Gonçalo Velho Cabral
| Gonçalo Velho | |
|---|---|
| Gonçalo Velho Cabral | |
Statue of Goncalo Velho Cabral alongside the city gates in Ponta Delgada, on the island of São Miguel (Azores), Portugal
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| 1st Donatary-Captain of the Islands of Santa Maria and São Miguel | |
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In office 1439–1461 |
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| Monarch |
John I Edward Alphonso V |
| Succeeded by | João Soares de Albergaria |
| Constituency | Santa Maria and São Miguel |
| 1st Commander of the Islands of the Azores | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1400 |
| Died | 1460 |
| Citizenship | Kingdom of Portugal |
| Nationality | Portuguese |
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| Relations |
Parents
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| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Kingdom of Portugal |
| Commands |
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Parents
Gonçalo Velho Cabral (c. 1400 – c. 1460) was a Portuguese monk and Commander in the Order of Christ, explorer (credited with the discovery of the Formigas, the re-discovery of the islands of Santa Maria and São Miguel in the Azores) and hereditary landowner responsible for administering Crown lands on the same islands, during the Portuguese Age of Discovery.
He was son of Fernão Velho, Lord and Alcaide of Veleda, and his wife Maria Álvares Cabral (great-aunt of Pedro Álvares Cabral). His siblings Álvaro Velho Cabral, Teresa Velho Cabral, wife of Fernão Soares de Albergaria, and Violante Velho Cabral, wife of Diogo Gonçalves de Travassos also established settlements in the Azores with their families. Although referenced as Gonçalo Velho Cabral in most modern biographies, he is generally referred to as Gonçalo Velho in historical documents.
In 1431, Gonçalo Velho was in the Vila de Tancos, along the Tagus River, when he received a summons from the Prince Henry, Governor of the Order of Christ, who ordered him to depart from Sagres in a caravel, with instructions to navigate to the western sea, and to "discover some land, [and] return with notice". This first voyage was made to determine the location of "islands" first identified by the Portuguese pilot Diogo de Silves, in 1427. Although the noted chronicler Gaspar Frutuoso has attributed to Gonçalo Velho Cabral the discovery of the seven islands of the Azores, modern historiographer contest this record, limiting his discoveries to the eastern islands alone. In 1431, with less than a few days of travel, Gonçalo Velho discovered a scattering of rocky outcroppings, which he examined and were later named the "Formigas". He quickly returned to Sagres, probably due to bad weather.
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