People
Historical Figures and Influential People in History
Explore rulers, generals, thinkers, scientists and reformers who shaped world history. Search for a specific person, or browse by era, region, country and A–Z.
Medieval Period Figures from Portugal
Use the filters on the right to narrow the figure index while keeping the main results in view.
5 results
Bartolomeu Dias
1450–1500Europe
He sailed further south than any European had gone, rounded the tip of Africa in a storm, and returned to find that nobody wanted to talk about anything except Columbus.
Open profile →
Ferdinand Magellan
1480–1521Europe
Portuguese-born navigator who led the first expedition to cross the Pacific Ocean, enabling the first circumnavigation of Earth and reshaping global geographic understanding.
Open profile →
Gil Eanes
1390–1460Europe
For years, European sailors had turned back at the same cape, convinced that beyond it lay boiling seas and monsters — until he sailed past it and found nothing but ocean.
Open profile →
Prince Henry the Navigator
1394–1460Europe
He never navigated anywhere himself — but the expeditions he financed from his palace on the Portuguese coast opened the African coastline and began the age of exploration.
Open profile →
Vasco da Gama
1460–1524Europe
He sailed round Africa to India, arrived with a fleet and a list of demands, and opened a trade route that made Portugal briefly the richest country in the world.
Open profile →