Women on Discoveries

Catarina - nicknamed "a Piró "- was a beautiful girl from Miragaia and caused a violent passion to a nobleman from an illustrious family in Porto, called Garcia da Sé. Now the boy's father, when he know about this passion, was exalted, affirming that he would never support this relationship. Now, not wanting to disobey his father or lose his beloved, the young nobleman left for India and took Catarina with him. There they lived for over twenty years and had to your beautiful daughters - Joana and Leonor.

Angel Luna - 5º A

Names like Fernão de Magalhães, Vasco da Gama and Pedro Álvares Cabral confirm that in the great epic of the Discoveries, men played a prominent role. The 15th and 16th century women played a social role in supporting the family and practically reserved for domestic life. But the truth is that there is no rule without exception and some of them had the courage to count the destiny that society attributed to them, and were involved in adventures and initiatives, allowing them to be remembered and to recount their deeds.

Lohan Ribeiro - 8º C

Fonte: "Mulheres nos Descobrimentos", Ana Magalhães e Isabel Alçada coleção na Crista da Onda, maio de 1997.

This princess Isabel, sister of Infante D. Henrique - mentor of the 1st phase of the Portuguese discoveries - daughter of King D. João I and D. Filipa de Lencastre, despite living far from Portugal (Burgundy, France), played a very active role in supporting the settlement of the Azores islands. It was she who convinced the brothers to accept settlers on those islands originating in Flanders ("Flamengos"), being responsible for selecting settlers with the necessary qualities to live on the newly discovered islands, guaranteeing them good conditions to start their new life in the Azores archipelago. 

It is for this reason that even today there are places in the Azores linked to this wave of emigrants, namely, a parish in the city of Horta, on the island of Faial, called Flamengos. The city of Horta was actually founded by Captain Huertere. On the island of Terceira, Jácome de Bruges was responsible for the colonization of that island.
The Faial windmills are a heritage linked to the memory of the island's colonization, which included settlers from Flanders.

Nazarii Oliferenko - 7º F

Women were predestined by the imposition of society only to cry tears when saying goodbye to their husbands or children when traveling by sea. The law prevented them from participating in these adventures, reserved only for the men of the time.

But ingenuity, courage and the urge to travel led some women to sneak aboard and embark illegally. For this, some more daring, cut their hair, dressed in men and thickened their voices, in order to deceive the crew, posing as boys. If they were discovered on board, their life was in the hands of the captain, who could punish, imprison or leave them on an island. Vasco da Gama was very strict about the presence of women on board and had some of them flogged.

Dmytro - 9º C

This princess Isabel, sister of Infante D. Henrique - mentor of the 1st phase of the Portuguese discoveries - daughter of King D. João I and D. Filipa de Lencastre, despite living far from Portugal (Burgundy, France), played a very active role in supporting the settlement of the Azores islands. It was she who convinced the brothers to accept settlers on those islands originating in Flanders ("Flamengos"), being responsible for selecting settlers with the necessary qualities to live on the newly discovered islands, guaranteeing them good conditions to start their new life in the Azores archipelago. 

It is for this reason that even today there are places in the Azores linked to this wave of emigrants, namely, a parish in the city of Horta, on the island of Faial, called Flamengos. The city of Horta was actually founded by Captain Huertere. On the island of Terceira, Jácome de Bruges was responsible for the colonization of that island.
The Faial windmills are a heritage linked to the memory of the island's colonization, which included settlers from Flanders.

Beatriz Silva, 8º A

Portugal in the 15th century had several cities e castles in India, including the city of Diu. In 1538, the Guzerate sultan violently attacked this city that was in the hands of the Portuguese. Captain António da Silveira only had 600 soldiers to defend the city, which was attacked by more than 25,000 soldiers. All the city doors were immediately locked and for three long months the Portuguese soldiers were surrounded. Several women decided helped the soldiers in the fighting. Isabel da Veiga, married to a nobleman from the island of Madeira, took up arms and fought with such bravery that she became known as "The defender". Another, Ana Fernandes, already of an advanced age, became involved in the fighting and circled the walls giving orders to the soldiers not to fail. They were an essential help for the struggle that the Portuguese ended up winning.

Javier Aponte - 7º B

The discoveries caused many deaths among sailors, with many fathers dying. Orphaned girls were then in a very fragile situation, as they had no one to protect them and provide them with the necessary dowry to guarantee a good marriage. In response to this problem, the Portuguese king D. João III created a home for them, “Recolhimento do Castelo de S. Jorge”, deciding to send 10 of these girls to India every year in order to marry with Portuguese who had settled there. A great journey of discovery, maritime and sentimental for these young women.

Lara Reis - 7º A

Some women stood out for their ability to establish good relations and diplomacy. An example is the countess of Redondo, whose husband, João Coutinho (on image), was governor of Arzila, in North Africa, one of the squares conquered by the Portuguese. This countess managed to establish courtesy relations with the Moorish chief Mulei Abraém, a great enemy of the Portuguese.

Vicent Silva - 7º B

Many women were forced to accompany their husbands in the process of populating the islands of Madeira and the Azores, abandoning their homes and the comfort that the whole family had. Examples are the wives of Captain João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz, discoverers and settlers of the Madeira archipelago, Constança Almeida and Branca Teixeira, who underwent life in an unknown land, without the comfort they possessed and exposing themselves to risks and tribulations.

They are a brave women!

Erica Carvalheira - 7º A