Timeline Description: A Portuguese nobleman, Bartholomew Diaz was best known for his expedition around the southern tip of Africa. He was the first European to make the trip, a knight of the royal court, and superintendent of the royal warehouses.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1450 | Diaz was born(c. 1450) Bartholomew Diaz was born somewhere around 1450. Nothing is actually known about his early life. |
| 1470 | Trade was expanded(1470s) In the early 1470s, trade between Portugal, Guinea, and other parts of western Africa was expanded. Portugal could profit from spice trade. |
| 1474 | Diaz was sent on a mission by his father Diaz was instructed to find an all water trade route around southern Africa. |
| 1476 | Diaz was forced to continue on his mission(c. 1476) Diaz tried to end the string of missions he was being sent on by his father in search of a spice trade route. Diaz learned that if he upset his father by quitting, all of his people would be put to death. |
| 1476 | Diaz was ordered by his father to explore the ocean around Africa's southern tip Dias' built a three ship fleet under the rule of his brother Diogo. The fleet departed in 1486. |
| 1488 | Diaz passed the marker. Cao, an early explorer had placed a marker near Walvis Bay. On December 8, 1488, Diaz passed the marker and was then in uncharted territory. |
| January 6, 1488 | Diaz' expedition was stopped. Bad weather consisting of cold and rain caused Diaz to turn off course out of sight of land for several days. Diaz' crew was all in favor of returning, but he convinced them to go on after a six day break to wait out the storms. |
| February 3, 1488 | Land was spotted. Diaz and his crew caught glimpses of land past the marker. Unknowingly, Diaz had rounded Africa's southern tip. |
| March 12, 1488 | A marker was placed. A marker was placed at Kwaaihoek, Cape Province to signify the easternmost point of the Portuguese exploration. |
| 1490 | Diaz settled in Guinea, West Africa(1490s). Diaz, returning from his expedition, settled at a Portuguese gold trading site. He was then ordered to become a shipbuilding consultant for Vasco de Gama's expedition. |
| 1498 | Diaz sailed with De Gama. Diaz sailed to India in May of 1498 with Vasco de Gama. He went as far as the Cape Verde islands with him. |
| 1500 | Diaz joined forces with Pedro Alvarez Cabral. Bartholomew Diaz was appointed captain of a ship in Cabral's fleet. Their destination was India, but they made a wrong sweep into the South Atlantic. |
| May 1500 | Diaz died. Diaz' fleet of thirteen ships was struck down by the Cabo das Tormentas. Four of the ships were lost at sea; including the one Diaz was on. All crew were killed. |
| 1755 | Records were lost. The castle of Sao Jorge burned down. This castle housed all of the records of Diaz' voyages and burned down in the Lisbon earthquake.Bartholomew Diaz's voyages were reconstructed by historians. Maps of his expeditions are now etched in stone pillars along the coasts of Africa. |