Statue of Gil Eannes in the city of
Lagos.
(
Eannes; ) was a 15th century
Portuguese navigator and
explorer.
Very little was known of him. Eannes was in the service of the Portuguese prince
Henry the Navigator. Sailing from
Lagos, Eannes made an unknown number of voyages along the
African coast. In his voyage in 1433, he sailed along the coast of Africa and reached the
Canary Islands.
He was the first to sail beyond
Cape Bojador in 1434 and return, by making a wide turn. The discovery of a passable route around Cape Bojador marked the beginning of the Portuguese exploration of
Africa. Before the trip of Eannes, there was a legend of a
Green Sea of Darkness, beyond the Cape Bojador. Eannes made another voyage, with
Afonso Gonçalves Baldaia, in 1435. They sailed about 30
leagues (144 km), or even 50 leagues (240 km) south of Cape Bojador and reached African coast.
See also
