Pedro Alvares Cabral

The "Roots"

1467

Pedro Cabral was born into a noble family. His parents- Fernao Cabral and Isabel de Gouveia- had a history of service to their ruler. This pre-established relationship would soon become the source of funding for Pedro's expedition.

Pedro Alvares Cabral (Living)

Period: 1467 to 1520

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pedro-Alvares-Cabral
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_%C3%81lvares_Cabral

Manuel the First (Portugal)

1497

In the year 1497, Manuel the First- ruler of Portugal- decided that Pedro Alvares Cabral had done a great job in serving him. Manuel the First awarded Pedro with an allowance, and a "Counselor of His Highness" title. Just three years later, he puts even more trust into Pedro and grants him the position of Admiral on the trip to Brazil.

Pedro's Route

Mar 9, 1500

Pedro was not the first to attempt this trip. He was following up on da Gama's "pioneering voyage", whom gave loads of helpful advice. He set out from Lisbon on the 9th of March, 1500.

Arriving at Brazil

Apr 22, 1500

The Portugese explorer arrives in Brazil. Pedro Alvares Cabral is credited as the first EUROPEAN explorer to reach Brazil since the Spanish explorer Vicente Yáñez Pinzón may have arrived some time sooner. He names the land (at least what he could see) the "Island of the True Cross" which later had its name changed by King Manuel to "Holy Cross."

Time Spent in Brazil

May 1, 1500

Pedro stayed in Brazil for roughly ten days. During this time, he is credited to have treated the native inhabitants "kindly..." even though he formally "claimed" (AKA: stole) the Native people's land.

Setting up Shop in Calicut

Sep 13, 1500

Calicut (modern-day Kozhikode), India, was where Pedro and his nine remaining ships (four ships were lost along the way) docked. The dynastic ruler of the area welcomed the explorers and permitted their contruction of a fortified trading post.

Trading Post under Siege

Dec 17, 1500

After a series of trade disputes, a large force of Muslims attacked the trade post. Those within were caught off guard and most were killed before reinforcements arrived. Pedro Cabral retaliated by killing the crews of ten Muslim vessels.

Ready to Depart

Jan 16, 1501

After his temper tantrum, Pedro sailed further south to Cochin, India. Here he was well-received and traded for exquisite spices. He loaded up his six remaining ships (remember we started with thirteen) with spices and began the journey back.

Back Home in Portugal

Jun 23, 1501

Pedro Alvares Cabral sails through the mouth of the Tagus River in Portugal with a final total of four ships and reports back to Manuel the First. Against all odds- it is said that the King was actually quite satisfied with the outcome despite a total loss of nine ships.

Retirement

1520

After the big expedition, Cabral didn't do anything noteworthy and wasn't assigned to any authority positions within the Portuguese court. He retired to the Beira Baixa province and lived out the rest of his life there. Da Gama was given the task of following up on Pedro's findings, so Pedro didn't really have anything else to do.