Cristóvão de Mendonça
Encyclopedia
Cristóvão de Mendonça was a Portuguese
sailor and statesman who was active in South East Asia in the 16th century.
sources, notably João de Barros
. Barros was one of the first great Portuguese historians, most famous for his work Décadas da Ásia (Decades of Asia), a history of the Portuguese Empire
in India and Asia, published between 1552–1615. Barros mentions that Cristóvão de Mendonça was the son of a Pedro de Mendonça of Mourão, but his date of birth is not given. Mendonça later governed Hormuz (Ormus) as Captain-Major from 1527. He died there in 1532.
Mendonça is named by Barros as the captain of a ship that left Lisbon
in 1519. Mendonça appears again in Barros account with instructions to search for Magellan
and later Marco Polo's
legendary Isles of Gold. However Mendonça and other Portuguese sailors are then described as assisting with the construction of a fort at Pedir (Sumatra
). Barros promises to return to the topic of the voyage to the Isles of Gold, but does not.
discussions when it was connected to the Theory of Portuguese discovery of Australia
by Kenneth McIntyre
. While there are few Portuguese documents or maps beyond Barros that mention Mendonça, and none to directly connect Mendonça with Australia, McIntyre hypothesized that in 1521-4 Mendonça captained a fleet of three caravels which charted the east coast of Australia
. McIntyre suggested that the voyage was kept secret because it would likely violate the ambiguous Treaty of Tordesillas
, under which Portugal agreed that Spain
would have exclusive rights to exploration in most of the Americas
and the regions between the Americas and Asia (Pacific). In addition he argued, many Portuguese records were lost in a disastrous Lisbon earthquake
in 1755.
McIntyre's identification of Mendonça as the likely commander of a Portuguese fleet that charted Australia's east coast c1521-4 has also been accepted by other writers of the Theory of Portuguese discovery of Australia, including Lawrence Fitzgerald (1984) and Peter Trickett. McIntyre suggested that one of Mendonça's caravel
s sailed along the southeast coast of Australia and was wrecked somewhere near Warrnambool, Victoria, becoming the Mahogany Ship
of Australian folklore. Although this wreck has not been seen since the 1880s, it is now often described in the Australian media as a Portuguese caravel or one of Mendonça's fleet, largely on the basis of McIntyre's theory. However, writing in one of his last pieces on the topic in 1994,McIntyre acknowledged that the identity of the Portuguese discoverer remained unclear. "Whether the discoverer was Mendonça or some other, at least (I am) certain he was Portuguese "
, science journalist Peter Trickett revealed other information relating to Mendonça's life, including a fragment of stone engraved with Mendonça's name found in South Africa
and clearly dated to 1524, and a drawing that may show the 1519 fleet on its way to Goa
. Trickett also connected Mendonça with the discovery of the North Island
of New Zealand
.
was sailing westwards, in southern latitudes, against the Roaring Forties
.
Writing in 2006, Associate Professor W.A.R.(Bill) Richardson of Flinders University
, South Australia
suggested the claim that Cristóvão de Mendonça sailed down the east coast of Australia is sheer speculation, based on voyages about which no real details have survived.
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
sailor and statesman who was active in South East Asia in the 16th century.
Mendonça in João de Barros's Décadas da Ásia
Mendonça is known from a small number of PortuguesePortuguese Empire
The Portuguese Empire , also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or the Portuguese Colonial Empire , was the first global empire in history...
sources, notably João de Barros
João de Barros
João de Barros , called the Portuguese Livy, is one of the first great Portuguese historians, most famous for his Décadas da Ásia , a history of the Portuguese in India and Asia.-Early years:...
. Barros was one of the first great Portuguese historians, most famous for his work Décadas da Ásia (Decades of Asia), a history of the Portuguese Empire
Portuguese Empire
The Portuguese Empire , also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or the Portuguese Colonial Empire , was the first global empire in history...
in India and Asia, published between 1552–1615. Barros mentions that Cristóvão de Mendonça was the son of a Pedro de Mendonça of Mourão, but his date of birth is not given. Mendonça later governed Hormuz (Ormus) as Captain-Major from 1527. He died there in 1532.
Mendonça is named by Barros as the captain of a ship that left Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
in 1519. Mendonça appears again in Barros account with instructions to search for Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer. He was born in Sabrosa, in northern Portugal, and served King Charles I of Spain in search of a westward route to the "Spice Islands" ....
and later Marco Polo's
Marco Polo
Marco Polo was a Venetian merchant traveler from the Venetian Republic whose travels are recorded in Il Milione, a book which did much to introduce Europeans to Central Asia and China. He learned about trading whilst his father and uncle, Niccolò and Maffeo, travelled through Asia and apparently...
legendary Isles of Gold. However Mendonça and other Portuguese sailors are then described as assisting with the construction of a fort at Pedir (Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
). Barros promises to return to the topic of the voyage to the Isles of Gold, but does not.
Mendonça and the Theory of Portuguese discovery of Australia
In the 1970s Mendonça's name became well known in Australian historyHistory of Australia
The History of Australia refers to the history of the area and people of Commonwealth of Australia and its preceding Indigenous and colonial societies. Aboriginal Australians are believed to have first arrived on the Australian mainland by boat from the Indonesian archipelago between 40,000 to...
discussions when it was connected to the Theory of Portuguese discovery of Australia
Theory of Portuguese discovery of Australia
Although most historians hold that the European discovery of Australia began in 1606 with the voyage of the Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon on board the Duyfken, a theory exists that a Portuguese expedition arrived in Australia between 1521 and 1524...
by Kenneth McIntyre
Kenneth McIntyre
Kenneth Gordon McIntyre OBE was an Australian lawyer, historian and mathematician who is perhaps best known for his controversial book The Secret Discovery of Australia - Portuguese ventures 200 years before Captain Cook....
. While there are few Portuguese documents or maps beyond Barros that mention Mendonça, and none to directly connect Mendonça with Australia, McIntyre hypothesized that in 1521-4 Mendonça captained a fleet of three caravels which charted the east coast of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. McIntyre suggested that the voyage was kept secret because it would likely violate the ambiguous Treaty of Tordesillas
Treaty of Tordesillas
The Treaty of Tordesillas , signed at Tordesillas , , divided the newly discovered lands outside Europe between Spain and Portugal along a meridian 370 leagueswest of the Cape Verde islands...
, under which Portugal agreed that Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
would have exclusive rights to exploration in most of the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
and the regions between the Americas and Asia (Pacific). In addition he argued, many Portuguese records were lost in a disastrous Lisbon earthquake
1755 Lisbon earthquake
The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, also known as the Great Lisbon Earthquake, was a megathrust earthquake that took place on Saturday 1 November 1755, at around 9:40 in the morning. The earthquake was followed by fires and a tsunami, which almost totally destroyed Lisbon in the Kingdom of Portugal, and...
in 1755.
McIntyre's identification of Mendonça as the likely commander of a Portuguese fleet that charted Australia's east coast c1521-4 has also been accepted by other writers of the Theory of Portuguese discovery of Australia, including Lawrence Fitzgerald (1984) and Peter Trickett. McIntyre suggested that one of Mendonça's caravel
Caravel
A caravel is a small, highly maneuverable sailing ship developed in the 15th century by the Portuguese to explore along the West African coast and into the Atlantic Ocean. The lateen sails gave her speed and the capacity for sailing to windward...
s sailed along the southeast coast of Australia and was wrecked somewhere near Warrnambool, Victoria, becoming the Mahogany Ship
Mahogany Ship
The Mahogany Ship refers to a putative, early shipwreck that is purported to lie beneath the sand in the Armstrong Bay area, approximately 3 to 6 kilometres west of Warrnambool in southwest Victoria, Australia...
of Australian folklore. Although this wreck has not been seen since the 1880s, it is now often described in the Australian media as a Portuguese caravel or one of Mendonça's fleet, largely on the basis of McIntyre's theory. However, writing in one of his last pieces on the topic in 1994,McIntyre acknowledged that the identity of the Portuguese discoverer remained unclear. "Whether the discoverer was Mendonça or some other, at least (I am) certain he was Portuguese "
Recent work
In his 2007 book Beyond CapricornBeyond Capricorn
Beyond Capricorn: How Portuguese adventurers secretly discovered and mapped Australia and New Zealand 250 years before Captain Cook is a 2007 book by journalist Peter Trickett on the theory of Portuguese discovery of Australia...
, science journalist Peter Trickett revealed other information relating to Mendonça's life, including a fragment of stone engraved with Mendonça's name found in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and clearly dated to 1524, and a drawing that may show the 1519 fleet on its way to Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
. Trickett also connected Mendonça with the discovery of the North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Other points of view
Commenting on McIntyre's theory in 1984, Captain A. Ariel suggested it was extremely unlikely any sixteenth century mariner would have taken a voyage southwards down Australia's eastern coast, through uncharted dangerous waters and against prevailing winds, on the assumption MagellanFerdinand Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer. He was born in Sabrosa, in northern Portugal, and served King Charles I of Spain in search of a westward route to the "Spice Islands" ....
was sailing westwards, in southern latitudes, against the Roaring Forties
Roaring Forties
The Roaring Forties is the name given to strong westerly winds found in the Southern Hemisphere, generally between the latitudes of 40 and 49 degrees. Air displaced from the Equator towards the South Pole, which travels close to the surface between the latitudes of 30 and 60 degrees south, combines...
.
Writing in 2006, Associate Professor W.A.R.(Bill) Richardson of Flinders University
Flinders University
Flinders University, , is a public university in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 1966, it was named in honour of navigator Matthew Flinders, who explored and surveyed the South Australian coastline in the early 19th century.The university has established a reputation as a leading research...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
suggested the claim that Cristóvão de Mendonça sailed down the east coast of Australia is sheer speculation, based on voyages about which no real details have survived.
External links
- The National Library of Australia's Gateway site on exploration of Australia
- Asia in the Eyes of Europe, by Donald F.Lach. University of Chicago Library, 1991
See also
- Portugal
- History of Australia before 1901