LONDON STATUES - PIONEERS
LONDON STATUES - PIONEERS HENRY THE NAVIGATOR (1394–1460) Although nicknamed “the Navigator,” Prince Henry of Portugal never actually went on voyages of discovery himself. Instead, he acted as the great enabler of the Age of Discovery — sponsoring expeditions along the West African coast and encouraging advances in navigation, cartography, and ship design. His support helped establish Portugal as Europe’s leading maritime power and laid the groundwork for the sea routes to Africa, India and eventually the Americas. Belgrave Square CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS (c.1451–1506) Columbus was an Italian explorer whose westward voyages across the Atlantic, sponsored by Spain, opened sustained contact between Europe and the Americas. Although he died believing he had reached the outskirts of Asia, his four voyages transformed world history, marking the beginning of globalization. Columbus’s 1492 voyage is often credited with the “...