Description: A critical reassessment of world-shaping Portuguese voyages of discovery that places these quests in historical context.
The lasting impact of historic Portuguese voyages of discovery is unquestionable. The slave trade, the diaspora of the Sephardic Jews, and the intercontinental spread of plants and animals all make clear these voyages' long-term global significance. Navigations reexamines these Portuguese quests by placing them in their medieval and Renaissance settings. It shows how these voyages grew out of a crusading ethos, as well as long-distance trade with Asia and Africa and developments in map-making and ship design. Malyn Newitt also narrates these voyages of discovery in the framework of Portuguese politics, describing the role of the Portuguese ruling dynasty--including its female members--in the flowering of the Portuguese Renaissance, the creation of the Renaissance state with its distinctive ideology, and in the cultural changes that took place within a wider European context.Brief description: Malyn Newitt has taught at the universities of Rhodesia and Exeter, and until he retired, he was the Charles Boxer Professor of History at King's College London. He is the author of many books, including Portuguese Settlement on the Zambesi, Portugal in Africa, AHistory of Mozambique, East Africa, and A History of Portuguese Overseas Expansion.
Review Quotes: "One of the seminal episodes in world history was the fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Portuguese discovery of and expansion into Asia, Africa, and the Americas. . . . Newitt envisions this history not as a series of dramatic enterprises but as a continuation of patterns already in process in both parts of the world. Written in a readable style, this volume shows the history as a collaborative effort between already famous discoverers and an often ignored, supporting cast of crews, soldiers, women, Sephardic Jews, and African captives. . . . Highly recommended."-- "Choice"