Europe's exploration of the outside world began a new era of political, economic, and social contacts and it can certainly be argued that the voyages undertaken in Prince Henry's name marked the first sustained expansion outside Europe and set the tone for subsequent voyages. It can also be said that, by 1500, the Portuguese and Spanish overseas empires had finally exceeded the achievements of classical Greece and Rome. A definitive evaluation of Prince Henry's contribution to the rise of the powers, however, remains elusive. Was Prince Henry a skilful leader able to inspire those under his charge to greater feats of courage and nautical daring, or was he simply an administrator claiming credit for the accomplishments of others?

Certainly, Portugal was interested in developing markets and resources to stimulate its economy. The reality, however, is that for the first twenty years, the revenue gathered from such voyages was negligible, leading some to speculate that the financing for the voyages must have come from a private source, including Prince Henry's own fortune. Although the main source of his revenue was not available until later in his life - the product of the concessions granted to him by the Portuguese Crown - it must be remembered that Prince Henry had control over the Military Order of Christ. Thus, the Military Order of Christ may have supplied the bulk of capital required to finance the early years of Prince Henry's explorations. The use of funds from a religious order made it imperative that exploration should be justified as having a high religious purpose, such as the conversion of heathens to Christianity or inflicting damage on Islamic territories. After 1443, it is possible to argue that exploration became self-sufficient with the profits from trade and commerce making voyages profitable. For example, merchants could expect a fourfold profit when trading in cloth.

It cannot be forgotten that Prince Henry instituted many of the practices that would become standard features of European exploration. By systematically exploring the African coast, Prince Henry inaugurated a policy of exploration that built on the knowledge of previous voyages. Instead of remaining content with the extent of existing knowledge, Prince Henry used the end of one voyage as the beginning for the next. Other aspects of Prince Henry's system were equally as remarkable. The Portuguese practice of recruiting members of the indigenous population who became interpreters helped to lay both the intellectual and financial groundwork for future voyages. By using interpreters in this manner, Prince Henry was able to build an effective and reliable source of information about the areas to be explored by Europeans. Interpreters also significantly contributed to the European voyages of exploration by allowing Europeans to communicate with indigenous populations in a peaceful manner. Such relations were important to establishing friendly trade and gathering information.

Perhaps the most important feature of Prince Henry, and thus his most important contribution to the voyages of exploration, was his curiosity. Although he did not accompany any of the ships under his charge during their voyages, he sent captains to sea to find answers to questions. Therefore, while it is debatable whether or not Prince Henry deserves credit for the courage of Gil Eanes, it is certain that Henry provided the intellectual stimuli that sustained exploration during its early years.

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