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| Portugal 100 Escudos banknote 1920 Discovery of Brazil by Pedro Alvares Cabral |
Portugal 100 Escudos banknote 1920 Discovery of Brazil by Pedro Alvares Cabral
The vignette representing the Discovery of Brazil by Pedro Alvares Cabral on the obverse depicts several Indians on the shoreline awaiting Cabral's arrival. A medallic bust of Pedro Alvares Cabral is depicted at the lower right of the obverse.
The reverse shows Cabral being greeted by the King on his return to Lisbon (Scene of arrival of Pedro Alvares Cabral at Lisbon 8.3.1500), Coat of arms of Portugal at upper right & female medallic heads at left and right.
Printed by Bradbury Wilkinson & Company Ltd, England.
First issued on: 12.03.1918
Last Issued on: 24.12.1926
Redeemed: 04.07.1931
Size of note: 209 mm x 130 mm
Old Portuguese Escudo banknotes
Escudo Ouro (Gold Escudo) System
1913-1923 Regular Issue
50 Centavos 1 Escudo 5 Escudos 20 Escudos 100 Escudos
Pedro Alvares Cabral
Pedro Álvares Cabral (c. 1467 or 1468 – c. 1520) was a Portuguese nobleman, military commander, navigator and explorer regarded as the discoverer of Brazil. Cabral conducted the first substantial exploration of the northeast coast of South America and claimed it for Portugal. While details of Cabral's early life are unclear, it is known that he came from a minor noble family and received a good education. He was appointed to head an expedition to India in 1500, following Vasco da Gama's newly opened route around Africa. The object of the undertaking was to return with valuable spices and to establish trade relations in India—bypassing the monopoly on the spice trade then in the hands of Arab, Turkish and Italian merchants. Although the previous expedition of Vasco da Gama to India, on its sea route, recorded signs of land west of the southern Atlantic Ocean (in 1497), Cabral is regarded as the first captain who ever touched four continents, leading the first expedition that united Europe, Africa, America, and Asia.
Discovery of Brazil by Pedro Alvares Cabral
The fleet under the command of the 32–33-year old Cabral departed from Lisbon on 9 March 1500 at noon. The previous day it had been given a public send-off which included a Mass and celebrations attended by the King, his court and a huge crowd. On the morning of 14 March, the flotilla passed Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands. It sailed onward to Cape Verde, a Portuguese colony situated on the West African coast, which was reached on 22 March. The next day, a nau commanded by Vasco de Ataíde with 150 men disappeared without a trace. The fleet crossed the Equator on 9 April, and sailed westward as far as possible from the African continent in what was known as the volta do mar (literally "turn of the sea") navigational technique. Seaweed was sighted on 21 April, which led the sailors to believe that they were nearing the coast. They were proven correct the next afternoon, Wednesday 22 April 1500, when the fleet anchored near what Cabral christened the Monte Pascoal ("Easter Mount", it being the week of Easter). The spot is on the northeast coast of present-day Brazil.
The Portuguese detected inhabitants on the shore, and all ships' captains gathered aboard Cabral's lead ship on 23 April. Cabral ordered Nicolau Coelho, a captain who had experience from Vasco da Gama's voyage to India, to go ashore and make contact. He set foot on land and exchanged gifts with the indigenous people. After Coelho returned, Cabral took the fleet north, where after traveling 65 kilometres (40 mi) along the coast, it anchored on 24 April in what the commander-in-chief named Porto Seguro (Safe Port). The place was a natural harbor, and Afonso Lopes (pilot of the lead ship) brought two natives aboard to confer with Cabral.
As in the first contact, the meeting was friendly and Cabral presented the locals with gifts. The inhabitants were stone age hunter-gatherers, to whom the Europeans assigned the generic label "Indians". The men collected food by stalking game, fishing and foraging, while the women engaged in smal-scale farming. They were divided into countless rival tribes. The tribe which Cabral met was the Tupiniquim. Some of these groups were nomadic and others sedentary - having a knowledge of fire but not metalworking. A few tribes engaged in cannibalism. On 26 April, as more and more curious and friendly natives appeared, Cabral ordered his men to build an altar inland where a Christian Mass was held - the first celebrated on the soil of what would later become Brazil. He, along with the ships' crews, participated.
The following days were spent stockpiling water, food, wood and other provisions. The Portuguese also built a massive - perhaps 7 metres (23 ft) long-wooden cross. Cabral ascertained that the new land lay east of the demarcation line between Portugal and Spain that had been specified in the Treaty of Tordesillas. The territory was thus within the sphere allotted to Portugal. To solemnize Portugal's claim to the land, the wooden cross was erected and a second religious service held on 1 May. In honor of the cross, Cabral named the newly discovered land Ilha de Vera Cruz (Island of the True Cross). The next day a supply ship under the command of either Gaspar de Lemos or André Gonçalves (the sources conflict on who was sent) returned to Portugal to apprise the King of the discovery.