3 During this time, Portugal was heavily exploring the African continent. They traveled down to the Gold Coast in Africa to a Portuguese fort on the Gulf of Guinea. He took a trip with a nobleman named Diogo de Azambuja in 1481. 2 Although he grew up in the mighty seafaring nation of Portugal, there is no detailed account of how Dias gained his sailing experience. By his mid-thirties, Dias worked in the Portuguese royal court in charge of the crown’s warehouse goods.
1 He was raised in a noble family, so he may have received a good education. He was born in 1450 near Lisbon, Portugal. Very little is known about Bartolomeu Dias’ (also spelled Bartholomew Diaz) early life. But with some luck and skill, Dias navigated these waters to open a new way to reach India from Europe. The coast of Africa often had terrible storms which often deterred explorers. In 1488, Dias proved that a sea trading route from Europe to Asia was possible. Bartolomeu Dias was the first European explorer to sail around the southern coast of Africa successfully.
