Diogo cao biography of christopher

Portuguese explorer (1452–1486)

For the Portuguese Navy frigate NRP Diogo Cão (F 333), see USS Formoe.

Diogo Cão (c. 1452 – 1486), also known as Diogo Cam, was a Portuguese mariner and one of the most notable explorers of the fifteenth century.

Diogo cao biography of christopher

He made two voyages along the west coast of Africa in the 1480s, exploring the Congo River and the coasts of present-day Angola and Namibia.

Early life and family

Little is known about the early life of Diogo Cão.

According to tradition, he was born in Vila Real, Portugal, around 1452. His grandfather, Gonçalo Cão, had fought for Portuguese independence at the Battle of Aljubarrota.

By 1480, Cão was sailing off the coast of Africa in the service of João II.

There is a record that he returned to Portugal with captured Spanish ships.^[2][3]

Exploration

When the Treaty of Alcáçovas (1480) confirmed Portugal's monopoly on trade and exploration along Africa's west coast, João II moved quick