Gil Eanes

Who is Gil Eanes?

Gil Eanes was a 15th-century Portuguese navigator and explorer.

Little is known about the personal life of Gil Eanes, prior to his role in the Portuguese Age of Discovery, and was considered a household servant and shield-bearer of the Infante Henry the Navigator. He was a native of Lagos on which he based his sea voyages, in the southern Algarve.

He joined the service of Prince Henry's expeditions in 1433, when the Infante entrusted him with a vessel and crew, in order to attempt to round Cape Bojador, until then an impassable cape, with the level of knowledge and equipment. Sailing from Lagos, Portugal, Eanes made an unknown number of voyages along the west coast of Africa, before being driven west towards the Canary Islands. In the islands he captured some inoffensive natives and returned with them as captives to Sagres, excusing his failure by recounting the dangers of the trip. His return was greeted with reserve and coldness in the court of Prince Henry, who had expected the navigator to succeed in rounding the Cape. Eanes hoped to return to favour in the following year, if the Prince would favour him with a second expedition. In 1434, his barquentine-caravel and crew was able to sail beyond Cape Bojador and return to Sagres, reporting the conditions of the water, land and ease of navigation beyond the Cape, and bringing with him some plants to prove that they had succeeded in their expedition. The discovery of a passable route around Cape Bojador marked the beginning of the Portuguese exploration of Africa.