A History of Agriculture in India v2.c72.s3.1

v2.c72.s3.1

In the latter half of the fifteenth century, the Portuguese showed extraordinary vigour in navigation and exploration and became leaders in nautical astronomy. This was entirely due to the leadership of their king, the Infante, Prince Henry (A.D. 1394-1460), who is remembered as Henry the Navigator. In A.D. 1415, at the age of twenty-one, he captured the Arab City of Ceuta, thereby gaining a springboard for expeditions to Africa. He was a strong believer in the fable of Prester John, whose co-operation was thought to be necessary for the encirclement and ultimate annihilation of the Moslems. He had read Marco Polo’s Travels, and his imagination was fired by the account of Asian countries given by this indefatigable traveller.