Duarte Pacheco Pereira facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Duarte Pacheco Pereira
Duarte Pacheco Pereira
Captain-major of Portuguese Gold Coast
In office 1519–1522
Monarch	Manuel I of Portugal
Preceded by	Fernão Lopes Correia
Succeeded by	Afonso de Albuquerque
Personal details
Born	1460 Lisbon, Kingdom of Portugal
Died	1533 (aged 72–73) Kingdom of Portugal
Spouse	Antónia de Albuquerque
Children	João Fernandes Pacheco Jerónimo Pacheco Maria de Albuquerque Isabel de Albuquerque Garcia Pacheco Gaspar Pacheco Duarte Pacheco Lisuarte Pacheco
Military service
Allegiance	Portuguese Empire
Battles/wars	Battle of Cochin

Duarte Pacheco Pereira (born around 1460, died 1533) was a famous Portuguese sea captain, soldier, and explorer. He was so brave that the poet Camões called him the "Portuguese Achilles"! Duarte Pacheco traveled across the Atlantic Ocean, explored the coast of West Africa, and even went to India. He was incredibly skilled in fighting, exploring, math, and understanding the stars.

Early Life and Explorations

Duarte Pacheco Pereira was the son of João Pacheco and Isabel Pereira. When he was young, he served as a personal assistant to the King of Portugal. In 1455, after finishing his studies with great success, the king gave him a special scholarship.

In 1488, Duarte Pacheco explored the west coast of Africa. During this trip, his crew got sick with a fever, and their ship was lost. Luckily, he was rescued from Príncipe island by Bartolomeu Dias. Dias was on his way back from being the first European to sail around the Cape of Good Hope.

The knowledge Duarte Pacheco gained from Dias's journey and his own travels made him the official geographer for the Portuguese king. In 1494, he helped sign the Treaty of Tordesillas. This important agreement, approved by the Pope, divided the newly explored non-Christian world between Portugal and Spain.

Hero in India

In 1503, Duarte Pacheco Pereira sailed to India as the captain of a ship called Espírito Santo. He was part of a fleet led by Afonso de Albuquerque.

Defending Cochin

In 1504, Duarte Pacheco was put in charge of defending Cochin. Cochin was a city in India protected by Portugal. It was attacked many times by the ruler of Calicut, known as the Zamorin. This happened between March and July 1504, and it's known as the Battle of Cochin (1504).

Duarte Pacheco had only 150 Portuguese soldiers and a small number of local helpers. The Zamorin's army was huge, with about 60,000 soldiers. Even though they were greatly outnumbered, Duarte Pacheco used smart strategies. He positioned his small force cleverly and showed great bravery. He successfully fought off the attacks for five months! Eventually, the Zamorin's army gave up. Duarte Pacheco's son, Lisuarte, also played a big part in the fighting.

For his amazing defense of Cochin, Duarte Pacheco was honored by the local ruler. When he returned to Lisbon in 1505, King Manuel I of Portugal and the public welcomed him as a hero.

Scientific Work and Later Life

Duarte Pacheco Pereira was not just a soldier and explorer; he was also a scientist.

Esmeraldo de Situ Orbis

Between 1505 and 1508, Duarte Pacheco wrote a book called Esmeraldo de situ orbis. This book was one of the first major scientific works to describe what was seen and learned in newly explored lands. It was never fully finished and wasn't published until 1892. It's thought that it wasn't published earlier to keep Portugal's valuable trade secrets safe.

Studying Tides and the Moon

Duarte Pacheco was one of the first Europeans to study how the tides are connected to the phases of the moon. This knowledge was very important during the Battle of Cochin. He carefully recorded the timing of the tides. He is believed to be the first to notice their link to the moon and to create rules for predicting tides based on moon observations. He also improved astronomical observations and created new ways to measure things for future Portuguese sailors.

Fighting Pirates

In 1508, the Portuguese king asked Duarte Pacheco to chase a French privateer (a type of pirate) named Mondragon. This pirate was attacking Portuguese ships near the Azores islands. Duarte Pacheco found Mondragon in 1509, defeated him, and captured his ship.

Difficulties Later in Life

Later in his life, while he was governing a place called São Jorge da Mina, Duarte Pacheco faced false accusations of theft and corruption from his enemies. He was called back to the capital and even put in prison for a short time. He was later found innocent, but he had lost his important position, his wealth, and his influence. He died without much money.

Some historians, like Joaquim Barradas de Carvalho, believe Duarte Pacheco was a genius, similar to Leonardo da Vinci. He was able to calculate the size of the Earth's meridian arc with amazing accuracy, much better than others at his time.

Possible Discovery of Brazil

Some people believe that Duarte Pacheco Pereira might have discovered parts of Brazil in 1498. This would mean he explored the coasts of Maranhão, Pará, Marajó island, and the mouth of the Amazon River before other famous explorers like Amerigo Vespucci (1499) and Pedro Álvares Cabral (1500).

This idea comes from his book, Esmeraldo de Situ Orbis. In it, he wrote:

Most fortunate Prince, we have known and seen how in the third year of your reign in the year of Our Lord 1498, in which your Highness ordered us to discover the Western region, a very large landmass with many large islands adjacent, extending 70° North of the Equator, and located beyond the greatness of the Ocean, has been discovered and navigated; this distant land is densely populated and extends 28° degrees on the other side of the Equator towards the Antarctic Pole. Such is its greatness and length that on either side its end has not been seen or known, so that it is certain that it goes round the whole globe.

However, many historians, like Duarte Leite, disagree. They point out that if Duarte Pacheco had discovered Brazil in 1498, King Manuel would likely have announced it right away. But the discovery of Brazil was only announced in 1501, after Cabral's return. So, it's still a debated topic among historians.

Still, Duarte Pacheco Pereira's Esmeraldo de Situ Orbis is the first European navigation book to mention the coast of Brazil.

Family Life

Duarte Pacheco Pereira married Antónia de Albuquerque. They had eight children:

• João Fernandes Pacheco
• Jerónimo Pacheco
• Maria de Albuquerque
• Isabel de Albuquerque
• Garcia Pacheco
• Gaspar Pacheco
• Duarte Pacheco
• Lisuarte Pacheco

Images for kids

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  Duarte Pacheco Pereira

See also

In Spanish: Duarte Pacheco Pereira para niños