Episode 3 – Henry the Navigator

From Settlement to Superpower

The story of the Age of Discovery traditionally begins in 1415, when the Portuguese captured the Moroccan city of Ceuta in a stunning lightning assault. Among those who made their names that day was Prince Henry of Portugal, a young, brash, and zealous prince. Over the next 45 years his restless nature would place him at the vanguard of both glory and catastrophe. When all is said and done, however, it was Prince Henry, known to posterity as Prince Henry ‘the Navigator’, who laid the foundation for Portugal’s 500-year-long empire and more importantly, pushed Western Europe into a new era.