What is the merit of Henry the Navigator?

The first call had little Portugal. It is there that there was a man who many years of hard work managed to open the way for Portugal to the East. That man was Henry, Prince Henry (4.03.1394-13.11.1460). In the history of geographical discoveries, he was known as Henry the Navigator. It is very interesting: Henry himself in any journey did not participate. But he was so fascinated by them and so obsessed with the sea that gathered at his court the best scientists of the time - astronomers and cartographers. It was they who were engaged in the development of theoretical issues of navigation, in which Prince Henry took a direct part, and financial. But were needed and those who would embody in practice the idea of ??navigation. Henry the Navigator found and brought to the cause of the brave and experienced captains, sailors and mechanics. After reviewing all available by the time the documents until the works of Arab writers, he began to implement their plans. increasingly allocate Prince Henry from his treasury for the construction of reliable courts - Caravelle - and started sending captains farther and farther south along the coast of West Africa. Each campaign brought new tidings of the public lands. Produced Revised courts to adjust the navigational equipment of ships . And finally, before they opened the sea route to the East - to India. In terms of importance, according to modern scholars, this company can only be compared to the conquest of outer space. Soon after came the first success: re-opened the Azores, which was once a first visited the ancient Phoenicians. Study the same African coast proceeded very slowly. The captains tried as quickly as possible to turn back. Uncertainty gives the feeling of fear. Among the pioneers were very tenacious idea that the tropics are found in the giant sea monsters. The legends and traditions of seafarers They could make the sea boil, to make him become viscous or have a whirlpool and tighten the ship into a bottomless abyss. And a quarter of a century when there was no Prince Henry, and when in Lisbon with his brother Bartolomeo had settled an unknown sailor, Christopher Columbus, the old masters of Henry the Navigator told about the fire flows pouring into the sea from Chariots of the Gods, about hairy men-gorillas, land Brandao, on the island of Antilia, the mysterious land in the Atlantic Ocean. Today we call them mythical. But then they implicitly trusted and experienced captains, and novice sailors.