Prince Henry the Navigator (Paperback)

by Sir Peter Russell (Author), Peter Russell (Author) "Prince Henry of Portugal, Knight of the Garter and universally but somewhat misleadingly known to all as 'the Navigator', has attracted the special attention of..." (more)
Key Phrases: reais brancos, slave razzias, gold dobras, Cape Bojador, North Africa, African Atlantic (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Prince Henry of Portugal (1394-1460), called "the Navigator," is widely known as a precursor of Columbus, a man who helped set the European world on its great global adventure, and a paragon of learning who established the first school devoted to the art and science of navigating the open seas. None of this, Russell reveals, is true. Nor is Henry a progenitor of modernity, as he is sometimes described. Russell shows him to have been a thoroughly Renaissance prince, who embodied a mix of faith, science and mystical irrationalityAa far cry from modernism. It has been close to a century since a biography of Henry has been written, and Russell, now retired after a long and distinguished career at Oxford, has written a fitting capstone to his work on the history of early modern Iberia. Beginning his biography of Henry with the astrological portents attendant on his birth (which seems to have strongly influenced his unshakable image of himself as a great crusader and a great discoverer of secrets), the author does a masterful job of placing the events of Henry's life in the context not only of his own time but of ours as well. Russell's treatment of the Prester John myth (the belief that there was a Christian king of Ethiopia with whom Henry wanted to ally himself against the Turks) and his analysis of Henry's place in the development of the Atlantic slave trade are especially fine, and by themselves they could recommend this excellent work. The volume is graced with beautifully produced color plates; the map and family tree provided are helpful; the notes are copious and useful; and the bibliography is extensive. This book, like Henry, is a font of virtues but, thankfully unlike the prince, it has no glaring faults. (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review
"An illuminating and well-written life of the founding figure of the Age of Exploration." -- Kirkus Review

"An outstanding volume that will take decades to supersede." -- Frank McLynn, New Statesman

"May well be the finest work of history to be published this year." -- J. M. Roberts, Times Literary Supplement

"[Russell] presents a . . . fascinating man in a superbly written and thought- provoking book." -- Economist

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 502 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (September 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300091303
• ISBN-13: 978-0300091304
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 4.9 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #784,516 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MAN MEDIEVAL, March 18, 2001

By	Arnold A. Putnam "arnoldaputnam" (Kennebunkport, Maine United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prince Henry "the Navigator": A Life (Hardcover)

Peter Russell's subject was one about whom, I must confess, I knew very little. I was aware that Prince Henry had initiated exploration of the west coast of Africa and was indirectly responsible for the voyages of Christopher Columbus and Vasco de Gama. These are the facts found in any general survey of Western Civilization. However, the real character and life of Henry is much more interesting and complex.

Mr. Russell opens the story with a typical background concerning Henry's family. He then deals with Henry's horoscope. Despite being on the verge of the Modern World, horoscopes at birth were common at that time. This sets the stage, and to some extent, seems to explain much of Henry's life. Henry is not the "Monastic Prince," dedicated to exploration in the name of disinterested science and the glory of Portugal. Rather, he is a live, flesh and blood, product of the late Middle Ages. He seeks fame and honor as a Christian Crusader against Islam and the forces of darkness, with, like most crusaders, an eye to profit.

Henry did not initiate the Slave trade. It is worthy of note to see how a people, who believed that all men were descended from Adam, could justify the abomination of slavery. "Though in natural law there may be no distinction between a free man and a slave, for the practical working of society natural law in this case had been superceded by man-made law which treats freemen and slaves differently" (p. 249). Looking at our own day I can find instances of where Constitutional Rights have been sacrificed to the "higher good" of expediency. The Orwellian expression that "All men are created equal, but some men are more equal than others" applies.

In our current rush to dispel myths of the past we often leap from one extreme to another. We are quick to turn unvarnished heroes into despicable demons. The fallacy of unmixed blessings is replaced by one of unmixed curses. We sit upon our arrogant, high throne of judgment of those in the past, forgetting that there will be those in future who are apt to sit in judgment of us. Just as the Portuguese and Europeans mistakenly thought what they did was right, so too will future generations see our faults. Let us hope they will be fair and not politically motivated in their judgment.

Mr. Russell has written an excellent biography of the Prince, dispelling numerous myths, without falling into the currently fashionable morass of Political Correctness. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the period of European exploration and discovery.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very thorough and somewhat deflating biography, February 25, 2002

By	M. A Michaud "michael_michaud" (Dulles, VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is the definitive English language biography of Prince Henry of Portugal, known as "The Navigator." The author, a retired former director of Portuguese studies at Oxford, has researched his subject as thoroughly as the source material allows. As is the case with other exhaustively researched biographies, this one makes its subject appear less heroic than legend implies. Though Henry did sponsor the early Portuguese exploration of the West African coast, his motives were commercial and religious rather than scientific. Russell, describing Henry's failures as well as his successes, concludes that the Prince was essentially a man of the late middle ages, not the Renaissance. Nonetheless, Henry initiated the astonishing adventure of a small country extending its reach around the world.

18 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Biography of the Father of the Afro-Atlantic Slave Trade, November 23, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Prince Henry "the Navigator": A Life (Hardcover)

Sir Peter Russell, late Professor of Spanish in Oxford University, has written a marvelously detailed biography of Prince Henry, commonly known as "The Navigator." Russell manages deftly to destroy most of the nonsense propagated about Henry by idolotrous biographers in the past, especially those who wrote during the period of the Salazar dictatorship in Portugal. The Salazar regime made Prince Henry into a national icon and loaded him down with numerous virtues he never had, such as scientific expertise, astronomical knowledge, etc., etc. At the same time scarcely a mention was made of his role as the founding father of the Afro-Atlantic slave trade and other far from admirable characteristics, such as his military incompetence and fraternal disloyalty. Russell's portrait puts paid to all the previous puffery. [One of his most delicious remarks is to the effect that "in Henryspeak" conversion and enslavement were "interchangable terms."] The books is based upon at least 40 years of research and is the most detailed biography ever of this late medieval figure. It is must reading for all students of European expansion and for those who wish to understand the modern world. A masterpiece!