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Curated category

15th-century Portuguese people

  • Ferdinand MagellanIn 1495, a young man named Ferdinand Magellan entered the service of King John II of Portugal. He served as a page to Queen Eleanor, consort of that monarch.
  • Pedro ReinelHistorian Rafael Moreira points to evidence suggesting Pedro Reinel was of African descent. His father may have been an ivory carver brought from West Africa…
  • Pedro de EscobarPedro de Escobar arrived in the court of Queen Isabella I of Castile in 1489. Records from that decade show he was a singer and composer within her chapel.
  • Tomé PiresTomé Pires was born around 1468 in the Portuguese town of Leiria. His father served as apothecary to King João II of Portugal.
  • Lopo HomemIn 1517, Lopo Homem received an official title from the Portuguese crown that granted him exclusive authority over nautical instruments.