Diogo de Silves facts for kids

Diogo de Silves was a Portuguese explorer from the 1400s. He is believed to have discovered the Azores islands in 1427. However, we don't know much about him, and his discovery is not fully confirmed.

The Mystery Map

The only reason we know about Diogo de Silves is from an old map made in 1439 by a mapmaker named Gabriel de Vallseca from Mallorca. This map has a note near the Azores islands. It says:

Aquestes isles foram trobades p diego de ??? pelot del rey de portugal an lany MCCCCXX?II

This means: "These islands were found by Diego de ??? pilot of the King of Portugal in the year 14??"

Unfortunately, the map was damaged in 1869 by an ink spill. Because of this, part of Diogo's last name and the exact year are smudged and hard to read.

What the Map Says

Over the years, many people have tried to read the smudged name. Some thought it was "Guullen," "Senill," "Sevill," or "Sines." The date is also unclear. It could be 1427, 1432, or 1437.

In 1943, a Portuguese historian named Damião Peres suggested that the name was most likely "Diogo de Silves." He thought this because "Silves" is a town in Portugal, and many Portuguese last names at that time came from place names. He also believed the year was 1427.

Peres's ideas became widely accepted in Portugal. In fact, the Portuguese postal service even made a stamp in honor of 'Diogo de Silves' in 1990!

What We Don't Know About Diogo

We don't have any other records about Diogo de Silves. We don't know who he worked for or what his main goal was.

Many people think he worked for Prince Henry the Navigator, a famous Portuguese prince who sent many expeditions to explore the Atlantic Ocean. If so, Diogo might have been trying to sail around Cape Bojador in Africa, or perhaps he was on a regular trip to Madeira. Some even guess he might have been involved in a failed attack on the Canary Islands.

How He Reached the Azores

It's a mystery how Diogo de Silves ended up in the Azores. He might have been blown off course by a storm. Or, he could have been exploring ocean winds and currents, possibly trying out an early version of the volta do mar sailing route. This route helped sailors use the ocean currents and winds to return to Portugal more easily.

The map note also says he was a "pilot," which means someone else might have been the main captain of the ship. It's also possible he worked for the King of Portugal or the Admiral of Portugal, not necessarily Prince Henry.

The Azores Discovery

Based on Vallseca's 1439 map, it seems Diogo de Silves probably only discovered the eastern and central groups of islands in the Azores. He likely did not reach the far western islands like Flores and Corvo. Even though the map shows some western islands, their names might have been copied from older, less accurate maps.

See also

In Spanish: Diogo de Silves para niños