Portuguese navigator Bartolomeu Dias was the first European to round the Cape of Good Hope in 1488, opening the sea route to India. His voyage marked a decisive milestone in the history of the Age of Discovery.
Bartolomeu Dias(1467 — 1500)
Bartolomeu Dias
royaume de Portugal
7 min read
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- 1488: rounding of the Cape of Good Hope, the southernmost tip of Africa
- First European to enter the Indian Ocean by sea
- His voyage directly paved the way for Vasco da Gama's journey to India in 1498
- He initially named the cape the “Cape of Storms”, later renamed by King John II of Portugal
- 1500: took part in Cabral's expedition and died in a storm off the cape
Works & Achievements
A maritime voyage that enabled Dias to round the southern tip of Africa, permanently transforming the geographic knowledge of Europeans and opening the way for direct trade with Asia.
Dias erected several stone pillars bearing the arms of Portugal to mark his discoveries and assert Portuguese sovereignty over these newly explored lands.
Drawing on his unrivalled experience of the Cape, Dias took part in designing and preparing the ships that enabled Vasco da Gama to complete the first direct voyage to India in 1498.
The observations and measurements brought back by Dias greatly enriched Portuguese cartography, allowing subsequent expeditions to navigate to the Cape with greater confidence.
Dias sailed with Pedro Álvares Cabral on the voyage that led to the official discovery of Brazil, a testament to his standing as one of the foremost navigators of his era.
Anecdotes
In 1488, for thirteen consecutive days, a violent storm drove Dias's ships far south of the African continent. When the storm subsided and he headed north, he discovered to his astonishment that he had rounded the tip of Africa without ever catching sight of it. And so, almost by accident, the sea route to India was opened to Europe.
Dias named the southern tip of Africa the "Cape of Storms
(*Cabo das Tormentas*) because of the terrible weather conditions he had endured there. King John II of Portugal promptly renamed it the
Cape of Good Hope
(*Cabo da Boa Esperança*)
wishing to emphasize the immense hope this discovery held for trade with the East.
Although Dias wanted to press on eastward to reach India, his exhausted crew refused to go any further. After long months at sea, the men were at the end of their strength. Dias was forced to turn back, knowing he was so close to his goal; according to some chronicles of the time, he stood for a long while gazing at the African coastline as he left it, bitter at being unable to go on.
To mark Portugal's discoveries, Dias erected several *padrões* — stone pillars topped with a cross and bearing the arms of Portugal — along the African coasts he had explored. One of them, the *Padrão de São Gregório*, raised at Algoa Bay in March 1488, was later recovered and is today preserved in South Africa.
Bartolomeu Dias took part in **Pedro Álvares Cabral**'s 1500 expedition, which discovered Brazil. Ironically, it was on that very voyage that he met his death: his ship was swallowed by a storm off the Cape of Good Hope — the very cape he had been the first European to round twelve years earlier.
Primary Sources
Bartolomeu Dias, captain of this fleet, as a man who desired to see the end of his labors, and driven by the glory of being the first to discover the Cape of Good Hope, began to sail toward the northeast.
And this cape was discovered by Bartolomeu Dias, captain of the said ships, which the king named Cape of Good Hope, for the great hope of finding there the India they so greatly desired.
And Bartolomeu Dias, who was the one who discovered the cape, in the company of said captain-major, reached the said cape with great hardship and danger to their persons and ships.
The Portuguese, bold navigators, have at last found the passage to the Indies by rounding the southernmost tip of Africa, a cape that their king named the Cape of Good Hope.
Key Places
Capital of the Portuguese kingdom and the main departure port for the great expeditions. Dias left Lisbon in autumn 1487 with his fleet and returned in December 1488, after seventeen months at sea.
The southernmost tip of Africa, which Dias rounded in February 1488, opening for the first time the sea route connecting the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean. He had originally named it the “Cape of Storms.”
The first landing place for Dias on the eastern coast of Africa after rounding the cape. Portuguese sailors encountered local inhabitants, the Khoikhoi, here for the first time.
The easternmost point reached by Dias before his crew refused to go any further. He erected the Padrão de São Gregório there in March 1488, marking the limit of his exploration.
A Portuguese fortress on the West African coast where Dias made a stop. This trading post, a center of the gold trade, illustrates Portugal’s strategy of establishing commercial footholds along the African coastlines.
Typical Objects
A measuring instrument used to determine latitude by observing the altitude of the sun or stars. Dias used one to navigate in the open sea, far from any coast known to Europeans.
Essential for any deep-sea navigation, the compass allowed Dias to hold his course even in overcast conditions, when neither stars nor sun were visible on the horizon.
A stone column topped with a cross and bearing the arms of Portugal, erected by Dias on the coasts he discovered to claim possession in the name of King John II.
Sea charts depicting coastlines along with their hazards and harbors. Dias helped expand them by bringing back precise surveys of African coasts previously unknown to European cartographers.
A Portuguese vessel that was both sturdy and maneuverable, capable of sailing into the wind thanks to its lateen sails. Dias used two caravels and a supply ship for his 1487–1488 expedition.
Turned over every half-hour by a watch sailor, the hourglass measured time and helped estimate the distance traveled — information essential for keeping the captain's logbook.
School Curriculum
Vocabulary & Tags
Key Vocabulary
Daily Life
Morning
At dawn, Dias and his crew rose to the sound of the watch bell. The sailors prayed together before taking their posts on deck. Dias consulted his instruments — astrolabe and compass — to determine the ship's position and set the day's course.
Afternoon
The afternoon was devoted to maneuvers, ship maintenance, and coastal observation. Dias took readings, recording currents, depths, and winds in the logbook. In calm weather, sailors repaired the sails and rigging.
Evening
At the end of the day, Dias reviewed the day's progress and calculated the distance covered. The crew split into night watches. Sailors slept on the open deck or in the holds, in an extremely cramped space.
Food
On board, the diet relied on sea biscuits (biscouto), dried or salted meat and fish, dried legumes, and wine. Fresh provisions — fruit, vegetables, fresh water — were restocked at ports of call, with sailors sometimes bartering with African coastal communities.
Clothing
Dias and his officers wore hose, a linen shirt, a doublet, and a wool cloak to protect against the cold on the open sea. Sailors dressed more simply, in sturdy canvas. All wore bonnets or wide-brimmed hats to shield against the sun.
Housing
In Lisbon, Dias likely lived in a nobleman's residence close to the port and royal institutions. At sea, the captain had a narrow cabin at the ship's stern — the only private space on board — while the rest of the crew lived communally on deck and in the between-decks.
Historical Timeline
Period Vocabulary
Liens externes & ressources
Références
Œuvres
Expédition au cap de Bonne-Espérance
1487-1488
Érection de padrões sur les côtes africaines
1488
Supervision de la construction des navires de Vasco de Gama
1495-1497
Relevés cartographiques des côtes d'Afrique australe
1488
Participation à l'expédition Cabral
1500
