founded by Prince Henry was created in the 18th century, mainly by Samuel Purchas and Abbé Prévost . In nineteenth-century Portugal, the idealized vision of Prince Henry as a putative pioneer of exploration and science reached its apogee. Henry

7654-411: Was proclaimed queen, and Pedro was made regent. His first act was to confiscate the property of all who had served under King Miguel. He also suppressed all religious houses and confiscated their property, an act that suspended friendly relations with Rome for nearly eight years, until mid-1841. The absolutists controlled the rural areas, where they were supported by the aristocracy, and by a peasantry that

7743-580: Was stationed in the Douro , where it came under fire from both sides. In June 1833, the Liberals, still encircled at Porto, sent to the Algarve a force commanded by the Duke of Terceira supported by a naval squadron commanded by Charles Napier , using the alias 'Carlos de Ponza'. The Duke of Terceira landed at Faro and marched north through the Alentejo to capture Lisbon on July 24. Meanwhile, Napier's squadron encountered

7832-489: Was the last and decisive engagement of the Portuguese Civil War. The Miguelist army was still formidable (about 18,000 men), but on May 26, 1834, at Evoramonte , to end the bloodbath in the country after six years of civil war a peace was declared under a concession by which Miguel formally renounced all claims to the throne of Portugal , was guaranteed an annual pension, and was definitively exiled. Pedro restored

7921-581: Was worth even major extensions of course to have a faster and calmer following wind for most of a journey. Portuguese mariners who sailed south and southwest towards the Canary Islands and West Africa would afterwards sail far to the northwest—that is, away from continental Portugal, and seemingly in the wrong direction—before turning northeast near the Azores islands and finally east to Europe in order to have largely following winds for their full journey. Christopher Columbus used this on his transatlantic voyages. The first explorations followed not long after

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