Primary Analysis
Primary Analysis I: The Chronicle of the Discovery and Conquest of Guinea Analysis of the Chronicle of the Discovery and Conquest of Guinea, Ch. 7-9 In the article, “The Chronicle of the Discovery and Conquest of Guinea” from chapter 7 to 9, by Gomez Eannes de Azurara is to explain why Prince Henry, the navigator of Portugal, wants to explore the west coast of Africa, describe that ships were suffering difficulties during reaching Guinea, and introduce how success Gomes Eannes de Azurara passes the Cape of Bojador and arrivals west coast of Africa.In first, in chapter 7, the sailor gives some reasons why Prince Henry supports the voyage. The first reason is that Henry wants to know how the earth is. In ancient times, people believe that the earth is square.
For European, the worldwide has only Europe and Asia, and they did not anything outside Europe. To farther areas, therefore, people want to explore. For the same reason, when Portugal captured Ceuta, Prince Henry would like to understand further places like Bojador. However, there is not true information about the area of Bojador.In order to collecting information for merchants, mariners and so on, Henry actively attempts to open up overseas. The second reason is that new area would be become markets.
Those lands that were discovered do not have European goods, and people in these lands are attracted by new items. Eventually, new continent will bring profit to Henry’s country. Additionally, another reason is that Henry desires to spread the spirit of Christian to Africa. In Henry’s mind, there is no other race and faith but only Moors in Africa. He believes that people in there are infidels.
On the other hand, Henry wishes seeking allies, which believe in Christian, to be against enemies. Actually, the expanding of new lands is not easy for Gil Eanners’s fleet. During the voyage to the Cape of Bojador, they encounter many difficulties. As all know, if people watch the same thing long time, they will be bored, depressed, and even disordered. In the ocean, there is no land, there is no tree, and there is no anybody. The fleet has no an exact map that reach to west coast of Africa, and they just go along the direction.
However, when the fleet sail one year or longer, sailors still cannot find any land.At that time, the tale which people never returned from the Cape and all lost, will appear in their minds, and they do not have hope. They will start to be afraid that they might stay on the sea forever and cannot go back their homeland. The atmosphere of panic causes sailors require the captain that the ships go back. In addition, another difficulty is the hostile environment. Among the sea, the weather would change very quickly, and there are lots of windstorms.
One day, perhaps the ship would be destroyed. Therefore, they are dangerous, and they are living with the edge of death.As Gil Eannes go back with success that passed the Cape of Bojador, he does not gain praise too much. In beginning of Prince Henry supported the voyage, he did many preparations. For example, he started the first school for oceanic navigation, and he aided much money and ships to Gil Eannes and ordered he sails to west coast of Africa.
However, the first trip was fail. Gil Eannes just arrived at the Canary Islands, because both he and his mariners were afraid. The second trip was fail as well. Although Gil Eannes passed the Cape of Bojador, he did not finish Henry’s request that seek a land has dwelling.Gil Eannes only brought some plants that were called St.
Mary’s Roses. Consequently, “for if the first man who reached the Cape had passed it, there would not have been so much praise and thank bestowed on him. ” Finally, Gil Eannes was ordered to sail again by Prince Henry. Overall, the voyage of Prince Henry is successful. The voyage expands a new trail and brings profit to Portugal. However, there is one consequence of the voyage for Africans.
In the Chapter 14 of “The Essential World History”, it explains that according to the voyage of Portugal, more and more European countries joined the trip.Therefore, during the sixteenth through the eighteenth centuries, thousands and then millions of slaves in Africa were removed from their homes and forcibly exported to plantations in the Western hemisphere. Besides, diseases were spread to Africa by European, and it led to a great number of population died. Indeed, after the voyage, Africa population declined significantly. Bibliography de Zurara, Gomez Eannes. The chronicle of the Discovery and Conquest of Guinea.
Charles Raymond Beazley and Edgar Prestage, trans. New York: Burt Franklin, 1896. Ch. 7-9 Duiker, William . and Spielvogel, Jackson.
The Essential World History. Sixth Edition. (United States 2011), 346 ——————————————– [ 1 ]. de Zurara, Gomez Eannes. The chronicle of the Discovery and Conquest of Guinea. Charles Raymond Beazley and Edgar Prestage, trans.
New York: Burt Franklin, 1896. Ch. 7-9 [ 2 ]. de Zurara, Gomez Eannes. The chronicle of the Discovery and Conquest of Guinea. Charles Raymond Beazley and Edgar Prestage, trans.
New York: Burt Franklin, 1896. Ch. 7-9 [ 3 ]. Duiker, William . and Spielvogel, Jackson. The Essential World History.
Sixth Edition. (United States 2011), 346
