![]() ![]() ![]() Caravels permitted the Portuguese to colonize three uninhabited archipelagoes: Madeira (1420), the Azores (1439), and Cape Verde (1462) in the Atlantic off the coast of West Africa. With ships like the caravel, the Portuguese Crown was now able to trade with and attack West African settlements in its search for gold, slaves and other valuable commodities. Before this committee got their heads together and developed the caravel design, European sailing vessels depended on either teams of rowers or fixed sails or both for their propulsion the square-rigged barca being the most common. ![]() At Sagres on the southern tip of Portugal, Henry had assembled a team of experts in cartography, navigation, astronomy, and ship design, and charged them with coming up with a vessel capable of exploring the high seas. The caravel sailing vessel was developed from a type of Portuguese fishing boat in the mid-15th century as Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal (aka Infante Dom Henrique, 1394-1460) looked to explore the world and gain access to distant trade networks. Fast, manoeuvrable, and only needing a small crew to sail, the caravel was a mainstay of the Age of Exploration as European nations crossed oceans previously unknown to them. The Caravel ( caravela in Spanish and Portuguese), was a type of medium-sized ship which, with its low draught and lateen or triangular sails, made it ideal for exploration from the 15th century onwards. ![]()
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