Tristão Vaz Teixeira
Tristão Vaz Teixeira | |
|---|---|
Statue of Tristão Vaz Teixeira in Machico | |
| Born | c. 1395 Kingdom of Portugal |
| Died | 1480 Silves, Kingdom of Portugal |
| Nationality | Portuguese |
| Occupation | Explorer, colonial administrator |
Tristão Vaz Teixeira (Portuguese pronunciation: [tɾiʃˈtɐ̃w̃ ˈvaʃ tɐjˈʃɐj.ɾɐ]; c. 1395–1480) was a Portuguese navigator and explorer who, together with João Gonçalves Zarco and Bartolomeu Perestrelo, was the official discoverer and one of the first settlers of the archipelago of Madeira (1419–1420).
Biography
Born Tristão Vaz, he later adopted the surname Teixeira after his marriage to Dona Branca Teixeira. Tristão was a nobleman of the household of Prince Henry the Navigator and took part in the conquest of Ceuta.[1]
Around 1418, while exploring the coast of Africa, he and João Gonçalves Zarco were blown off course by bad weather and came upon an island they named Porto Santo (“Holy Harbor”). Shortly afterward, Prince Henry ordered them to settle the island, together with Bartolomeu Perestrelo. Following a rabbit infestation that made agriculture difficult, they relocated to the nearby island of Madeira. The island proved hospitable and fertile, prompting Prince Henry to send additional settlers to colonize it.
The governance of Madeira was divided between João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira, who were appointed Captain-majors (capitães-donatários) of Funchal and Machico, respectively. Tristão was officially confirmed in this post on 11 May 1440.
Teixeira actively promoted and frequently organized festivals, tournaments, equestrian games, and poetry recitals. He is credited as the author of three poems included in the Cancioneiro Geral compiled by Garcia de Resende. He was responsible for the construction of the original chapel of São Roque, dedicated to the patron saint against contagious diseases, as well as the chapel of São João Batista, the main church of Machico. This church was intended as a family mausoleum—as indicated by the Teixeira family coat of arms—this church.[2]
Throughout his life, Tristão Vaz Teixeira participated in further raids and exploratory expeditions along the African coast.[3] He died at the age of 85 in Silves, Algarve.
Notes
- ^ Zurara, p. 388
- ^ Teixeira, Manuel Rufino. Tristão Vaz Teixeira: Quem Era? (PDF). Mercado Quinhentista.
- ^ Zurara, p. 413
Sources
- Zurara, Gomes Eanes de (1841). Chronica do descobrimento e conquista de Guiné, 1453. Paris: J. P. Aillaud.