Pedro Álvares Cabral

Pedro Álvares Cabral (1467 – 1520m.) was a Portuguese navigator and explorer.Cabral is generally regarded as the European discover of Brazil (22 April 1500). Cabral is thought to have been born in Belmonte, in the Beira Baixa province of Portugal .He was the third son of Fernão Cabral, the Governor of Beira and Belmonte , and Isabel de Queiros and married Isabel de Castro the daughter of distinguished Fernando de Noranha. He must have had excellent training in navigation and a large amount of experience as seaman , for King Manuel I of Portugal considered him competent to continue the work of Vasco de Gama.
His comision was to establish permanant commercial relations and to introduce Christianity wherever he went , using force of arms if necesary.The nature of the undertaking led rich Florentine merchants to contribute to the equipment of the ships and also led priests to join the expedition. Among the captains of the fleet, which consisted of 13 ships and 1,500 men were Bartolomen Dias, Pêro Vaz de Caminha , Sancho de Favar and Nicolau Coelho, who was the companion of Vasco da Gama.Vasco da Gama himself gave the directions necessary for the course of voyage.
The fleet of thirteen ships left Lisbon on 9 March 1500 and following the course laid down , sought to avoid the calms off the coast of Gulf of Guinea .On 21April a mountain was visible to which the name of Monte Pascoal was given, on 22April Cabrallanded on the toast of Brazil and on 25 April the entire fleet sailed into the harbor called Porto Seguro.Believing the newly – discovered land to be and island he gave it the name of Island of the True Cross ( or Islando of Vera Cruz) and took possession of it by erecting a cross and holding a religious service.
Cabral died largely forgotten around 1520 was buried in a moncestery in Santarém, Portugal. He has been honored on a number of postage stamps, including one in a set of Brazilian stamps issued 1January 1900 to mark the 400th anniversary of the discovery.