Discovery
Although there are rumours that people visited the islands of Cape Verde before 1460, whether fishermen from the nearby African coast or the Venetian Cadamosto, who might have glimpsed the island of Boavista in 1456, history attributes the discovery of these islands to Diogo Gomes and Antonio da Noli (Genoans in the service of the King of Portugal), in 1460 on board two carracks. São Cristóvão (Boavista), Lhana (Sal), São Jacob (Santiago), São Filipe (Fogo), and Maias (Maio) were then successively found and visited this same year.
The Infante Don Henrique, who made great advances in the Portuguese discoveries of the 15th Century, would find out about these discoveries before he died, also in the year of 1460, and the King of Portugal, Don Afonso V, was to grant possession of these islands to his brother, D. Fernando.
The other islands (Santo Antão, S. Vicente, S. Nicolau, Santa Luzia and Brava – initially known as S. João) would also be discovered by Diogo Afonso (who also discovered Madeira) between 1461 and 1462, who would share government of the island of Santiago with Antonio da Noli. Diogo Afonso established himself in Alcatrazes (Praia Baixo), and Antonio da Noli in Ribeira Grande (Cidade Velha), which was to become the first city of western Africa.
Although there are rumours that people visited the islands of Cape Verde before 1460, whether fishermen from the nearby African coast or the Venetian Cadamosto, who might have glimpsed the island of Boavista in 1456, history attributes the discovery of these islands to Diogo Gomes and Antonio da Noli (Genoans in the service of the King of Portugal), in 1460 on board two carracks. São Cristóvão (Boavista), Lhana (Sal), São Jacob (Santiago), São Filipe (Fogo), and Maias (Maio) were then successively found and visited this same year.
The Infante Don Henrique, who made great advances in the Portuguese discoveries of the 15th Century, would find out about these discoveries before he died, also in the year of 1460, and the King of Portugal, Don Afonso V, was to grant possession of these islands to his brother, D. Fernando.
The other islands (Santo Antão, S. Vicente, S. Nicolau, Santa Luzia and Brava – initially known as S. João) would also be discovered by Diogo Afonso (who also discovered Madeira) between 1461 and 1462, who would share government of the island of Santiago with Antonio da Noli. Diogo Afonso established himself in Alcatrazes (Praia Baixo), and Antonio da Noli in Ribeira Grande (Cidade Velha), which was to become the first city of western Africa.
