Pedro Álvares Cabral

c. 1467 – c. 1520

Pedro Álvares Cabral (c. 1467-c. 1520) was a Portuguese nobleman and navigator who commanded the first expedition to reach Brazil, making landfall on 22 April 1500 while leading a fleet bound for India. His voyage was the first to touch four continents, sailing on to India where he established trade at Calicut and Cochin. He is regarded as the European discoverer of Brazil.

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Well-documented people whose lives overlapped with Pedro Álvares Cabral.

Life events

Born in Belmonte, Portugal
c. 1467

Cabral was born around 1467 or 1468 in Belmonte to a noble family.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Sent to the court of King Afonso V as a young noble
c. 1479

Around age twelve Cabral went to the Portuguese royal court, where he received his education.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Received an allowance as a fidalgo of the king's council
1497

King Manuel I granted Cabral a stipend and honors as a nobleman of the royal council.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Appointed commander-in-chief of the second Portuguese India fleet
15 February 1500

King Manuel I selected Cabral to lead a large fleet of thirteen ships to India, following Vasco da Gama's route.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Departed Lisbon with a fleet of thirteen ships
9 March 1500

Cabral's fleet, carrying about 1,500 men, set sail from Lisbon bound for India.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Made the European discovery of Brazil
22 April 1500

Sailing far west into the Atlantic, Cabral's fleet sighted and landed on the coast of present-day Brazil, which he claimed for Portugal.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Lost four ships in a storm near the Cape of Good Hope
29 May 1500

A violent South Atlantic storm sank four ships of the fleet, including that of Bartolomeu Dias.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Arrived at Calicut, India, and established trade
13 September 1500

Cabral reached Calicut on the Malabar coast, negotiated trading rights, and later loaded spices at Cochin after conflict with Calicut.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Returned to Lisbon and later married Isabel de Castro
c. 1503

After returning from India in 1501, Cabral was passed over for later fleets, married the noblewoman Isabel de Castro around 1503, and retired from royal service.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Died at Santarém, Portugal
c. 1520

Cabral died around 1520 and was buried in the Convento da Graça in Santarém.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Death ✓