Diogo Dias facts for kids

Diogo Dias, also known as Diogo Gomes, was an important Portuguese explorer from the 1400s. He was the brother of another famous explorer, Bartolomeu Dias. Diogo Dias helped discover some of the Cape Verde islands alongside António de Noli.

Serving with Vasco da Gama

In 1497, Diogo Dias joined the first Portuguese expedition to India. He worked as a clerk (called escrivão) on Vasco da Gama's main ship, the São Gabriel.

Diogo Dias was a key person who helped Vasco da Gama talk with the Zamorin, who was the ruler of Calicut in India. During some discussions, there were disagreements, and Diogo Dias was held for a short time by the Zamorin.

Ship of Diogo Dias, from an old record of the expeditions.

In 1500, Diogo Dias went on another big trip with Pedro Álvares Cabral. This was the second fleet heading to India. Diogo Dias was one of the captains. His job was to help start trade in a place called Sofala.

Diogo Dias was also one of the first Europeans to step ashore when Brazil was discovered in April 1500. A famous story says that he helped make friends with the local Tupiniquim people. He did this by jumping into a joyful dance to the sound of their pipes!

Exploring New Waters

During an expedition with Pedro Álvares Cabral and his brother, Diogo Dias's ship got separated from the main fleet. This happened while they were sailing around the Cape of Good Hope. Sadly, his brother's ship was lost during this journey.

Diogo Dias's ship sailed too far east. Because of this, he became the first European to see the island of Madagascar. He is often given credit for naming it São Lourenço. This was because he found it on St. Lawrence's day, August 10, 1500. People already knew about the island, and it had an Arabic name, "Island of the Moon." This was reported by Pêro da Covilhã back in 1490.

Diogo Dias then tried to find the main fleet. But he accidentally sailed past Cape Guardafui and into the Gulf of Aden. Portuguese ships had never sailed in these waters before. Strong winds made it hard for him to move, and he spent several difficult months there.

His ship faced rough storms and was attacked by pirates. Eventually, he had to land on the Eritrean coast. He was desperately looking for water and food for his crew, who were becoming very sick. By the time he left that area, Diogo Dias had only six crew members left.

Unable to find Cabral's fleet, Diogo Dias's damaged ship slowly made its way back home alone. Nicolau Coelho, who was leading the first ships of Cabral's returning fleet, finally found the tired Diogo Dias. This happened at a stopping point called Bezeguiche (in the Bay of Dakar, Senegal) in June 1501. They then returned to Lisbon together.

Images for kids

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  A friendly robot

See also

In Spanish: Diogo Dias para niños